cooking meatballs....easier way???

[ssfkat3]

Ok, I've been cooking for 40 years and have never cooked meatballs from scratch. So this morning, I get a burr up my rear and think, I've got all this hamburgar, what to do with it.....lets make MEATBALLS for the freezer (that gets delivered tomorrow morning YAY!!!)

SO to cooks.com I go and find this recipe that sounds good. I make up a batch. Sick daughter says, mom, why are you making meatballs at 8 am? I said...cause I can?

Ok, first batch comes out and wow are they good. Meatball breakfast, I think 9 of 20 made it to the freezer.

That wasn't so bad, so I decide to make a TRIPLE batch. While I cooked up one batch in one pan, this triple? It's multiplying while it sits. Already cooked up two pans and it don't look like I put a dent in the bowl.

IS THERE A EASIER WAY....like oven? if so, what temp? how long? I'm assuming I need to brown them all over before I toss them in the oven, correct?

help! at least now I can say i've cooked meatballs...not sure why I never did try them before, probably cause all the recipes I ever found had ketchup and junk in them, and that just makes me gag...(mom's meatloaf...YUCK).

for anyone wanting it, here's the recipe with my adaptions (yeah I adapt everything even before trying it lol)

Basic Meatballs - about 24 meatballs

1 lb ground beef (I used 75% lean 25% fat which is probably why they taste so good lol)
1 egg
1 small onion chopped fine, about 1/4 cup (went a tad heavy on these, ok way heavy, little over 1/3 c that was chopped in food processor)
1/3 c dry italian bread crumbs (called for regular)
1/4 c milk
3/4 t salt (used garlic salt)
1/8 t pepper (added more)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

I did add a touch of olive oil to the pan, and about a clove of smashed and chopped fresh garlic, yummmmmm.

these things did not in any way dry out, which is what makes me leery about the oven.

suggestions? I don't have all day to cook meatballs lol.

[$Saving!]

I've always cooked mine in the pan almost to completion, browning them really, then into the crockpot with sauce to finish for about 6 hours on low.

But I've never tried precooking in the oven....I suppose it could be done though! Perhaps covering the pan with foil to prevent drying out while they're cooking in the oven??

I also use a mix of 3:1 ground sirloin/beef to italian sausage Soooo yummy with the sausage added.

My brother makes killer meatballs! I've tried for years to match his but haven't gotten there yet

[ssfkat3]

I might of tried the sausage in there, if I'd had any lol.

Well, for me anyway, oven is BIG MISTAKE. Yes that fast lol. I shut down the internet after I posted that and said....come on Sally, you've been cooking for FOURTY YEARS! So TRY it! whats the worst that can happen? You burn the apartment building down?:shrug7: In my defense, I've never been a fan of frying, its not so healthy, and its messy.

so out to the kitchen I go, turn on the oven (350 degrees), cook a batch till brown on medium high on stove, toss them babies on the cookie sheet and into the oven. (grease, oh my, stove was a mess)

Less than 3 minutes later, I check (I'm impatient too)sometimes, impatience is a good thing...like this time.

don't try this in a oven that high anyway, I set off my smoke detector. :hectic1: Not even burned and not done, so back in the frying pan they went. WHY put a smoke detector right next to the kitchen? I understand the concept, you know, kitchen fires...but they go off on the least little smoke, geez. And that is what makes people take out batteries, which is deadly. There is a sprinkler in the kitchen too, which I'm not so sure is brilliant...can you say grease fire? sprinkler? Haul butt? there's a reason they say don't throw water on a grease fire....

the raw meat? its in a ziploc bag in the fridge now. Gonna have to wait till later to finish those. On a good note, I'll have tons of meatballs in the freezer lol.

My daughter wanted another one, but they were already in the freezer on a cookie sheet, so she decided to take a bath while I cooked that batch...she was not too happy jumping out of that tub right after she got in cause of the smoke detector. Right after that, comes a knock on the door....lol, my neighbor, asking what was I cookin' up this morning In my defense here...I cooked on gas the last ten years, its hard getting used to an electric stove again.

Seems all the recipes I've found all cook further in sauce. I'm always the oddball in the bunch ...but its nice being odd sometimes. At least I've had some awesome 'recipes' in the past lol (most would say, I messed up the recipe I was working on so bad it turned into another dish altogether, but they never turn down an invite to dinner....hmmm)...

I do know what is making these so dang good. Its the fat lol, the bread crumbs are soaking up all that grease, there is hardly any in the pan when I'm done cooking them.

Whats better than juicy meatballs! SHould rename this to "Meatballs tonight, heart attack in the morning".

gonna have to rethink this oven bit. I mean, I cook meatLOAF in the oven without a problem, why not meatballs? one of life's little mysteries.....

maybe i'll try 300 degrees?......

for now...I've got to blanch some and get that in the freezer too.

[isis]

When my mom makes meatballs, she browns them off in the oven first before adding to the gravy. She layers the bottom of the pan with olive oil, and sprinkles each meatball with a little bit of bread crumbs. I'm pretty sure she cooks them at 350 for about 30 mins or so, turning every 5-10 mins to brown them on all 4 sides.
She also uses Italian seasoning, chopped garlic and Romano Cheese in her meatballs.

[foggierbard9]

i always do mine in the oven. 1 1/2 in (about 1/4 c of meat mixture), 400 for about 16-18 mins or until done (internal temp of 160).

[Ggbwg]

This is the recipe i use but i sometimes make meatballs instead of the loaf. Just shape into balls and cook for 20 min in oven w/ foil on same temp as below. I've done this w/ them being plain, bbq or ketchup. Son't add the veggies if you are making the balls. They won't get cooked in 20 minutes. Good Luck!

Pot Roasted Meat Loaf
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs (or uncooked oatmeal)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 medium potatoes
3 medum onions
3 medium carrots
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

Mix together beef, evaporated milk, bred crumbs, ketchup, 1 teaspoon salt,
Worcetershire sauce and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape into a loaf in center of
a large sheet of heavy foil and palce in a 13 x 9-inch pan.

Peel vegetables. Slice potatoes and onions 1/4-inch thick, and cut carrots
into quarters. Place vegetables in layers around the meat, sprinkling each
layer with mixture of parsley flakes, salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees F for one hour or until vegetables are tender. Uncover
and bake 10 minutes longer to brown meat.

[mrsjschultz]

I follow a similar recipe and simply cook them in the crockpot on high for 3 hours and then turn it down. They come out great IMO.

[missmitz]

not a ton of help but I know that I've seen meatballs done in the oven on at least one episode of DDD on Food network. I'm sure with some searching on the food network website you could find the episode.

[Cynthiabutterfly]

I make mine in the oven because i'm lazy. I use a tablespoon measure to make them so they are pretty small. Put them in a deep pan like a 13X9X2 not a cookie sheet because the grease from the meat will spill and smoke.

350 for 15-20 minutes for these small meatballs. I don't turn them, they get flat on one side only, and put on an upper rack.

Once they are cooled, I freeze them, then store them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. I add the sauce when I'm reheating them.

[ssfkat3]

hmmmm, will definately try the deeper pan, sounds like its' time to dust off my roaster. I did check with a flashlight in the oven to see if there was something on the top that might of smoked it up, nothing anywhere in there, that oven could pass inspection on move out lol. I hardly ever cook in it without whatever is cooking being covered, I'd rather clean the men's restroom in a bar than clean an oven if that says anything lol.

Will try the oven again....deeper pan, higher rack.

rest of the recipes all sound pretty good too mostly. I really just want them for freezing now, and cooking later.


I dug out our meatloaf recipe too....needed to pop a few of those in the freezer as well.

I call it the Glorified Hamburgar :D

Marti's Meatloaf

2 1/2 pounds lean hamburgar (fresh, not previously frozen)
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons parsley (dried)
2 tablespoons worchestire sauce
2 eggs
1 soup spoon spicy brown mustard ( 1 1/2 tablespoons approx)
1/2 to 2/3's of a green pepper, chopped fine
1-2 onions, chopped fine

Makes one meatloaf

Mix all ingredients, shape into loaf pan (9x5"). Pour more worchestire sauce on top before cooking. Bake 350 degrees for one hour or until done. Watch the grease doesn't overflow (pour off if not using lean hamburgar about 2/3's of the way through cooking time)

Can freeze before baking.

We usually make two at a time, freeze one, eat the other. This meatloaf I can eat, I've tried so many over the years, but never liked them at all, till this one. Guess my MIL had to have one redeeming feature.

just found out my older daughter is coming tomorrow with the baby :D YAY! sounds like its a stuffed shells kind of day :D will have to get her to run to the store for more shells, I only have 1 1/2 boxes and I love freezing those in huge batches!