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+--- Thread: A good "basic" meatball recipe! (/showthread.php?tid=1894)
A good "basic" meatball recipe! - 1958 F.W.D. - 01-19-2008
Making good homemade spaghetti gravy is hard enough. It is a lot of work and to do it right takes 6-8 hours. We usually dont have that kind of time in the firehouse. So if you want to make a good spaghetti dinner in the firehouse one night, try this meatball recipe, which will do WONDERS for any "store bought" red gravy. (A side note to the red gravy- dont skimp and buy cheap stuff! I know spaghetti gravy isnt cheap, but dont compound the matter by purchasing the cheap stuff! I like Franchesco Rinaldi, for 4-6 servings, I buy 2 large jars of "traditional", one medium jar of "mushroom" and 1 small jar of "3 cheese"). No matter how you go with the red gravy though, these meatballs will cover up the fact that you used store-bought red gravy!!!! This only takes a few minutes to make, and since you can bake these, you can concentrate on other parts of the meal while they are cooking.
Serves 4-6 with leftovers. (2 boxes standard #9 spaghetti pasta and the above recipe for the red gravy. Also dont forget salad and ITALIAN bread!)
Preheat oven to 375.
1.5 pounds of lean gr. beef (try to get as lean as possible.)
1 pound gr. pork
1 pound gr. veal
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs basil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or put through a garlic press
3/4 cup of grated parmesean
Italian bread crumbs as needed
mix all ingredients well, using the bread crumbs to "dry" and hold the mix together as needed. Now go to the TV room and grab 2-3 other guys who are watching Dr. Phil and get them to help you roll the meatballs. I like mine just a bit bigger than golf balls, as they bake nicely without drying out in about 35-45 mins.
Place them in a glass baking dish or a deep cookie sheet, as there will be grease produced. Throw em in the oven for 35-35 mins. When they come out, drain them on a paper towel for a few minutes and then toss em right in the gravy!
PS- You can fry these if you want, but I prefer baking for a few reasons- it cooks them all evenly with minimal effort, this kind of a quantity will require 2-3 frying pans or multiple "batches" in one frying pan, plus if you just put them all on a baking sheet at one time, you can then work on the rest of the meal while you wait for these to bake, versus having to constantly tend to them if they were in a frying pan!!!