Mini Meatballs
Meatballs are for more than just spaghetti or sub sandwiches. These delicious little morels can and should stand on their own. Frequently now, I’ll serve a few meatballs, dusted with parmesan cheese and a bit of olive oil as an appetizer, or even a small main dish, maybe with a side salad. This recipe for Mini-meatballs is perfect for parties, where you’ll looking for “tooth-pick” food. Or, I’ve found that kids absolutely love these guys, as they are sized perfectly for them. They freeze well, so make a large batch, because you’ll get asked for them again and again.
Recipe Overview & Keys to Success
To make the best Mini-Meatballs just make sure to do the following:
- Use a mix of pork and beef for more flavor and for a better texture in the meatball
- You can change up the ingredients a bit to suit your tastes, but make sure you cook off a “test” meatball before cooking the whole batch. Then adjust the seasoning based on your tester
- Don’t over cook the meatballs, or they will dry out. They only need about 20 minutes in barely simmering sauce to cook through
- Treat the meatballs gingerly. They are fragile little guys…don’t stir the pot or handle them roughly or they can break up on you
- 1 finely diced onion
- 1 shredded carrot
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- ~ 1 lb of ground beef
- ~ 1 lb of ground pork
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 2 – 3 quarts basic tomato sauce
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the onion, carrot and garlic
- Season with Salt and Pepper, and saute over medium heat until everything is tender
- Set aside to cool for 10 – 15 minutes
- Add the meat, bread crumbs, eggs, parmesan cheese, the cooled veggies and a good amount of salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl
- Mix everything together thoroughly, and then cook off a small patty of the mix
- Taste, and if needed, add more salt and pepper
- Shape the remaining mix into meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball
- Heat your tomato sauce to a simmer
- While the sauce warms, heat large sauté pan, coat the bottom with olive oil and sear the outside of the meatballs (working in batches) on all sides, browning them
- Once all the meatballs are browned, move them into the sauce, and poach them for 15 – 20 minutes until cooked through (you can always break one open to ensure they are cooked)
- Serve up the meatballs with the tomato sauce, and garnish with some grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of fresh olive oil
- Enjoy!
These mini-meatballs are actually a very tomato driven recipe. And with tomato recipes, I almost always recommend a Chianti, or Sangiovese wine. They both have a natural affinity for tomatoes, and I think you will love the match.
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