Minnesota Meat Balls Recipes

NONNA'S TRADITIONAL MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the ground beef and ground pork in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In a food processor, combine the milk, eggs, garlic, basil, parsley, cayenne and salt. Process until pureed.
• Add the wet ingredients to the meat and mix to combine. Then add breadcrumbs and Romano, and gently combine; be careful not to overwork the meat.
• With the help of an ice cream scoop (for even sizing), shape the mixture into 2-ounce meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
• Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the meatballs for 30 minutes.
• Add the meatballs to the Roasted Tomato Sauce and simmer for another 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a deep lasagna pan, add the garlic, anchovies, olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt. Place the pan on the stovetop and saute for 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Remove from the heat and add the canned tomatoes and oregano; mix well.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the tomatoes are nicely charred on top, 45 minutes. Let cool, then blend to your liking with an immersion blender; we like our sauce a bit chunky, but feel free to puree if you choose.

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

ALL-DAY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. , In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, water, vinegar and sugar. Pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is no longer pink.

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.)

QUICK AND SIMPLE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine eggs, water, onion, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic and seasonings; mix well. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place meatballs on greased racks in shallow baking pans. Bake, uncovered, until no longer pink, 15-18 minutes. , Freeze option: Freeze cooled meatballs in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in the microwave.

THE BEST MEATBALLS YOU'LL EVER HAVE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, croutons, sweet onion, egg, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, red pepper flakes, and Cajun seasoning. Form the mixture by hand into meatballs.
• Heat the olive oil and melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place the meatballs in the skillet, and cook, turning constantly, 20 minutes, or to desired doneness.

CLASSIC BEEF MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle olive oil into a 9-by 13-inch baking dish; using your hand, evenly coat entire surface. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together beef, ricotta, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red-pepper flakes, and fennel until fully incorporated. Roll mixture into firmly packed 1 1/2-inch balls.
• Place meatballs in prepared baking dish, taking care to line them up snugly so that they are touching one another in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. Transfer baking dish to oven. Bake until meatballs are firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 165 degrees.
• Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
• Remove meatballs from oven and carefully drain excess grease from pan. Pour heated sauce over meatballs and return to oven; cook for 15 minutes more. Serve.

DELICIOUS MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Drizzle a large baking sheet with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in the hot oil until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning; continue to saute until garlic is softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle.
• Combine beef, pork, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, milk, onion mixture, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix together using your hands as quickly as possible as overmixing can produce a tough meatball.
• Form 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and no longer pink in the centers, about 30 minutes, turning them over after 15 minutes.

NONA'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and form into 2-inch balls. (Makes about 18 meatballs.) Heat a large pan coated with oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook until well browned. Reserve.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, parsley and garlic, and saute until tender. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato sauce, and water and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat; add the meatballs and simmer, uncovered 2 to 3 hours.

MOUNTAIN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to it's highest setting ( or to moderately hot if making smaller balls). Put a large pan on a medium heat and add a slug of olive oil. Add the 2 diced onions and fry for about ten minutes or until softened, then remove from heat and leave to cool completely.
• Put the minced meat into a bowl with the mustard, oregano, cumin, coriander, breadcrumbs, eggs and a good pinch of salt and pepper and the cooled onions. Give it a good scrunch with your hands to combine everything evenly, then divide into eight rounds.
• Roll each round into a cricket ball sized ball ( baseball sized for you guys in the USA!), then stick your thumb into the middle of each ball and stuff in some grated cheddar. Cup and pack and pat the meat around the cheese, and mould it back into a ball. repeat with remaining rounds, then place the balls in a large oiled casserole dish or roasting try, drizzle over a slug of olive oil and stick it into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and sizzling.
• Using kitchen towel wipe out the pan that you cooked your onions in and put it back on the heat with a slug of olive oil in it.add the onion, peppers,garlic,fresh chillies and paprika and fry gently for about 15 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, vinegar, molasses or sugar, mustard, coffee and tomatoes and bring everything to the boil.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. If you like it thicker, turn the heat up and cook a little longer.
• Remove the meatballs from the oven and spoon away as much of the fat from the pan as you can. Pour over the chilli sauce and return pan to the oven for 5 minutes.
• Throw on your chopped parsley and serve with mash or rice and a green salad.

BAKED CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients. Add chicken; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until cooked through, 20-25 minutes. If desired, top with additional chopped fresh parsley.

MINNESOTA MEAT BALLS

Steps:

• Mix the first 7 ingredients together well and shape into balls. Put meat balls in a 2 qt baking dish or 9 x 13 pan. Blend the remaining ingredients and pour over meat balls. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs at 325. I like to cover with foil and then uncover for the last half hour.