A great, no-frills, meatball that can be used in casseroles, on sandwiches, for spaghetti and meatballs, and of course, our fabulously loved grape jelly meatballs.

Basic Homemade Meatballs

This is my favorite basic meatball recipe that I have been using since I started cooking, and the same one I use when I make my spaghetti with meatballs, and those famous grape jelly meatballs that we southerners are so endeared to.  It is a very basic meatball recipe that you can use for sandwiches and even for casseroles, though you can certainly jazz them up by adding whatever extras you like. I prefer them simple with very basic seasonings.

Here's how to make them.

If baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the one pound of ground beef, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1/3 cup of onion that has been finely minced, 1/4 cup of milk, one large egg, one tablespoon of parsley, one teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Gently shape into 1-inch balls. I do like to use a small cookie scoop to extract the meat so that the meatballs will be fairly uniform.

Run your fingers around the edges of the scoop to knock off the extra meat. Then dump the scoop into your hand.

Then just roll the meat into a ball.  You'll get about 24 meatballs out of a pound of ground beef using the small scoop.

From here it's just cooking them! Pan frying is more traditional than baking, but baking is easier and less messy if you ask me. So I mostly bake them. If baking, place on a baking sheet that has been coated with non-stick spray, and bake on the center rack of the oven, for about 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees, turning once halfway through. If cooking in a skillet, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil in a large skillet and brown the meatballs, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs, and set aside.

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Recipe: Basic Homemade Meatballs

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 15 min |Cook time: 30 min |

Yield: About 24 meatballs

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Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs (regular or Italian)
• 1/3 cup of onion, finely minced
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil, more or less, as needed (omit if baking)

Instructions

If baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Gently shape into 1-inch balls. I like to use a small cookie scoop to keep them uniform and then roll the meat into a ball.

If baking, place on a baking sheet that has been coated with non-stick spray, and bake on the center rack of the oven, for about 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees, turning once halfway through.   

If cooking in a skillet, heat the canola in a large skillet and brown the meatballs, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs, and set aside.

To Freeze:  Allow meatballs to cool completely, then transfer to a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with non-stick spray.  Place into the freezer until frozen, then transfer to a freezer bag.

Makes about 24 meatballs.

Source:  http://deepsouthdish.com

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©Deep South Dish

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Posted by Mary on March 24, 2009

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