Looks like pizza doesn’t it? Making meatballs from scratch is a bit ambitious for a week night meal but they are perfect leftover meals though so making a bunch is totally worth it. You can have pasta one night, use it in a meatball sub for lunch or pair it with a simple mixed green salad. OR just eat it as is and maybe with a mini slice of cheese melted on top.
These are the main ingredients you will need for the meatballs.
Mix all the ingredients above in a large bowl. I usually start with a fork and once the egg and ground beef is combined I use my hands to mix the ingredients evenly.
Roll the meatballs into the size of a golf ball and then set them aside.
Heat some olive oil on a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry the meatballs, turning them frequently to prevent from burning for about 10 minutes. Use a deeper skillet/pan if you plan on adding pasta sauce later.
If you plan on making the pasta bake, fry the meatballs for about 10 minutes only as they will continue to cook in the sauce later. If you are just making meatballs, cook for an additional 10 minutes.
If you have some onions and garlic handy, saute them in a pan with some butter. This step is optional. It adds some additional flavor to the tomato sauce.
Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs. Lower the heat to a simmer once the sauce begins to boil.
Layer a thin layer of pasta sauce in a 8×8 pan.
Then add some pasta and a layer of cheese.
Add another layer of pasta and pour the rest of the meatball and sauce on top.
Then layer with some more cheese on top. Bake in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Makes 12-15 meatballs
Meatballs
1lb ground beef
1 + 1/2 c panko
1 egg
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
olive oil
Pasta Bake
4 c tomato sauce (28oz)
pasta (penne/ziti)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, panko, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper until combined. Use your bare hands for best results.
2. Roll meatballs to a the size of a golf ball. You should be able to make around 12 meatballs with 1 pound of meat.
3. In a large pan over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add meatballs and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, then remove from heat and set aside (cook for an additional 5-10 minutes if you are only making meatballs).
4. Preheat the oven at 350F (for the Pasta Bake).
5. Boil water in a large pot and add some salt and olive oil. Cook the pasta until al dente.
6. In a small pan over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and sauté for one more minute (optional).
7. Return the large pan with meatballs over medium high heat and add tomato sauce, sautéed onions and garlic, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1o minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
8. Scoop a thin layer of tomato sauce in a baking pan (8×8 is the perfect size for this recipe). Then add some pasta and a layer of mozzarella cheese on top. Add another layer of pasta and pour the rest of the tomato sauce and meatballs on top. Then layer some more mozzarella cheese on top.
9. Bake in the oven at 350F or until the cheese melts.
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