Littlemeatballs Recipes

MINI MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl or mixer, thoroughly mix the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, eggs, garlic, onion and some salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Shape into meatballs and place on a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake 30 minutes for medium or 25 minutes for bite-size. Stick toothpicks in the finished meatballs to serve as an appetizer.

CHICKEN PICCATA MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Add chicken; mix lightly but thoroughly. With wet hands, shape into 1-in. balls., In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Brown meatballs in batches; drain. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. , Add broth and wine to pan; increase heat to medium-high. Cook 1 minute, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Add capers and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Add meatballs. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until meatballs are cooked through, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in butter until melted. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with lemon wedges.

MINI MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.
• Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings. Serve soup with crusty bread or grilled 4 cheese sandwiches.
• In a small skillet over medium low heat, combine oil, butter and garlic. Cook garlic in butter and oil gently for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove garlic butter mixture from heat.
• Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush 1 side of 4 slices of bread with garlic oil and place buttered side down in skillet. Top each slice with equal amounts of the 4 cheeses, distributing them equally over the 4 slices. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread brushed with garlic butter, buttered side up. Flip the grill cheese sandwiches a few times until cheeses are melted and gooey and bread is toasty and golden. Cut grilled 4 cheese sandwiches from corner to corner and serve.

TINY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the grated onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onion begins to release some moisture and soften, about 2 minutes. Add the grated garlic and cook until softened. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Soak the bread in the milk in a small bowl for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Combine the onion and garlic mixture with the ground meat in a large bowl. Add the egg. Squeeze out the bread, discarding the milk, and add the bread to the meat mixture along with the oregano, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients with your hands until they are evenly distributed. Form meatballs right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.
• Put some flour in a bowl or pie plate. Form the meat mixture into balls a little bit smaller than golf balls. (This is easier to do with wet hands.) Roll them in the flour, shaking off any excess.
• Add enough canola oil to come up a third of the way in a large shallow saute pan or skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the meatballs in batches, turning once, until cooked through but still moist inside, about 5 minutes. (Cut one open if you are unsure of doneness.) Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
• Arrange the meatballs on a serving platter. Grind some fresh pepper over the top, then sprinkle on some torn mint leaves and the lemon zest. Drizzle with some olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Serve the lemon wedges on the side.

MINI MEATBALL APPETIZERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine beef, bacon, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape mixture into 40 meatballs. (For equal-size meatballs, scoop out meat mixture with a teaspoon, using two scoops for each meatball. Then roll between your palms to shape into balls.).
• Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet or on two large plates. Freeze 1 hour. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag; label and date.
• To use the meatballs straight from the freezer, preheat oven to 400°. Place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Note: Frozen mini-meatballs can also be used in soup or sauce: Simmer meatballs, covered, in liquid until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

MINI MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix really well.
• Roll meat into 1" balls- at this point, you can either continue or freeze them for later use, providing your beef wasn't pre-frozen.
• Arrange the meatballs on a rack over a foil-lined pan (for easy clean-up).
• Bake in a 400ºF oven for about 10 minutes, or until meatballs are browned- you can also freeze them at this point, or use them in other dishes (or just eat them plain).

MINI MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine beef, bacon, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape mixture into 40 meatballs.
• Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet or on 2 large plates. Freeze 1 hour. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag; label and date.
• To use the meatballs straight from the freezer, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

THE BEST MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)