Update: Fast forward 2 years and it's just about labour day again in Canada... and I made theses stuffed meatballs to refresh the photos since they have been such a hit on pinterest lately.
I hope you enjoy the photos, and the recipe is the same, except I left out the green herbs (parsley) for a change and did not have an egg on hand except 2 egg whites which worked just fine!
Also I drizzled the bread with some olive oil before toasting and cooked the sauce with the meatballs in the casserole dish. Of course I fried the meatballs first to brown it up unlike last time where it browned in the oven but I find the stove top method better because you can control how much you want to brown it and then finish it for a shorter time in the oven (and hopefully you won't risk it cracking and the cheese coming out)
Enjoy!
Original post (photos below)
Today is labour day in Canada, which means most stores are closed and I had a lot of time on my hands, so I spent it in the kitchen. It's been a while since I actually just enjoyed cooking without having to quickly whip up a meal due to having no time and being super busy lately so it was great.
Today is labour day in Canada, which means most stores are closed and I had a lot of time on my hands, so I spent it in the kitchen. It's been a while since I actually just enjoyed cooking without having to quickly whip up a meal due to having no time and being super busy lately so it was great.
In fact I managed to whip up a nice seafood curry, haddock and shrimp which would go great with the rice I made the other evening, also tandoori chicken is in the works (marinating!) for tomorrow's dinner and then I got started on my meatballs. Everything just seemed fresh and I had some mince meat on hand so I went for it.
Here you see chopped parsley which just smelled amazing, some oregano, salt, black pepper, a dollop of tomato paste, even some dijon mustard, grated smoked cheese and that's about it. I should have put an egg in at this point but I forgot !!
At this point realized I had no bread crumbs on hand, I honstly don't buy the stuff... but I had some stale refrigerated bread so I laid them on a sheet and toasted them in the oven on a low setting.
Here you see on the right my kitty sniffing the crumbs, hehe.
My hamilton beach single serving smoothie/mixer thing is my handiest gadget, it's $14 and AMAZING!
Love it! Pulse pulse pulse
Back to the meat mixture, some bread crumbs and it's all in with the "aromatics" which is my sisters favourite new word.
Hate to get my hands dirty but here I go...
Now at this point I figured why not just add some mozarella cubes inside and see how it goes, so I did. Had a little too many on hand which is what's in the red polkadot bowl to prevent contamination but they turned out great.
I toasted the rest of the crumbs again just to make sure they were nice and dry
In a bag they went for another use, meatloaf.. I don't know. They will probably come in handy.
The meatballs baked for a bit in some hot oil in a glass baking dish and here they are!
Meatball sandwiches are a great thing to do with them, I had some frozen homemade marinara so I just thawed it.
All in all it's been a very fun day!!!
At this point realized I had no bread crumbs on hand, I honstly don't buy the stuff... but I had some stale refrigerated bread so I laid them on a sheet and toasted them in the oven on a low setting.Here you see on the right my kitty sniffing the crumbs, hehe.My hamilton beach single serving smoothie/mixer thing is my handiest gadget, it's $14 and AMAZING!Love it! Pulse pulse pulseBack to the meat mixture, some bread crumbs and it's all in with the "aromatics" which is my sisters favourite new word.Hate to get my hands dirty but here I go...Now at this point I figured why not just add some mozarella cubes inside and see how it goes, so I did. Had a little too many on hand which is what's in the red polkadot bowl to prevent contamination but they turned out great.I toasted the rest of the crumbs again just to make sure they were nice and dryIn a bag they went for another use, meatloaf.. I don't know. They will probably come in handy.The meatballs baked for a bit in some hot oil in a glass baking dish and here they are!Meatball sandwiches are a great thing to do with them, I had some frozen homemade marinara so I just thawed it.All in all it's been a very fun day!!!
your blog is better than Food Network. lol
ReplyDeleteHOw long did you bake it for?
ReplyDeleteUntil the meat was cooked, test it by breaking one open ... some people like it more juice and others totally dried and cooked through so follow a meatball thermometer temperature if you're looking for an exact answer.
ReplyDeletethis looks fabulous! I want to make these meatballs. Can you post exact measurements of the meatball ingredients? thanks bunches!
ReplyDeleteI don't cook with recipes so it's usually by touch, feel and smell. I'd say start with 1 lb of ground beef, add some salt and pepper to season, 1 clove grated garlic, a tsp oregano (dry) or some fresh chopped up, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tsp tomato paste, 1 tsp dijon, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, grated cheese, just do 1/3 cup or so. Then 1 egg, mix it all up.
ReplyDeleteAdd about 1 tbsp breadcrumbs and start mixing and forming.
You'll need some oil in a pan to bake them and some mozarella cut in cubes, that should be about it.
Also marinara for serving.
http://cookwithhoney.blogspot.ca/2012/04/jens-incredible-baked-meatballs.html here's a recipe you could follow and add the cheese cubes. I had smoked cheese on hand which I grated into my meatballs but if you don't have it use parm.
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm
ReplyDeletePerfect pics, looks very easy to make and really delish even if I would prefer them without the sauce...
ReplyDeleteIt's so delicious! Yummy
ReplyDeleteFound you through the Kitchn! This is a FANTASTIC post. I love the photos (don't we all) but the gigantic proportions of the meatballs is awesome in the purest sense of the word. I didn't realize how huge they were until I see them in your hand.
ReplyDeleteI've made something like this before but these look tasty! I'll have to try these out and compare :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletewhat are the bread crumbs for exactly? do I mix them in with the meat before I roll them into balls? just wondering thanks
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ReplyDeleteHeather, this post was very old and I revised it with the newer photos at the top. The bottom recipe is from a few years back and at the time I didn't have breadcrumbs and I was making them as you see so they went into the meatball.
ReplyDeleteJust a sprinkling to bind the meatballs, it's perfectly optional.
Best of luck.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely going to try this!! Could I just use already prepared bread crumbs. I usually just but the Italian bread crumbs which are already seasoned.
ReplyDeleteHBS, nothing wrong with that!! Good luck :)
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to make this without using eggs. My niece is allergic to eggs and I am trying to help my sister out by finding more recipes that her daughter will actually be able to eat.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely can do without egg!
ReplyDelete