I grew up on these meatballs and to this day they are one of my all time favorite home cooked meals! A truly Americanized version for the every-day home cook.  The best part is the small crumbles that come apart and cook up nice and crispy in your cooking oil of choice!

Serves: 4 Total Cook and Prep Time: 30 minutes

You can serve these meatballs in a variety of ways. Pictured here with white rice and frozen peas. It is so simple, yet balanced and delicious! You can even customize this further with a sauce of your choice, such as Ranch, hot sauce, or garlic aioli.

I always begin with my ‘mise en place’ or gathering all ingredients and tools I’ll need to make the meal in one place. Pictured here are some of the seasonings I used in the meatballs, including; Italian bread crumbs, garlic powder, and Italian herb blend.

Mix all your ingredients together! I recommend mixing by hand, but a spoon or spatula will work as well. Mix until just combined, and don’t over-mix.

I prefer to cook these meatballs in a skillet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Of course, you can pan fry these in the oil of your choice, or even bake them! I love the pan fry method, so that we get some well done, crispy parts on the meatballs. Cover the meatballs in the beginning to ensure they cook through entirely. Then, uncover the meatballs for the last 5 to 10 minutes of cook time for more crispiness.

Voila! Homemade meatballs topped with an extra drizzle of olive oil and some grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• ¾ cup italian breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp mayo
• 1 lb of ground beef or ground turkey
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

Preparation

1. In a large bowl combine the ground beef (or ground turkey), ketchup, mayo, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and seasonings until just combined. 
2. In a medium sized pan drizzle  olive oil and heat on medium. Add the minced garlic and heat for 2-3 minutes until a light golden brown. 
3. Begin to form the meatballs (I like larger meatballs, think heaping tablespoon size). Add meatballs to the pan on medium heat. Once all meatballs are in the pan, cover with lid and heat for 5-7 minutes. Uncover and turn meatballs. Heat another 5-7 minutes uncovered to get a crispier outer layer. Repeat until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes total cook time. 

An alternative serving suggestion is Homemade Meatballs with mashed potatoes and baked broccoli for a balanced meal!