Big Papas Meatballs Recipes

THE BIG MEATBALL

Steps:

• Preaheat oven to 350°.
• In a big mixing bowl, combine the beef, sausage, bread crumbs, parsley, cheese, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and eggs (this works best if you use your hands).
• Place the meat in the center of a 13x9 inch baking dish; shape mixture into a smooth rounded dome 3-4 inches high.
• Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Spoon or drain off any fat in the dish.
• Pour the marinara sauce over the loaf and bake 20 minutes; let stand 10 minutes.
• Serve meatloaf cut in wedges with about 2/3 cup sauce per serving.
• Left-overs: cut into chunks and reheat in additional marinara sauce; serve spooned into hero or grinder rolls; add a few slices of mozzarella cheese and sauteed green pepper, if you wish.

BIG-BATCH MEATBALLS AND RED SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce: Swirl the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the garlic is just lightly browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup water, and bring to a high simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the basil and 2 teaspoons salt and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Tear the bread into very small pieces and put it in a small bowl. Pour the milk over the bread, and let sit until the bread is soft, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the bread mixture with the beef, pork, Parmesan, eggs, onions, parsley, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and red pepper flakes in a large bowl, and thoroughly mix with your hands. Divide the mixture evenly into 36 mounds, and roll each into a ball.
• Brush 2 rimmed baking sheets generously with oil. Evenly divide the meatballs between the sheets, and roll them around to coat in oil. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, rotating the sheets halfway through if needed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the meatballs to the warm sauce, and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Let the meatballs and sauce cool completely, divide evenly among four 1-quart containers and freeze for up to 1 month.
• To reheat: Let a container of the meatballs and sauce thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer them to a microwave-safe container, and microwave in 2-minute increments, gently stirring after each, until the meatballs are heated through.

BIG PAPA'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Mix meat, oatmeal, egg, onions, salt & pepper. Make into any size meatball you want.
• Put in pan with olive oil and cook until done, keep turning until light brown on all sides. Drain onto paper towel.
• Put grape jelly and chili sauce in a pan on stove and heat and stir until melted together. Put meatballs in pot and pour sweet & sour sauce over it and heat on medium-low for 1/2 hour or until hot.

BIG JIM'S - BIG JIM'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with hands until well blended. Form beef mixture into balls about 3 to 4 ounces each. Place in a greased baking dish, cover with foil and place in oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and check to make sure they have cooked completely through. Remove the foil and place back into oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes to let some of the juices absorb back into the meatballs. Drain remaining grease and serve with your favorite pasta and sauce.

LARGE BATCH BAKED MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine bread and milk in a small bowl; let soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze bread to release milk; discard milk.
• Combine rest of ingredients, shaping into small balls and placing on roasting tray sprayed with Pam.
• Bake in 350 oven for 20 - 30 minutes, depending on size of meatball. Remove from oven and tilt tray to drain fat. Let meatballs cool before packaging.
• Freeze up to one month.
• Note: I have used whole wheat and flax seed bread with good results.

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.

JUMBO HOMEMADE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375ºF.
• Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add meat and cheese; mix well. Shape into 8 (2-inch) meatballs.
• Place on greased baking sheet; spread with ketchup.
• Bake 30 min. or until done (160ºF).

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.

BON APPETIT'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine ground pork, Italian sausage, ground sirloin, and ground chuck in a large bowl. Mix them with your hands until thoroughly combined.
• Soak bread chunks in chicken broth in a bowl until completely soft. Combine garlic and parsley in a mini chopper or food processor and grind to a fine paste. Squeeze the excess broth out of the bread, reserving the broth in a bowl, and add the bread to the meats along with the garlic and parsley paste. Gently mix in beaten eggs and grated Pecorino Romano cheese with your hands until fully incorporated into the meat mixture. If the mixture seems dry, pour in some of the reserved chicken broth.
• Pinch off golf ball-sized pieces of the meat mixture and roll them into meatballs, taking care not to pack them too tightly, and set them on a baking tray. Depending on how big you make them, you should end up with about 30 meatballs.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in two or three batches, brown the meatballs on all sides and drain on paper towels. If you're adding them to a pot of sauce, you may undercook them slightly, as they will finish cooking in the sauce.