These are not the meatballs of my childhood. But these are the meatballs of my son’s childhood. And that is the whole point of this food blog…to preserve the flavors of my son’s childhood so that he can replicate them in the future so that these flavored memories are not lost.
The meatballs of my childhood were dry and somewhat burned (sorry mom!). Ground chuck was mixed with Italian seasoning and an egg before being pan fried in olive oil. Not so al dente spaghetti noodles were then tossed with Prego to provide a nest for the golf ball sized balls of meat. My Sicilian father, like every good Italian husband, had taught his Mississippi-born wife to make many of his favorite childhood foods. Veal or chicken cutlets, broccoli or beans sauteed in olive oil with garlic and red pepper, and stuffed artichokes were weekly staples at the Giurintano house. But meatballs are not Italian, much less Sicilian, and so for this recipe my mother was on her own. That is, until I started to experiment with meatball recipes when I was in my early twenties.
Trying to write this recipe down was, well, a challenge. For years I had thrown ingredients from my pantry into a bowl with sausage and beef with reckless abandon. When Susan’s children asked for “Miss Christina’s” meatballs, I started the process of trying to write the recipe down so that it could be consistently replicated. I would make the marinara sauce Saturday night while enjoying a glass of wine. Since I already needed to chop onions and garlic for the marinara, I would chop the onions and garlic for the meatballs and put them aside for the next day. Sunday morning, I let the marinara simmer for an hour or so while I made the meatballs. I like baking them versus frying because it’s the most efficient way for me to cook them in large volume (and I try to convince myself it is slightly healthier). Once the meatballs are out of the oven, I dunk them into the warm marinara sauce and let them simmer together for 15-30 minutes. We eat spaghetti and meatballs for lunch and then the mountain of leftovers are frozen in quart size containers to pull out for a quick weeknight dinner.
These frozen quarts of marinara and meatballs also make a great gift for a friend who just welcomed a baby or a sick relative. I like to give two quarts along with a pound of funky shaped spaghetti and a small wedge of parmesan cheese. A bottle of Barolo and crusty loaf of Italian bread round out the meal. These meatballs get most of their flavor from the Italian sausage, which is prominently featured in this recipe. If you don’t like the flavor of red pepper, then just substitute sweet Italian sausage for the hot Italian sausage. If you are looking for healthier alternatives to Italian sausage and ground beef, try substituting with chicken Italian sausage and ground turkey. If you are looking for a vegetarian version, then you can substitute plant-based meat for the Italian sausage and beef. I have also substituted lentils for the beef but prefer the texture of the plant-based meat to the lentils.
Meatballs
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 39 2-inch meatballs 1x
Description
These are not the meatballs of my childhood. But these are the meatballs of my son’s childhood. And that is the whole point of this food blog…to preserve the flavors of my son’s childhood so that he can replicate them in the future so that these flavored memories are not lost.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces bread (crusty bread like Italian or sourdough)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 4 cups onion, chopped
- Salt to taste
- 3 Tbs garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tsp dried Italian oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp powdered dried rosemary
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 5 sweet Italian sausages, removed from their casings (about 1.5 pounds)
- 5 hot Italian sausages, removed from their casings (about 1.5 pounds)
- 2 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 5 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cups pecorino Romano cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- Small mozzarella balls, cut in half (optional)
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a bowl, submerge the pieces of bread in the milk. Set aside.
- Pour the olive oil into a large pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium heat covered for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt, to taste. Uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the dried oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, powdered rosemary, tomato paste, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sausages and ground beef. Mix to combine. Then add the eggs, 1 tsp ground pepper, 2 tsp kosher salt, cheeses, and breadcrumbs.
- Squeeze the slices of bread that have been soaking in the milk. Tear the bread into small pieces as you drop it into the meat mixture. Mix the ingredients until well combined.
- Roll into desired size meatball and place on a wire rack on top of a cake pan. If desired place half a piece of a small mozzarella ball into the center of the meatball. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until browned.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italianish