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Dave’s Amazing Meatballs

Seth Jovian
Print Recipe
Amazeballs
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Resting Time5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: ground beef
Servings: 24 meatballs

Equipment

  • 1 sauce pan
  • 2 oven trays
  • 2 aluminum trays (roughly 9×13", to hold the meatballs)
  • 1 wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 2 cups pasta sauce (such as Rao's)
  • 8 oz dried Italian bread crumbs (about 2 cups)
  • ½ cup tomato sauce
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1.75 oz Parmessan cheese
  • ½ yellow onion (about 3-4 dry oz)
  • 0.3 oz Italian (flat) parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Prep (15 min)

  • Get a large bowl and a cutting board
  • Chop the parsley and add it into the bowl. It should yield about ⅓ cup
    0.3 oz Italian (flat) parsley
  • Grate the Parmesan into the bowl. It should yield about ½ cup
    1.75 oz Parmessan cheese
  • Mince the garlic — in a food processor, if you have such — and add it to the bowl
    3 cloves garlic
  • Mince the yellow onion — also in the food processor, if you have it — and add it to the bowl
    ½ yellow onion

Form the Meatballs (15 min)

  • Add the ground beef to the bowl
    2 lb ground beef
  • Add the rest of the ingredients: eggs, milk, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper
    2 eggs, 1 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp pepper, ½ cup milk, 8 oz dried Italian bread crumbs, ½ cup tomato sauce
  • Mix it all together with your hands
  • Get the 2 aluminum trays
  • Tear off roughly 2-3 oz pieces from the mixture, roll each into a ball, and place it in one of the trays.
    You should end up with about 24 meatballs, 3 rows of 4 meatballs in each tray.

Fry (15 min)

  • Preheat the oven at 350ºF
  • Put the sauce pan on the stove and turn it on medium heat
  • Cover the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil and let it heat up for a few minutes
    2 tbsp olive oil
  • Get the 2 aluminum trays and cover the bottoms with pasta sauce
    2 cups pasta sauce
  • In batches, cook the meatballs in the sauce pan (in the now-hot oil) for a few minutes, rolling them around with the wooden spoon, until they're brown
  • As they brown, transfer them back to the aluminum trays, which are now covered with the pasta sauce

Bake (40 min)

  • Put the meatball trays in the oven and cook for 40 minutes
  • Take them out and let them rest a few minutes, and serve

Notes

From Dave Neri, chef extraordainre.