Name: Meatballs
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Italianish
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; ½ 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 ½ pounds ground beef; 5 eggs, lightly beaten; 1 cups pecorino Romano cheese, shredded; ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded; Small mozzarella balls, cut in half (optional); 1 tsp ground pepper; 2 tsp kosher salt

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.

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Ingredients

Units Scale

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

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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