Mom's Meatballs

Spaghetti needs meatballs. There's just something classic and wonderful about that pairing; it's one of the ultimate comfort foods. I confess that I have made my mom's spaghetti sauce without making the meatballs before, but it's always just a little sad without them.

My mom had a habit of making really giant meatballs. We're talking 3" or 4" diameter meatballs. They're more like ball-shaped mini meatloaves. They were their own special kind of awesome. Sometimes I make mine that way, too, but when we're having people over and want everyone to be able to actually get a meatball or two, I make smaller ones. You can make them whatever size you like--you'll just have to adjust the baking time a bit. I made this batch about 1 1/2" across, which came out to be 20 meatballs. I should also note that this is technically a half batch, according to my mom's recipe. If you're going to actually use all the sauce for spaghetti, go ahead and double this recipe. If, like me, you're planning on using the leftover sauce for another purpose (I'm going to make lasagna with it), then a half batch should be fine.


Ingredients

1/2 c bread crumbs
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp minced parsley
2 lbs ground beef
3/8 c milk
2 eggs


Directions

Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley in a large bowl, and stir to combine, crushing any chunks of parmesan you find. Crumble ground beef into bowl, and add milk and eggs. Mix with your hands until just combined. Divide into even pieces, rolling each piece into a ball. Place meatballs in a 9"x13" or larger baking dish. Bake at 400 F for 30-40 minutes. Add to spaghetti sauce one hour before the sauce is done cooking.


Servings: 5