Tuscan Meatballs Recipes

MEATBALLS & PASTA

Steps:

• Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands, then tip into a large bowl.
• Pick and finely chop the rosemary, then add to the bowl with the mustard, minced meat and oregano.
• Crack the egg into the bowl, then add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
• With clean hands, scrunch and mix everything up well. Divide into 4 large and balls, then with wet hands divide each ball into 6 and roll into little meatballs - you should end up with 24.
• Place the meatballs onto a plate, drizzle with oil and jiggle about to coat, then cover and place in the fridge until needed - this will help to firm them up.
• Pick the basil leaves, keeping any smaller ones to one side for later. Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic, and trim and finely slice or crumble the chilli.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden.
• Add the garlic and chilli, and as soon as they start to get some colour add the large basil leaves.
• Tip in the the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, then add the balsamic vinegar, and season to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until needed, stirring regularly.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large frying pan over a medium heat, add the meatballs and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning regularly To check if they're cooked, cut one opening - there should be no sign of pink.
• Once cooked, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan.
• Spoon half the tomato sauce over the pasta and toss together, adding a little splash of reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed
• Transfer to a large platter or divide between bowls, serving the remaining sauce and meatballs on top. Add a fine grating of Parmesan and scatter over the reserved basil, then tuck in.

GREAT-GRANDMA'S ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, seasonings and onion mixture. Add turkey and beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls., Place meatballs on a rack coated with cooking spray in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, 18-22 minutes. If desired, serve with pasta and pasta sauce.

ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Soak bread in milk for 10 minutes; drain and squeeze bread. In a blender in food processor, combine the bread, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, oil, salt, pepper and allspice; cover and process until smooth., In a large bowl, combine the beef and sausage. Add bread mixture; mix well. Shape into 2-in. balls. Place on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. , Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until the meatballs are no longer pink; drain. In a large saucepan, heat marinara sauce; add the meatballs and heat through. , Serve over pasta.

CHEF JOHN'S ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
• Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl for 20 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot oil until translucent, about 20 minutes.
• Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl. Stir onions, bread crumb mixture, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and Parmesan cheese into meat mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour.
• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Using wet hands, form meat mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand.
• Use your bare hands for best results.
• Roll meatballs to about the size of a golf ball. (wet your hands to prevent the meat from sticking to them while rolling the meat balls).
• Drop raw meatballs into large (I use a stock pot) pot of sauce.
• (I have an incredible sauce recipe {#92096} I use for my meatballs).
• Simmer for about 3 hours.

GRANDMA'S ITALIAN MEATBALL RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic, sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered, with lid slightly ajar to prevent splattering for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position and set it to broil. Line a large baking sheet with foil and lightly grease it with olive oil. Set aside.In a large bowl, add the ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, minced onion, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic. Use hands to mix thoroughly until combined.
• Measure and roll the ground beef mixture into ⅓ cup (3 ounces) rounds, about the size of an egg. Evenly space the pieces on the baking sheet, there should be about 14 to 15 meatballs.
• Broil the meatballs until the surface is browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn over and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes to lightly brown the other side.
• Transfer the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, simmer on low heat for at least 1 ½ hours, checking and stirring every 20 minutes, or as needed. The meatballs should be fork tender when sliced.
• At the end of cooking, adjust the consistency of the sauce with water if needed, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve meatballs with spaghetti topped with sauce, sliced basil, and Parmesan cheese.

TUSCAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Squeeze water out of spinach.
• Mix spinach, turkey, egg, bread crumbs, 3/4 cup parmesan, mozzarella, garlic salt and pepper. Form into about 30 meatballs.
• Heat oil in large frying pan over med-high heat. brown meatballs for 2-3 minutes. Once browned, bake meatballs on baking sheet for about 20 minutes.
• While meatballs are baking, bring a lightly salted pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti. Once finished, reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
• Deglaze meatball pan with white wine. Add butter and garlic & let thicken slightly. Pour over drained spaghetti and toss to coat; add some of reserved pasta water to moisten if needed. Add meatballs. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan.

CLASSIC ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Slowly add the milk until you have a soft compact mixture.Form the mixture into small balls.
• In a large pan add the olive oil, garlic, tomato puree/passata, salt, fresh basil, oregano and water. Mix to combine.
• Add the meatballs and gently mix to cover them in sauce. Cover the pan and cook on low/medium (more low than medium) heat for approximately 15- 20 minutes, uncover and continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and the sauce has thickened. If you find the sauce thickening too much then add a little more water.
• Serve immediately as a main dish or over your favourite al dente pasta. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese before serving. Enjoy!

ITALIAN CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat on the broiler setting. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
• Add the chicken, pesto, mozzarella, Parmesan, balsamic glaze, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to a large bowl. Mix well with clean hands and form into 15 meatballs, about a third of a cup each, adding them to the prepared sheet pan as you go.
• Broil until the meatballs are browned and cooked through (165 degrees F internally), 14 to 16 minutes.
• For the salad: Add the arugula to a platter. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic glaze, then toss lightly. Top with the cherry tomatoes, peppers and Parmesan. Add the meatballs and serve.