Meatballs

Say Hello to our family favorite… Meatballs!!!

Juicy, Delicious, and Flavorful, Oven Baked Meatballs make a great appetizer or as an addition to your pasta.

Ever since my son started saying yes to pasta, I’ve been experimenting different pasta recipes and proteins to go along with it. These meatballs are one of his favorites which he devours in seconds; served either ways, with marinara sauce or with a creamy white sauce.

This is a classic Italian style meatball recipe with garlic, chili flakes, oregano, parsley, herbs, parmesan, onion, egg and breadcrumbs. Once your ingredients are ready, the preparation is very easy; mix everything together, roll it and bake it in the oven, Voila!  Don’t be surprised if your family starts munching it directly from the pan, it’s that good!

So, let’s get into the details of cooking up these meatballs.

What kind of meat portion should I buy?

Most people buy a mix of beef, veal and pork to make meatballs as it brings so much of flavor, but here I have used only beef. I’ve used ground chuck with 80/20 blend, which means 80% lean meat and 20% fat. It makes the meat hold together during the bake, while keeping it tender and juicy.

How can you serve these meatballs?

1. You can go for the classic combination of meatballs with spaghetti or any pasta of your choice.
2. Or you can serve meatballs as an appetizer with marinara as the dipping sauce.
3. These meatballs make a great protein for your sandwich, wrap or on your salad, the options are endless!

How can you store leftovers?

Once you are done with your cooking, make sure to bring it down to room temperature. You can store the leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator, or freeze it in a freezer safe zip lock bag or container for up to 2 months.

For reheating; Meatballs reheat like a gem, although it is ideal to thaw them before heating by transferring from the freezer to the refrigerator a day prior to serving. You can either microwave it, or heat on a pan with its lid on.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Interested in other appetizer recipes? Check these out:

• Chicken meatballs
• Honey Soy Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
• Beef Cultet/Croquette
• Buffalo Chicken Bites

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

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Meatballs

Juicy, Delicious, and Flavorful, Oven Baked Meatballs make a great appetizer or as an addition to your pasta.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: meatballs, pasta, spaghetti

Servings: 30 meatballs

Author: Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 large egg
• 1 medium sized white/yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp oregano (dried)
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup water
• A small handful of parsley (finely chopped)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degree F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and keep aside.
2. In a bowl, using your hands or a spatula, mix together minced beef, garlic, onion, egg, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, chili flakes, water, salt and pepper until its well combined, but make sure not to overmix it.
3. Wet your hands with water or oil and using a cookie scoop or with your hands, roll the mixture into small round sized balls and place them on the baking sheet.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes flipping them midway through the cooking until they are nicely browned on the outside and cooked well. The internal temperature should reach 165-degree F.
5. Remove from the oven and drain off any leftover excess fat.
6. Serve them hot along with pasta or serve as an appetizer with marinara sauce on the side. Enjoy!