Meatball Shop Classic Meatball Food

THE MEATBALL SHOP'S CLASSIC BEEF MEATBALLS

Steps:

• For the Meatballs: Preheat the oven to 450F
• Drizzle the olive oil into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface
• Set aside
• Combine the ground beef, ricotta, eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated
• Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly
• Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid
• The meatballs should be touching one another
• Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through
• A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165F
• While the meatballs are roasting, heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often
• When the meatballs are firm and fully cooked, remove them from the oven and drain the excess grease from the pan
• Pour the tomato sauce over them
• Return the meatballs to the oven and continue roasting for another 15 minutes
• For the Classic Tomato Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat
• Add the onions, bay leaf, oregano, garlic, and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes
• Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for 5 minutes
• Add the tomatoes and stir constantly until the sauce begins to boil
• Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent the sauce on the bottom of the pot from burning
• Taste and season with additional salt, if desired
• Remove the bay leaf before serving

CLASSIC BEEF MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle olive oil into a 9-by 13-inch baking dish; using your hand, evenly coat entire surface. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together beef, ricotta, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red-pepper flakes, and fennel until fully incorporated. Roll mixture into firmly packed 1 1/2-inch balls.
• Place meatballs in prepared baking dish, taking care to line them up snugly so that they are touching one another in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. Transfer baking dish to oven. Bake until meatballs are firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 165 degrees.
• Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
• Remove meatballs from oven and carefully drain excess grease from pan. Pour heated sauce over meatballs and return to oven; cook for 15 minutes more. Serve.

CLASSIC BEEF MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
• Combine the ground beef, ricotta, eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
• Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
• Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
• While the meatballs are roasting, heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often.
• When the meatballs are firm and fully cooked, remove them from the oven and drain the excess grease from the pan. Pour the tomato sauce over them. Return the meatballs to the oven and continue roasting for another 15 minutes.

EXCELLENT CLASSIC MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with Kosher salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the cooled onion mixture, season generously with Kosher salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet.
• Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't, it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big; some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides.
• Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to a big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!