Baked Meatballs

Baked meatballs are a classic comfort food and can be customized in many ways. Here is a basic recipe to prepare tasty Italian-style baked meatballs:

Ingredients

• 500 g of ground meat (beef, pork, or a mix of the two)
• 1 egg
• 50 g of breadcrumbs
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• Chopped parsley to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• 150 ml of milk
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in milk until well absorbed.
2. Add the ground meat, egg, grated Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste to the bowl.
3. Knead the mixture well with your hands until it becomes homogeneous.
4. Shape into balls of the desired size using hands lightly oiled with olive oil.
5. Arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure there is some space between them.
6. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
7. Bake the meatballs for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden and cooked to the desired point. You can turn them halfway through cooking to ensure they brown evenly.

Curiosity

Meatballs are a very versatile dish and can be adapted to many different tastes. In the most purely Italian version, often pecorino cheese is added to the meat mix or you can insert a cube of mozzarella inside each meatball for a melting and surprising heart. Moreover, they can be served with a tomato sauce, for an even more traditional touch.

Bon appétit!