Parmesan Meatballs

Prepare time: 20 min

Cook: 70 min

Ready in: 95 min

Ingredients:

·         1 pound of ground beef

·         1 pound of ground pork or veal

·         3 slices of white bread, stale bread is fine

·         ½ pound of fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces

·         1 ¼ cups of finely grated parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is preferable

·         ⅓ cup of milk

·         5 cups of tomato sauce

·         1 teaspoon of black pepper

·         1 tablespoon of Kosher salt

·         2 cloves of garlic, chop them fine

·         ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley

·         ½ cup of fine chopped onion

·         Olive oil for frying

Directions:

·         1Pre heat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Remove the bread crusts and discard them, and then cut the bread into small pieces. Put them in a small bowl. Pour the entire milk over the bread, and set aside. Let the entire milk absorbed by the bread. It should take around 5 to 10 minutes.

·         2Use a large bowl and add the garlic, parsley, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, onion, milk soaked bread, beef, the pork or veal, pepper and salt. Toss them evenly until well mixed. Using your hands, take some of the mixture and roll it into small balls, golf ball size is ideal. This mix should make around 25 meatballs. You can store these balls by putting them in a covered bowl and refrigerate. You can also make larger balls, but it is far easier to through cook smaller balls.

·         3Use a large skillet and add ¼ inch of olive in it. Turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot enough, fry the meatballs. It is highly advised to fry the meatballs in batches to make sure every ball is well cooked. Turn occasionally while frying, make sure each side is golden brown. The meatballs will be juicy on the inside. It should take around 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the meatballs a plate with paper towel to absorb the excessive oil.

·         4Take a 9×13 inch baking dish and place a thin layer of tomato sauce at the bottom. On top of the sauce, sprinkle ⅓ of the entire parmesan cheese. Take the meatballs and place them over the parmesan cheese and top them with the mozzarella. Coat the meatballs with the remaining sauce and do the layering again. At the top layer, pour over the entire sauce and sprinkle the parmesan cheese.

·         5Place the baking pan to the oven, and bake until the casserole bubbles and the cheese turns to gold. It should take around 40 minutes. For sure, check the casserole close to the mentioned time. It should prefer the casserole from burning if your oven is hotter. Let it cool for a few minutes before you start serving.

·         Notes:

·         Parmesan meatballs are great to serve with crispy veggies on the side. It is perfect over pasta or rice. In alternative to the simple tomato sauce, you can use any other sauce you like bolognaise.

Source    http://foodrecipesearch.com

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