Meatballs Or Meat Squares Recipes

CLASSIC MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place 1 inch apart in pan.
• Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until temperature reaches 160°F and no longer pink in center.

EASY SHEET-PAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, beat egg. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
• In sprayed foil-lined pan, shape beef mixture into 8-inch square. Cut into 25 squares; do not separate.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center. With sharp knife, cut apart meatballs.

EXCELLENT MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!
• Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.
• Pass the tomatoes through the food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
• Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and freezes really well.
• Yield: 2 quarts

MEAT-AND-POTATO SQUARES

Steps:

• Combine first eight ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. Set aside. Place half of the potatoes in the bottom of a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Spread meat mixture evenly over potatoes. Firmly pat the remaining potatoes on top. Bake, uncovered, at 400 ° for 30 minutes or until the meat is cooked and the potatoes are lightly browned. Cut into squares. Serve with ketchup if desired.

MAKE-AHEAD SHEET-PAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Place bread in a large bowl, pour milk over, and let sit until moistened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze bread with your hands to remove excess milk; discard milk. Tear bread into pea-size pieces and return to bowl.
• Add beef, sausage, eggs, Parmesan, and salt to bread. Using your hands, gently mix until evenly distributed (do not overmix).
• To serve immediately:
• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 500°F. Lightly coat three 18x13" rimmed baking sheets with oil. Fill a small bowl with cool water. Moisten your hands and roll meat mixture between palms into ping pong-size balls (about 1.5" diameter; 1.2 oz. each), occasionally moistening hands as needed. Arrange meatballs 1/2" apart on prepared sheets.
• Roast meatballs, rotating racks top to bottom once halfway through, until lightly browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
• To freeze to serve later:
• Line two 18x13" rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Fill a small bowl with cool water. Moisten your hands and roll meat mixture between palms into ping pong-size balls (about 1.5" diameter; 1.2 oz. each), occasionally moistening hands as needed. Arrange meatballs 1/4" apart on prepared sheets. Freeze on sheets until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months.
• To cook meatballs from frozen, preheat oven to 500°F. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with oil. Transfer desired amount of frozen meatballs to prepared sheet and roast, turning once halfway through, until lightly browned and cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

MEATBALLS WITH ANY MEAT

Steps:

• In a large bowl, gently combine all ingredients. Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. Transfer to a baking sheet.
• Broil until golden and firm, 7 to 10 minutes. Or fry in oil until deeply browned all over. Sprinkle with more salt before serving.

MEATBALLS OR MEAT SQUARES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line a 15x10x1” baking pan with foil; spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl beat eggs, stir in remaining ingredients making sure to mix well.
• Shape beef mixture into the baking pan.
• Cut into squares; do not separate.
• Bake 425 for 20 – 25 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.
• Cut apart and ta-da you have meat squares without the muss and fuss!
• These may be frozen for use at a later time.