How to make Italian meatballs

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There are a lot of recipes on the internet that guide you how to make Italian meatballs. And there are as many variations as there are families in Italy. We suggest that you should try making Italian meatballs with mushrooms and vegetables.

To make Italian meatballs you will need:

  • minced meat – 500g (better take low-fat beef and pork fifty-fifty)
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • white bread
  • 1 egg
  • dill, parsley
  • salt, pepper to taste

To make the sauce you will need:

  • champignons –400g
  • tomato juice 600-800g
  •  greens (dill, parsley)
  • 1 onion
  • 2-3 medium sized tomatoes
  • salt, pepper, spices to taste

Instructions:

There is nothing unusual in spicing minced meat for Italian meatballs.

First you put minced meat into a bowl or a small pot, add salt and pepper to your taste and spice.

Then add an egg and finely chopped dill and parsley to the mixture.

Peal the onion and cloves of garlic, grate them finely and put into the bowl as well.

Soak white bread (without the crust) with water, then squash it with your hand and add to the mince.

Mixing minced meat with dill, parsley, egg and white bread

 

Mix it all thoroughly till you get an intimate mixture.

Now that the mixture for your Italian meatballs is ready take a griddle or a baking tray and oil it a little. Make round balls from minced meat and put them on the griddle.

Making round balls from minced meat

 

 

Bake the meatballs in the oven (which you should heat up in advance up to 200’C) for about 15-20 minutes than take it out.

While the meatballs are getting ready take your time to make the sauce.

Chop an onion and fry it on a frying pan with some vegetable oil till the onion gets semitransparent (that is half-done).

frying onion

 

Add finely grated carrot and let the mixture stew over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Now put also washed and chopped champignons to the frying pan and let the mixture stew some 5-8 minutes more. Stir it from time to time. At this stage you can also salt and pepper the dish.

Once the champignons are almost ready add finely chopped dill, parsley and garlic to the frying pan, stir it once again and leave for another minute.

champignons with dill, parsley, onion, garlik

 

Finally add peeled and sliced tomatoes, stew it all for 2-3 minutes and remember to stir.

Now you can chose either of the two variants how to make Italian meatballs.

  • If you have a square baking pan:

Put stewed mushrooms with vegetables on the bottom and then place meatballs on top.

Salt and pepper to your taste, add other spices.

Spread tomato juice over, so that it covers all the meatballs (about 5 centimeters).

tomato juce with meatballs

 

Put the pan into the oven (which you have heated up beforehand) and leave it there.

15-20 minutes later take the baking pan out and serve your Italian meatballs.

baked meatballs

served italian meatballs

  • If you use a frying pan:

Make sauce in the frying pan and put stewed meatballs on it.

Add salt, bay leaf and spices to taste.

Pour tomato juice over the vegetables and meatballs (1-2 centimeters)

Put the frying pan on the low fire, bring the contents to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes – and your Italian meatballs are ready to be served with any side dish you like. You can use spaghetti with dairy butter and vegetables for example. (picture)

Enjoy your food!