meatballs Archives - The Midnight Baker

Ricotta Meatballs

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 11 May 2021 23:00:18 +0000

Since ricotta meatballs have a wonderful texture, they’re sure to be a hit with your family.

Simple Ricotta Meatballs

We all have our own favorite recipe for meatballs, myself included.

However, sometimes we just get tired of the same-old-same-old and want to try something a bit different. That’s what happened to me a few months ago. Since I was on a kick making my own ravioli, I had plenty of ricotta on hand so I figured why not when I saw a recipe that included it in meatballs.

These meatballs are so good that they can stand alone. They don’t need to have pasta and sauce.

Serve Them Traditionally–Or Not

As I said before, these don’t need the usual sauce and pasta. They’re good enough to be the main meat attraction for dinner.

But if you want to serve them the traditional way, that’s really good too. And now for some tips.

Who remembers Catherine Scorcese; Martin Scorcese’s mom? This tip came right from her; a true Italian cooking expert in my opinion. She never browned her meatballs before finishing the cooking in the sauce. She’d form them and toss them right in the sauce to cook. Not only will the sauce be more flavorful, but the meatballs don’t get hard. That’s the way I do these if I’m doing spaghetti and meatballs.

To serve them by themselves, then cook them your usual way. Oven, skillet and air fryer are your option and each one produces good results.

The Onions

Normally, I don’t saute onions before I put them in raw meat for meatballs or burgers. However, here you do saute them and the garlic too.

This really adds wonderful flavor to the meatballs. I didn’t think it would matter much, but I did it anyway. I’m not going to say it was a game changer, but it does give them a wonderful mellow flavor.

The Recipe

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Ricotta Meatballs

Tender and delicious meatballs

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: meatball recipes, ricotta meatballs, using ricotta cheese

Servings: 4

Calories: 395kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/4 cup onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped fine
2 tbs Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Remove from heat and cool.
In a large bowl, mix the onion/garlic mixture (including the oil) ground beef, ricotta, parsley, Parmesan/Romano, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
Shape into meatballs about the size of a walnut.
If you're making tomato sauce, drop meatballs into simmering sauce and simmer for 1 hour.
If you're not serving with sauce, in the pan you cooked the onion, brown meatballs on all sides and cook until no pink remains in the center.

Notes

Cook time calculated for cooking in sauce.

Nutrition

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Hawaiian Meatballs

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 00:00:05 +0000

Chase away the late winter blues with these Hawaiian meatballs. It’s a luau on a plate.

Hawaiian Meatballs: Appetizer Or Dinner

Is there any dish as versatile as Hawaiian meatballs?

It’s one of the top 10 appetizers on a buffet since they’re pretty easy yet very tasty too. The meatballs, pineapple and pepper are easy to skewer on a toothpick so they’re portable as well.

But you can always make a dinner out of them. Served over some rice, this all-in-one dish is the perfect supper to chase away the winter blues.

Making Your Own Is Better

Making your own anything is generally better than store bought.

When it comes to these meatballs, I believe making your own is almost essential. Since most ready-made ones are Italian flavored and probably won’t blend well with the flavors in the sauce. Of course if you can find ready-made meatballs that have a more generic flavoring, that would probably work, however, I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure.

I’m very sure you’ll love this recipe so much that you’ll want to make it again, so why not double or even triple the meatball recipe? Then you can brown them and freeze the excess for future use.

Pineapples And Peppers

The amounts I give in the recipe are what I use. However, since the success is not connected to specific amounts with either the bell peppers or the pineapple, feel free to use more or less of either. So if you want to “beef it up” and extend it, I’d add more pineapple so the meat and pineapple are about equal. So in that instance, a 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks would be about right. Since there’ll be more liquid, use an additional tablespoon of cornstarch and water to thicken (if you desire the thicker sauce).

The Recipe

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Hawaiian Meatballs

Easy meatballs with a Hawaiian flair.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: foods with tropical flavors, hawaiian meatballs, polynesian dinners, quick meatball dinners

Servings: 4

Calories: 559kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/4 cup onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 eggs
2 tbs milk or cream
1/4 tsp pepper

Sauce:

8 oz can pineapple chunks including juice
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tbs soy sauce
1 medium green pepper cut in chunks
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
Mix all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into balls about 1-inch/2.5-cm in diameter. Place on prepared sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until there is no pink in the center of the meatballs. Remove from oven and set aside and keep warm.
Drain juice from pineapple into a small bowl. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, except the pineapple chunks and green pepper. Stir well.
Add the sauce to a large skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to boil. Mix the cornstarch and water and stir into the boiling sauce; stir until thickened.
Add the pineapple and the green pepper. Boil for 1 minute.
Add the meatballs to the skillet; stir to coat with the sauce and heat through.

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 23:00:48 +0000

Slow cooker meatball stroganoff cooks quickly in the crock pot.

Quick Slow Cooker?

The oxymoron is intentional here.

Yes, you can make something that cooks relatively quickly in your slow cooker. The trick is using foods you have prepared in advance and/or have in your freezer. On high, this should take about 3 hours to cook.

This recipe is the next best thing to a freezer meal.

Meatballs–Yours Or The Store’s

The choice is yours–the pre-made, ready cooked meatballs you buy frozen or your own homemade that you have frozen.

I’m not that crazy about the taste of the pre-made frozen variety of meatballs, so I make my own, in bulk, and freeze them. That’s the secret to this meal being quick to make. The meatballs merely heat up in the sauce. As for the sauce, that only has to heat through as well.

Make Your Own And Freeze Them

When I find a super sale on ground beef, I buy it in bulk. Most of it I freeze in 1 to 1 1/2 pound portions but I will take about 2 pounds and make meatballs to freeze. They are so handy to have in your freezer for a rainy day.

I cook the meatballs then cool them to room temperature. Then I place them on a baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen, I pop the meatballs in a freezer bag for later use. Freezing the meatballs individually makes it easy to only take out as many as you need. I make mine with generic flavoring so I can use them in a variety of meals.

I give my recipe for the meatballs in the recipe card below. Feel free to add your favorite seasonings, although I do recommend using the gravy mix no matter what other herbs and spices you choose to use.

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The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff

Slow cooker meatball stroganoff cooks quickly in the crock pot.

Prep Time5

Cook Time3

Total Time3 5

Course: beef, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef meatballs, beef stroganoff

Servings: 4

Calories: 801kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb approximate frozen meatballs
10.75 oz can cream of mushroom soup (I use low-sodium soups)
8 oz whole button mushrooms
10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup sour cream

MY MEATBALL RECIPE

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 slices white bread
water
2 tbsp instant minced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp au jus gravy mix
2 eggs
Olive oil for browning
1 tsp water

Instructions

Place all ingredients except sour cream in a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high approximately 3 hours. I don't use low heat for this recipe. If you use low heat, I cannot guarantee the results but I wouldn't cook it longer than 5 hours.
At the end of the cook time, stir in the sour cream.
Serve over pasta or egg noodles.
TO MAKE MY MEATBALL RECIPE
Place bread in a small bowl and add about 1 cup of water. Let this sit for 5 minutes, then squeeze as much water out of the bread as you can, then place the bread in a larger bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix very well.
Shape into meatballs about 1.5-2-inches in diameter. Brown on all sides in 1-2 tbs of olive oil.
Drain off excess fat. Add 1 tsp water, cover and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Cool meatballs to room temperature, then place them on a baking sheet in a single layer, place in freezer about 1 hour until completely frozen. Store in a zipper bag in the freezer for future use. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Nutrition

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Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 14 May 2016 23:00:27 +0000

How much better can a meatball get? Stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese and wrapped in yummy bacon! Very easy to make.

Here’s a meatball that’s just like a cheeseburger!

It all starts with lean ground beef and just a few spices. The meatballs themselves are tender and tasty. They are not dry for a couple of reasons–first of all, the bacon keeps them moist and the meat mixture uses soft breadcrumbs. Soft breadcrumbs are the key to a most and fluffy meatball or meat loaf. It’s a trick I learned years ago from my friend Joyce-Karen who picked the tip up years ago from a lady who worked in her high school cafeteria.

I used sharp cheddar here, but mozzarella would be a delicious substitute in these. It would give a rather appealing gooeyness to these meatballs.

Do I need to say anymore than b-a-c-o-n? Didn’t think so. You’d have to go far and wide to find someone who disliked bacon.

These meatballs are baked. I didn’t bother to secure the ends of the bacon because I sat them seam-side down on the rack I baked them on. You do need a rack here to let the bacon fat render out. You don’t want these sitting in that fat and essentially boiling.

These can be made smaller to be used as an appetizer. All you’d have to do is cut smaller cheese cubes and it would only require one strip of bacon–cut in half so you can double wrap the meatballs.

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Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

How much better can a meatball get? Stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese and wrapped in yummy bacon! Very easy to make.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Appetizers, beef, Comfort Foods

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, beef meatballs, cheese, stuffed meatballs

Servings: 4

Calories: 799kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 slices white bread torn into small pieces (see NOTES)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
16 slices bacon in UK it's streaky bacon--don't use thick cut
8 - 1/2- inch cubes sharp cheddar cheese -OR- mozzarella

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and place a rack in the pan (I use a rack like you use to cool cookies)
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, torn bread, water, onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper and egg. Blend well.
Divide meat into 8 equal portions.
Form meatball around a cube of cheese.
Wrap with one slice of bacon, then turn the meatball 90 degrees and wrap in another slice of bacon.
Place meatballs, bacon seam-side down on the rack in the prepared pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bacon is nicely browned and beginning to look crisp (the bacon won't crisp on the bottom, FYI).

Notes

The bread can be processed into crumbs in a food processor--just pulse about 2 times.

Nutrition

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Maria Mac’s Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Hands down the very best sweet and sour meatballs you’ll ever taste. These meatballs work well as a dinner or a party buffet appetizer dish.

I took one look at these and fell instantly in love!

My friend Maria, who runs the large Facebook group Recipes A Plenty, posted these on her wall yesterday and they looked so good the drooling started instantaneously.

Wonderful flavor makes them versatile

This was a recipe of Maria’s before she started her blog, Maria’s Mixing Bowl and just would post her family recipes on her wall or in the group.

Her meatballs looked so tender and juicy, not hard and dry like some can be. Her secret is adding some water to the dry breadcrumbs and letting it soak. You do have to be careful with them, since they are a bit fragile being so soft, but a little extra care is well worth the effort. They are delectable!

Maria’s original recipe called for less breadcrumbs, but I found the meat mixture to be a bit too fragile, so I upped the amount a bit. Both of us cook by “eye” so perhaps the amount I used was the amount she used. Both of us attempt to get measurements right, but sometime we slip up LOL!

Sweet and tangy

Her sauce didn’t contain the soy sauce I added. I just like the flavor and think it adds depth to anything remotely Asian, so I added it.

Serve this with a nice hot and fluffy jasmine rice–whether it’s party food on the buffet or a sit-down meal with the family.

Enjoy!!!

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Maria Mac's Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Hands down the very best sweet and sour meatballs you’ll ever taste. These meatballs work well as a dinner or a party buffet appetizer dish.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: beef

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef meatballs

Servings: 4

Calories: 449kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

1 lb very lean ground beef
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tsp salt
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup water
1-2 tbsp oil for frying

SAUCE

1 cup sliced celery
1 small red bell pepper cut in 1-inch cubes
1 small green bell pepper cut in 1-inch cubes
1 cup pineapple chunks drained
drained juice from pineapple plus enough water to make 1 1/2 cups
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar

THICKENER

3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Instructions

Mix together bread crumbs, onion and the 1/4 cup water. Let stand until water is absorbed by breadcrumbs.
Add the ground beef, salt and beaten egg and combine well. Form into meatballs about the size of a marshmallow (about 1.5-inches diameter).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, carefully turning them so they don't fall apart and are completely cooked. Remove from pan; set aside.
In the same skillet, saute the celery and bell peppers until crisp-tender; about 5 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, cider vinegar, pineapple and water/pineapple juice mixture. Heat till boiling.
Mix the thickener ingredients and add to the boiling sauce. Stir until thickened, reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
Add meatballs back to pan and stir to coat them with sauce and heat through.

Nutrition

Maria Mac’s Sweet & Sour Meatballs

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