June 10, 2024

Easy, Homemade Meatballs

Do you need an easy food to take to a potluck or to make a quick dinner? Well, this meatball recipe is perfect for those occasions. You can add BBQ sauce or leave it off. Whatever your preference these meatballs are sure to please.

In this blog post, you will learn how to make some Easy Homemade Meatballs.

Why Should I Make Homemade Meatballs?

Making homemade meatballs are such an easy and great meal to make, and they taste amazing! However, there are some other reasons why making your own meatballs is a great option.

Control Over Ingredients: because you are making them at home, you get to decide the quality of meat that is going into your meatballs. You can ensure that there are no unwanted additives, preservatives, or fillers. Being able to tailor them to your taste preferences, is a great thing about making them yourself. You can adjust the spices and seasonings to your liking.

Healthier Option: homemade meatballs can be healthier than store-bought meatballs because you control the nutritional content which includes fat, salt, and sugar levels. The freshness of having them be homemade will make them more nutritious and flavourful than the processed options.

Better Flavour and Texture: homemade meatballs are more flavourful because you get to season them to your preferences and liking by using fresh herbs and spices. You are in charge of texture control and can decide how many breadcrumbs to add or other ingredient binders.

Versatility: experiment with different cooking techniques such as pan frying, baking, or simmering in sauce. This recipe can be easily adaptable to different dietary preferences such as gluten-free.

Cost-Effective: making meatballs at home can be more cost-effective than purchasing pre-made ones, especially when buying meat in bulk. Lastly, making them in large batches and then freezing them can help save time and money.

Does This Recipe Call for Breadcrumbs?

This recipe has breadcrumbs as optional. Breadcrumbs can often expire before you use them which can be really frustrating. While breadcrumbs are useful for bulking up the meatballs so that your batch yields more from it, you can sometimes forget them, the breadcrumbs that you intended to use have expired, or you are gluten intolerant or someone you are preparing them for is gluten intolerant.

This recipe has been tried with and without breadcrumbs and the recipe down below will have them excluded. If you want to add breadcrumbs, these are the measurements that you will need to add and change.

Add 1/2 c. breadcrumbs to the mixture and then increase the milk from 1/8 c. to 1/4 c.

What Fat Percentage in my Ground Beef Should I Use?

The recipe down below is using 10% fat/extra lean ground beef, and the meatballs are quite juicy. Where I live, there is a ground beef option of 5% fat, but these meatballs do not turn out as flavoursome, and they can be quite dry. So try to use ground beef that has fat content of 10% or higher for juicy meatballs.

5% fat – extra, extra lean

10% fat – extra lean

17% fat – lean

23% fat – medium

30% – regular

When making meatballs, you generally want a balance of flavour, moisture, and texture. Here are some tips for choosing the right fat percentage for your meatballs:

Flavour and Moisture: if you prefer juicier and more flavourful meatballs, opt for 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef. The extra fat will ensure that they remain moist and rich.
Leaner Option: for a healthier alternative, you can use 90/10 ground beef, but consider adding other moistening ingredients like grated onions, eggs, milk-soaked breadcrumbs, or even a bit of olive oil to prevent them from becoming too dry.
Combining Blends: some cooks prefer to mix different blends of ground beef to achieve the desired balance. For instance, combining 80/20 with 90/10 can provide a middle ground between flavour and healthiness.
Mixing Meats: another option is to combine ground beef with other meats like pork, veal, or turkey, which can add flavour and moisture. For example, a common blend for meatballs is equal parts ground beef (80/20) and ground pork.

By selecting the appropriate fat percentage for your ground beef and incorporating additional ingredients, you can create meatballs that are flavourful, moist, and suited to your dietary preferences.

Note: In the U.K. and Ireland, ground beef is called mince.

Baking the Meatballs

This recipe calls for baking the meatballs in the oven. The best way to prevent your meaetballs from becoming soggy is to have them sitting on a rack in the oven tray.

Line your oven tray with parchment paper, for easier cleaning, and place the rack on the tray. Place your meatballs on the tray. After 15 minutes of baking, flip the meatballs over to prevent soggy bottoms and have them crisp evenly.

Putting the Meatballs in a Slow Cooker

If you are wanting to take these meatballs to a party or potluck with power outlets, the slow cooker is the way to transport them. Put a tiny drop of water into the bottom of the slow cooker and put the slow cooker on the Keep Warm setting. Bake your meatballs and transfer them to the slow cooker. If you are putting BBQ sauce on them, put it on here and make sure that it is distributed evenly.

Transport the meatballs in the warmed slow cooker and when you arrive at your destination, immediately plug the slow cooker in and put it back on to the Keep Warm setting.

This is an easy non-hassle way of bringing a warm dish and keeping it warm at a party with no stress!

What If I Ran Out of Eggs?!

We have all been there. Eggs are the main binder for this recipe so that the meatballs stick together. This recipe has been tried without the egg, and they are much more likely to fall apart without them. However, the shredded cheese in this recipe does also help to bind them together.

If you do run out of eggs and still have shredded cheese to use, it is possible to not use eggs and use the shredded cheese to bind them together. Obviously it will not be as good as using an egg, but if you are in a pinch, it will do the job well enough.

Ingredients

Ground Beef: ground beef is the basis of this meatball recipe. Ground beef comes in various percentages, commonly ranging from 70% lean to 95% lean. It is the primary protein in these meatballs and provides the base flavour and texture. Fat content affects the juiciness and the flavour of the meatballs.

Milk: milk is often added to meatball mixtures to moisten the breadcrumbs.

Salt: salt enhances the flavour of the meat and other ingredients.

Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce adds a complex, savoury umami flavour to the meatballs, enhancing their overall taste. Use it sparingly because of its strong flavour profile.

Black Pepper: black pepper complements the other spices and seasonings.

Onion: onions add moisture, flavour, and some crunch to the meatballs. Make sure to finely chop them so that no one gets a big piece of onion in their meatball. They can be sauteed before adding to the mixture to soften them and mellow out their sharp taste.

Egg: the egg acts as the binder in the meatball mixture. It holds the ingredients together and helps them maintain their shape while cooking.

Mozzarella Cheese: mozzarella cheese can be added to the mixture or stuffed inside of each meatball for a creamier texture.

Breadcrumbs: breadcrumbs bulk up the meatballs. They help you get more meatballs for your money. They help to bind the meatball mixture, absorb moisture, and provide a tender texture.

Tips

Using a higher fat content for your meatballs will give them a nicer flavour and make them juicier.
Breadcrumbs help to bulk up the meatballs so that your yield is higher, but they can be omitted for gluten-free meatballs.
Shredded cheese can bind the meatballs together if you are stuck and run out of eggs.