I know I’ve shared a couple of my meatball recipes before (more recently kebab meatballs served gyro-style, and quite a while ago turkey-vegetable meatball bombers). The recipe I’m sharing today is for my go-to meatballs…you know, the recipe you’d reach for if you were making spaghetti with tomato sauce and wanted the perfect meatballs to decorate the top.
Out of all the different kinds of meatballs I make, these are by far the most tender and juicy…and they rank pretty high when it comes to flavor too. They come out of the oven absolutely perfect (moist inside and caramelized and a little crisp on the outside), so they basically cook themselves. Not to mention that this recipe is a great way to feed a crowd on the cheap – how else can you get six to eight servings out of 3/4 to 1 pound of meat?
What Kind of Meat to Use: I usually use lean ground beef for this recipe, but if beef isn’t your thing I think these meatballs would be good with just about anything else, such as ground lamb, turkey, or chicken.
Basic Meatballs
(Yield: 6-8 servings)
1 TB olive oil
1 medium-large onion, finely diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 c cubed bread with crust removed (I typically use 9 slices (each slice weighs about 1 oz before removing the crust) of American-style whole grain white bread)
Slightly scant 3/4 c milk
3/4 to 1 lb ground beef
1 large egg white
1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely shredded (about 1/2 c shredded)
2-3 TB minced fresh parsley
1/2 TB Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with a silpat liner (if you don’t have a silpat liner, just brush a little olive oil on the baking sheet).
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat; add onion and garlic and sauté until soft but not brown (about 10 minutes). Turn heat off and cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, combine cubed bread and milk; stir together with a fork so it forms a paste.
In a large bowl, combine cooked onion/garlic, bread/milk mixture, and all remaining ingredients. Use your hands to combine, then scoop into meatballs (I make mine about 1 1/2 TB and I get about 30 meatballs) and compact slightly with your hands. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake 30 minutes, flipping the meatballs once halfway through cooking.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Rosa says
April 3, 2011 at 7:02 amI love meatballs! Those look delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Priya says
April 3, 2011 at 7:11 amFeel like having some meat balls,soooo tempting..
Betty @ scrambled hen fruit says
April 3, 2011 at 9:53 amCook themselves? Delicious? Sounds great to me. :) I bet they’d make a great meatball sub too!
Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook says
April 3, 2011 at 11:19 amLove meatballs, yours looks so good! We just had some, now you’ve given me the craving again!
BeadedTail says
April 3, 2011 at 11:52 amThose look very tasty! Yum!
Beth says
April 3, 2011 at 12:25 pmThese look great! I’ve been thinking of you on your wonderful trip and hope you’re staying safe. Take care.
Erica says
April 3, 2011 at 1:26 pmFabulous! I love making meatballs. I love doing them in oven. I usually place them on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet, sprayed with non stick spray-allows some of the fat to drain out. Yours look just perfect!
Louanne says
April 3, 2011 at 6:22 pmI love a meatball any day of the week, and yours look delicious, Faith.
Louanne says
April 3, 2011 at 6:24 pmI love meatballs, and your recipe looks wonderful, Faith!
Victoria says
April 3, 2011 at 8:56 pmA great go-to meatball recipe!
Swathi says
April 3, 2011 at 10:19 pmDelicious meatballs great with spaghetti.
Monet says
April 3, 2011 at 11:12 pmWhat makes this post even more exciting is that I already have the ingredients I need to make these tomorrow night. Yum! Thank you for sharing with me tonight. I’m in the need of some comfort…and you are one of the blogs I know I can turn to. I hope you have a great start to your week. Blessings and love.
Priscilla - She's Cookin' says
April 4, 2011 at 1:07 amEveryone needs a great basic meatball recipe. Thanks for sharing, Faith! I need to get a silpat liner some day.
Barbara says
April 4, 2011 at 6:45 amI like a mixture of meats in my meatballs…but this is a great basic recipe, Faith.
Katerina says
April 4, 2011 at 8:31 amI love the meatballs and this recipe has many things in common with mine!
Angie's Recipes says
April 4, 2011 at 10:12 amThose meatballs look delish!
Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says
April 4, 2011 at 11:55 amThese look perfect faith! I seriously want a pile of those on top of my pasta. Thanks for sharing :)
Julie M. says
April 4, 2011 at 8:19 pmHey Faith! How was your trip? I’ve missed stopping by here! These meatballs look fabulous. They’ve got me craving a giant bowl of spaghetti!
Nicole, RD says
April 5, 2011 at 12:21 pmThese look amazing, Faith! I love meatballs. I didn’t like them growing up but now they’re a favorite :)
Juliana says
April 5, 2011 at 4:50 pmFaith, your meatballs look delicious, so juicy and plump…great pictures as well :-) Have a great week ahead!
Anna Johnston says
April 6, 2011 at 4:02 pmI use a very similar meatball recipe Faith & like yours, it turns out beautifully every time too.
Raina says
April 6, 2011 at 8:55 pmThese look great! I love meatballs. I usually use ground sirloin, even though my grandmother tells me to use a fattier meat..lol I bet the Worcestershire sauce really adds a nice flavor:)
grace says
April 7, 2011 at 5:15 ami’ve never put cheese in the meatball itself–great idea!
dasunrisin says
April 7, 2011 at 11:36 amSounds so great! I’ve been looking for a great meatball recipe. Thank you for sharing.