Blow Your Mind Meatballs
Savory baked meatballs made with ground beef, breakfast sausage, ground lamb, and a soaked saltine cracker binder — seasoned with garlic, Italian seasoning, Parmesan, and parsley.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1/3 CupWhole milk
- 1/2 cupsmashed saltine crackers
- 3/4 lbground beef
- 3/4 lbbreakfast sausage
- 3/4 lbground lamb
- 1 teaspoonminced garlic
- 2 large eggs
- 2 TbsItalian seasoning
- 1 teaspoonkosher salt
- 1 teaspoonground black pepper
- 1/2 cupparmesan cheese
- 1/4 cupfinely chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray them with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup mashed saltine crackers. Stir and let the crackers soak until fully softened and the mixture is cohesive, about 3–5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add 3/4 lb ground beef, 3/4 lb breakfast sausage, 3/4 lb ground lamb, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley. Tear or break the meats into smaller pieces as you add them.
- Add the soaked cracker-milk mixture to the large bowl. Using clean hands, mix all ingredients until evenly combined, taking care not to overwork the meat.
- Form the mixture into meatballs about the size of golf balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly and placing no more than 12 meatballs per sheet.
- Bake at 425°F for 15–20 minutes, until browned and cooked through (use an instant-read thermometer to confirm an internal temperature of 160°F if desired).
- Remove the meatballs from the oven. Transfer them to simmering tomato sauce if you plan to finish them in sauce (simmer for several hours to meld flavors, or 20–30 minutes for a quicker finish), or serve immediately over spaghetti or as desired.
Equipment
- Oven
- Mixing Bowl
- Small Bowl
- Baking Sheets
- Aluminum Foil
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
- Instant-read thermometer
Notes
This is really important -DO NOTover handle the meat. Usually, I have you mixing things in as soon as you add them. Not this time. Simply start with the saltines in the milk and let that sit. While that is soaking, put ALL of the other stuff in a bowl and let it set until the saltine milk is ready to add. When you add the saltine milk, then using your hands, gently mix everything together as completely as possible. AsSOONas it is mixed together, start rolling your meatballs.
I experimented with several sizes of meatballs. The size that holds its shape the best is a little smaller than a golf ball. Go with that size.
Roll the meatballs up and place them on the prepared pan.
DO NOTforget to spray your tin foil with non stick cooking spray - because the meatballs will stick and then you will lose that wonderful caramelization along the bottom of the meatball.
The meatballs are gonna sag a little when they cook - don’t worry - it is normal.
Remove the meatballs from the panGENTLY- they aren’t baseballs.
Ever so gently drop the meatballs into the sauce.
Simmer means that the sauce just barely bubbles. No vigorous stirring of the sauce once the meatballs are added. Gentle stirring only. Scrape up along the bottom of the dish with each stir.
Simmer for a couple of hours if you can and stir every once in awhile.
I used Italian parsley in this dish but I’ll be honest I live in the country and I can’t always find Italian Parsley at the grocery here. Curly parsley will do. I think it has less flavor though (just my opinion). Chop the parsley as fine as you are able, it doesn’t wilt a lot in the meatballs.
As usual, if you don’t like garlic (I sometimes get complaints that I use too much garlic in my recipes) - you could leave it out - but then your meatballs won’t taste just right - so, you decide. Plus - there is always the added benefit of vampire deterrent if you add the garlic. Lol.
I know you are probably going to have questions about the saltines in the milk. Here is the answer to your question. Have you ever let a bowl of cornflakes sit out for too long and when you come back they are all mushy and unappetizing? That is what the saltines should look like. They are ready to add to the hamburger when they have absorbed all of the milk. That is how you will know. You must stir them pretty frequently to encourage them to absorb all of the milk.
You probably are going to ask me if you can use 2% or 1% or skim milk in this recipe. The answer is no. Use Whole milk. That is part of the beauty of the recipe - you can even brag - “Try my whole milk meatballs” That is what Kitchen Roselli does - so be authentic. OK OK, if you try the other kinds of milk - let us know what happens. I don’t recommend it however.
You are also going to ask me what to do with the other ¼ lbs of meat. The answer is, “I don’t know”. Make a couple of burger patties - I bet they will be good.
I experimented with several sizes of meatballs. The size that holds its shape the best is a little smaller than a golf ball. Go with that size.
Roll the meatballs up and place them on the prepared pan.
DO NOTforget to spray your tin foil with non stick cooking spray - because the meatballs will stick and then you will lose that wonderful caramelization along the bottom of the meatball.
The meatballs are gonna sag a little when they cook - don’t worry - it is normal.
Remove the meatballs from the panGENTLY- they aren’t baseballs.
Ever so gently drop the meatballs into the sauce.
Simmer means that the sauce just barely bubbles. No vigorous stirring of the sauce once the meatballs are added. Gentle stirring only. Scrape up along the bottom of the dish with each stir.
Simmer for a couple of hours if you can and stir every once in awhile.
I used Italian parsley in this dish but I’ll be honest I live in the country and I can’t always find Italian Parsley at the grocery here. Curly parsley will do. I think it has less flavor though (just my opinion). Chop the parsley as fine as you are able, it doesn’t wilt a lot in the meatballs.
As usual, if you don’t like garlic (I sometimes get complaints that I use too much garlic in my recipes) - you could leave it out - but then your meatballs won’t taste just right - so, you decide. Plus - there is always the added benefit of vampire deterrent if you add the garlic. Lol.
I know you are probably going to have questions about the saltines in the milk. Here is the answer to your question. Have you ever let a bowl of cornflakes sit out for too long and when you come back they are all mushy and unappetizing? That is what the saltines should look like. They are ready to add to the hamburger when they have absorbed all of the milk. That is how you will know. You must stir them pretty frequently to encourage them to absorb all of the milk.
You probably are going to ask me if you can use 2% or 1% or skim milk in this recipe. The answer is no. Use Whole milk. That is part of the beauty of the recipe - you can even brag - “Try my whole milk meatballs” That is what Kitchen Roselli does - so be authentic. OK OK, if you try the other kinds of milk - let us know what happens. I don’t recommend it however.
You are also going to ask me what to do with the other ¼ lbs of meat. The answer is, “I don’t know”. Make a couple of burger patties - I bet they will be good.