Perfect Meatballs

Who doesn't love a good meatball, right?  A lot of recipes for meatballs say to use a mix of beef, pork and veal.  There was a time when I would ignore those recommendations.  Then one day I decided I wanted to make the ultimate meatball, something really special...something above and beyond any other meatball I've made before.  So, I decided to try the 3 meat mixture in my regular meatball recipe to see if it would make a difference. 

Can I just say that I was AMAZED at the results!  Who knew it would make THAT much of a difference????  Obviously lots of chefs out there know that the mixture of different meats makes a huge difference, but this was a ground breaking discovery for me!  The texture is softer and way more delicate, and the taste was noticeably better – much more flavor.  I WILL NEVER MAKE MEATBALLS WITH JUST GROUND BEEF AGAIN!

   

If you are like me and didn’t think using the three different meats would make much of a difference, I am here to tell you that it does and you must try it to see for yourself. 

Perfect Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
½ lb ground pork
½ lb ground veal
¾ cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp chopped garlic
1tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried basil)
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
¾ cup warm water

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.  Add all ingredients to a large bowl.  Combine gently with your hands (or fork if you prefer).  Form into 2-inch meatballs and place on cookie sheet.  Place in oven and cook for 20-30 min.  After 20 minutes cut into a meatball to see if they are cooked thru (it’s OK if they are slightly pink in the middle because they will continue to cook a little when you take them out).