Basil Meatballs
I’ve shouted my love for meatballs from the roof tops enough that you guys know how much I adore the humble little ball of meat. It’s the perfect protein in my opinion, endlessly versatile, thrown together in minutes, easily doubled and frozen, and utterly kid friendly. Kids don’t love the sauce you’ve chosen? Serve them with ketchup! Have potatoes, rice, or pasta as a side...that’s perfect!
Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1 shallot, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup bread crumbs (I love blending up stale sourdough bread to use for breadcrumbs)
1 egg
1 handful basil, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the egg, salt, and add the minced shallot, garlic cloves, breadcrumbs and chopped basil. If you’re feeling like chopping anything is beyond your abilities at the end of a long day, sub the shallot and garlic for 1 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder and the fresh basil for 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning. It will still taste delicious! Mix that all together. Add the ground meat and use your hands to gently knead the breadcrumb mixture with the meat until it’s a uniform mixture. Scoop little balls, about a tablespoon, and roll them smooth. Place them on the sheet tray as you go. Put them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.
