RECIPE: Baked Meatballs

It's a simple recipe...
It doesn't take much time...
It's not very "chefy"...
It's just mine...
And it's just fine...



Break down some day old bread... (note to self: next time cut off the crust. it'll make your job much easier!)



And give it a whirl in the ol' food processor... until it's fine...



And for the parmesan... let me introduce one of my favorite kitchen tools, Mr Microplane.



He's fine...

Well, at least he grates rather fine! (I apologize for my lameness... I just couldn't resist!)



Then we move on to the meat mixture. Some people like to use two or three different kinds of meats... I go with 100% ground beef. Just a preference. In my humble opinion, there's no right or wrong about it.

(Photography note: As I stand back and look at the next sequence of pictures I'm noticing that it may be difficult to see the large glass bowl I'm mixing everything in. It almost looks like all of those ingredients are just hanging out on my countertop, awaiting their massage. Alas, I was using one of my glass mixing bowls...)

Let's add some flavor by starting with the dried parsley and basil...



And the garlic powder...



And the kosher salt...



And the parmesan cheese...



And the egg...



And the bread crumbs...



Take off your rings, wash your hands and jump in!



Oh darn it... I forgot another ingredient. Here is your fair warning - don't forget the red pepper flakes. (But if you do - I'll forgive you!)



With a small soup spoon, dish out of bowl and roll into small balls. Hold aside on a cookie sheet.



Using the rest of the bread crumbs, roll the meatballs until coated.





Place safely in a mini muffin pan.



Roll and continue...



... until all of the meat mixture is gone...



Approximately 20 minutes later...



You just can't help yourself! Go ahead and taste it... the crunch of those bread crumbs is perfect!



You can immediately drop these into your red sauce or allow to cool on a rack and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours (or in the freezer for up to 3 months).

Have fun with these cute little guys!



Baked Meatballs
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
1 ½ pound ground beef
½ cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1 medium egg
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup bread crumbs, divided into ¼ cup and ½ cup

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated – but do not over mix.

With a soup spoon, scoop out portions of meat mixture and place on sheet pan.

Place the remaining ½ cup of bread crumbs in a small bowl. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the bread crumbs and place the meatballs in mini muffin tin pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Remove from pan and cool slightly on cooling rack. Use immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 48 hours.



enjoy your time in the kitchen...