With spring in full swing, now is not the time for complicated dinners. My 30-Minute Meatballs make a delicious meal for busy weeknights.
My favorite things about these meatballs: (1) my kids devour them, and (2) they freeze really well. I always double the recipe and keep my freezer stocked with meatballs. When we have one of those weeks—you know the ones where you hardly have a break and your kids have a million activities—I simply reheat them for a quick and tasty meal.
Sometimes, I heat them on a sheet pan in a 350 degree oven. Other times, I combine them with jarred pasta sauce (Rao’s is our favorite) in a saucepan and reheat over medium heat. A quick-cooking spaghetti and meatballs is always a good idea.
30-Minute Meatballs
1 lb ground beef or pork (or 1/2 lb of each—this is usually what I do)
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs, regular or panko
½ cup milk
1 egg
½ cup grated or finely-chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 t dried oregano
1 t salt
½ t pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk and set aside.
In a large bowl, add ground meat, egg, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Add breadcrumb mixture. Mix well with your hands until fully combined. Do not overmix, which will result in tougher meatballs.
Using a small cookie scoop or teaspoon, portion out your mixture and gently roll with your hands to make 1-inch diameter meatballs. You should have about 2 dozen meatballs.
Place meatballs on baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Drain meatballs on a paper towel lined plate. Enjoy with your favorite pasta and sauce, or freeze for later use.
Enjoy!
