Description
Solid savory flavor, moist and bouncy texture, and with my cooking technique, almost perfectly round every time! These meatballs pair well with many types of sauces like marinara or a creamy Swedish sauce. Even better, this recipe welcomes substitutions and changes to take the meatballs to the next level.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/3 cup minced onion
- 3 tablespoons minced carrot
- 3 tablespoons minced celery
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup panko or breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper each
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
- 1 pound ground beef (preferably with 15% fat)
Instructions
- Warm 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil easily moves around in the skillet, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook until the onions become translucent, about 7-10 minutes. When done, set aside skillet and vegetables to cool and reserve the skillet for step 5.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the panko, egg, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. When the vegetable mixture has cooled, add this to the bowl as well. Stir ingredients gently to combine.
- Next add the ground beef to the wet panko mixture by pinching pieces off and crumbling into the bowl. Breaking up the meat helps to blend the wet panko mixture thoroughly without over mixing.
- When all the ingredients are in the bowl, gently toss and combine the wet panko mixture with the ground beef until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over mix as this can create a tougher meatball.
- (Optional step) Warm the small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the meatball mixture to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. When cool enough to handle, taste the cooked meat to check for salt level.
- Measure out the entire bowl of meat mixture by using a 1 oz trigger style scoop, setting aside each meatball as measuring. Once all the meatballs have been portioned out, roll each one between your palms to create an evenly round ball, about 1" in diameter. Line the meatballs up against the side of the sheet pan so they are touching the side and snug against each other. Chill the meatballs for 15 minutes in the refrigerator, or 5 minutes in the freezer before baking.
- After chill time, bake in a 375° F oven for 18 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
- Check for doneness: If you have a thermometer, stick it in the center of a meatball in the middle of the pan. You are looking for at least 150° F. Ground meat should be cooked to 155° F, but the meatballs will continue to cook a little outside of the oven.
If you don't have a thermometer, look at the sides of the meatballs to check for any visible pink color. Also, lightly pressing your finger on the top of a meatball should not leave a dent. If you are in doubt, break one in half to check for browning on the inside. Then have a taste! Mmm... so good. - Slightly cooled meatballs can then be added to a warm sauce or enjoyed with a dip!
Notes
Chilling time: If space is an issue, roll out all the meatballs onto a smaller dish to chill, then quickly transfer to the sheet pan right before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American