A guide for How To Make Meatballs! What’s in them, how to make them, and delicious flavor combinations.
Make Dinner A Ball
I’m not sure anything is as frustrating as being ravenous come dinner time and not having a delicious plan in place for a meal. What do I make? What do I have on hand? Why on earth didn’t I plan in advance?!
One of my favorite solutions for this particular predicament is making meatballs! That’s right. Meatballs. However, not all meatballs are created equal. The seasoning, texture, and density all have to be perfect to make the ultimate meatball. How do you do that? Read on to learn more about my equation for the perfect meatball!
How To Make Perfect Meatballs
The first question to answer when setting out to make the perfect meatball is what type of meat you’re going to use. There are many options to choose from including pork, beef, turkey, chicken, bison, or lamb.
Depending on which type of meat you select, the ingredients you use can help form your entire meal. But before I get to flavors and ingredients to incorporate to customize your meatballs, let’s first talk about a few basics.
A lot of recipes out there will call for egg, breadcrumbs, or both. While I’ve made meatballs that include both of these ingredients, I don’t find them to be necessary for tender, flavorful, and delicious results. However, feel free to add them to your liking!
What's In The Perfect Meatball?
In my opinion, the perfect equation for meatballs consists of:
- 1 pound of meat
- 1/4-1/2 cup of minced onion
- 2-4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon of salt (or salty ingredient)
- 1/4-1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
You can add your favorite spices, fresh herbs, and even cheese to your meatball mixture. Yum!
How Do You Cook Them?
There are a few different methods for cooking your meatballs.
- Sauté them. In a large skillet drizzled with a little oil, brown your meatballs and then cook directly in the skillet.
- Bake them. Using the same method in option one to brown them (remove from skillet once they’re golden), finish them off in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until completely cooked through.
- Cook them in sauce. A favorite method particularly for red sauce, finishing your meatballs directly in a cooking liquid yields incredibly flavorful sauce – both in the meatballs and the sauce. Follow the browning method in option one and then add them directly to your sauce to gently simmer. You can cook them all day this way!
Meatball Flavor Combinations
As I said, you can add an additional flavor through a variety of different ingredients, depending on the type of cuisine or dish that you are creating. See a few suggestions that I outline below for inspiration!
- Lamb meatballs made with minced red onion, garlic, fresh mint, fresh oregano, and lemon zest
- Turkey meatballs with fresh sage, yellow onion, garlic, and dried rosemary
- A mixture of beef and pork meatballs with fresh rosemary, dried thyme, white onion, and garlic,
- Bison meatballs with yellow onion, garlic, Cayenne pepper, paprika, and shredded cheddar cheese
Meal Prep Like A Pro!
Making a batch of meatballs is one of my favorite meal prep hacks. I wrote an entire article dedicated to how simple meal prep can be (I swear!), helping you put delicious meals on the table in minutes!
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