meatballs.

they're not just meatballs. they can be marinara meatballs. they can be meatball subs. they can be hamburgers. they can be meatloaf. they can be pizza topping. (slice cooked meatballs.) they can be sweet and sour meatballs.

but of course the meatballs are perfect in fresh tomato marinara sauce.

who doesn't love a meatball?

remember flash freezing? i make up a double batch of meatballs and throw half of them in a simmering pan of spaghetti sauce, and then i put the other half in the freezer. i will use the frozen meatballs for meatball subs or sweet and sour meatballs. those recipes to come.

this is my recipe for meatballs, but know that they are really flexible. you can throw in about anything you want. meatballs are so forgiving. and so good.

meatballs.

an original recipe by rachelle

makes about 12.

1 pound ground beef (or half pound beef, half chub sausage. o yum.)

2 cloves garlic

1/4 onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs*

1/4 cup milk

1 Tablespoon parsley

optional:

(this doesn't mean you can use all of these at once. please use restraint or you'll have some funky meatballs.)

2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese (marinara meatballs only!)

1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce

1 teaspoon minced onion

1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/2 packet dry onion soup mix

grease a cookie sheet. add the garlic and onion into the bowl of a food processor. process until smooth. dump ground beef in a big bowl and dump the onion garlic mixture on top. add the seasonings, breadcrumbs and egg. mix gently with your hands. gently. mix everything together, barely. shape meatballs into golf ball sized balls and place on the cookie sheet. don't compress the meatballs too much. just shape them into rounds as best as you can. flash freeze immediately, bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, brown in a hot oiled skillet for 10 minutes, or make marinara meatballs.

to make marinara meatballs (spaghetti and meatballs):

add shaped raw meatballs into a pot of simmering spaghetti sauce. (let me just mention here that my recipe for homemade marinara takes like five minutes longer than opening a bottle of spaghetti sauce, if you use canned instead of fresh tomatoes.)

leave the meatballs alone for about 10 minutes, then stir them SO gently in the sauce, flipping them over. let them simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often, SO gently. if you're pressed for time, put the lid on the pot to cook them a bit quicker. i love to serve spaghetti and meatballs family style: in a big bowl with everything on top. i even load up the fab french bread (or garlic or cheese bread) on the sides.

*or use fresh breadcrumbs: grind 2 pieces, and add seasoning: garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt, parlsey.

*if you're out of fresh onion, use 1/2 packet dry onion soup mix. or use homemade onion soup mix:

homemade dry onion soup mix:

1 Tablespoon minced onion

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon beef boullion

1/4 teaspoon salt