Ever since I can remember, my mom has been trying to recreate my dad’s favorite restaurant meatballs at home…unfortunately, to no avail! After doing a little research, I realized she was missing a few key ingredients. For starters, the best meatballs contain not just beef, but veal and pork as well. Many grocers sell this “meatloaf mix” pre-packaged (locally, I've seen it at Whole Foods, Balducci's and Harris Teeter). The other secret ingredient is water - a little bit added to the mixture makes for very tender meatballs. Finally, I found that baking the meatballs instead of frying them is a whole lot easier, not to mention neater and healthier!
Makes about 15 2-inch meatballs
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds ground meat (approximately equal parts beef, pork and veal)
3/4 cup dried Italian Style bread crumbs (I use Progresso)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped (plus more for serving)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
Large jar good quality tomato sauce, such as Rao's
1 box Spaghetti
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine meat, breadcrumbs, oregano, basil, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, garlic and water. Mix well without overworking it (your hands are the best tool).
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray. Form 2-inch meatballs and bake for about 20 minutes, until meatballs are nicely browned. Shake baking sheet to turn meatballs and prevent sticking every 5 minutes.
4. In the meantime, bring the tomato sauce to a simmer in a large pan. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary (I usually add a pinch of sugar and freshly ground black pepper). When the meatballs are browned, transfer them to the pan with tomato sauce. Cover loosely with foil and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.
5. In the meantime, bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook al dente. Toss with sauce and meatballs, garnish with torn fresh basil and serve.
*These meatballs freeze very well.
