The Perfect Meatball

My first attempts at making meatballs were extremely scary.  I had just moved out on my own and knew very little about cooking in general.  Consequently, I think my meatballs consisted of an egg, a little salt and pepper, bread crumbs, ground beef and a squirt of ketchup!!  I didn't even drain the grease, so you can imagine how pathetic they were!!

A year or so later, I was working at a sandwich shop in South Portland, Maine.  My boss showed me his tricks and years later, my husband further refined my knowledge that I can now pass on to you.

While it is tempting to buy the frozen meatballs in the supermarket to save time, it's never worth it once you've made your own!!!

The biggest drawback for me is touching the meat!! Yuck!!  That's why I throw everything in my mixer and turn it on high!!  Of course, not everyone has the same phobia so, you can mix the ingredients with your hands like most normal people do!!

                                    2 lbs. 80% Ground Beef (a little fat keeps the meatballs juicy)
                                                            1 c. Italian Bread Crumbs
                                                                   3/4 c. V-8 Juice
                                                             1/2 finely chopped onion
                                                            1/2 finely chopped pepper
                                                            2 cloves of chopped Garlic
                                                              1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
                                                                   1 Extra Large Egg

If you have kids, this can be a fun food to make together. I call it creating a mountain. First, add your ground beef.  We'll call this the base.  Then, finely chop the onion, green pepper,  and garlic.You do not need a garlic press.  Just smash the clove and chop or buy the jar of chopped garlic in the store.

It's extremely important, I learned this from my husband, to finely chop these to prevent the meatball from 'cracking open'.....we've all had that happen before!!  Now, sprinkle them over the mountain of meat!! The mountain has green trees and now 'snow' with the onions and garlic!!

Add the V-8 juice and egg to the meatball mixture along with the grated parmesan cheese

Mix on medium speed until everything is uniformly mixed and moist.  The V-8 juice will add moisture and make the meatballs super juicy, not to mention WONDERFUL flavor!!!! 

Finally, take a small scoop and roll into 2 inch balls.  Try your hardest to make them the same size. My husband can make his look as if they were machine rolled. I'm not that talented! Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  This recipe yields 36 meatballs. Not only do they taste better, but they are far more healthier than their sodium-laced frozen counterparts.  Serve them with the same sauce used in my chicken parmesan recipe.  These are excellent to freeze due to the high yield this recipe makes.  They make excellent sandwiches as well.  It's one of those foods you can make on a Sunday and have for a few meals during the week.  Buy the meat on sale and you can make these for under $10.


I wanted to share one of my gadget annoyances with you. When buying measuring spoons, the best are the metal spoons with the engraved measurements.  Nothing is worse than trying to find the correct measure on the spoon if it is no longer there!! They do not have to be costly, just engraved. Look at the difference between the metal ones and the plastic KitchenAid set!!!  See what I mean???

                                            Sorry, KitchenAid, but you failed on this one!!!