WHB: Meatballs With Parsley And Parmesan

Sometimes I check cookbooks or the Internet for new meatballs recipes.  There's just something about a little orb of meat, seafood, or poultry that captures my interest.  I think it dates from when I was a kid, eating spaghetti and meatballs.  It was always a red letter day when my mother made it, and I regarded the meatballs as some sort of toy food.  You could roll them around on the plate or imagine tossing them in the air and catching them with your mouth. 

Several months ago, I saw this recipe on Epicurious and it immediately caught my attention.  It was rated with four forks by people who made them.  Four forks is not easy to achieve on Epicurious, and when I looked at the recipe it seemed to be pretty simple.  I wondered why it would have garnered such praise?  Well, I made a big batch of the meatballs and they were very good indeed. They aren't my favorite meatballs. That would be Vietnamese Meatballs and Pork And Ricotta Meatballs.  But, they were quite good.
 

Why did they get four forks?   They're moist and garlicky, with chopped parsley providing a fresh taste.  The recipe is easy to make and can be bumped up with more garlic, a different cheese, or hot sauce.  I used ground turkey instead of the ground beef.  And while the recipe calls for frying, I baked them instead. 

Since parsley is a key ingredient in the meatballs, I thought it would be perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by the most excellent Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.   WHB is being hosted this week by Jugalbandi, where you'll find a re-cap of herby recipes from other bloggers around the world.


Meatballs With Parsley And Parmesan

Note:  This makes a lot of meatballs which freeze beautifully (30 to 40). Or you can make half of the recipe, of course.

(Epicurious)

Ingredients

4 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh French breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley  (I used Italian parsley)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
Additional olive oil (for frying)

Preparation

Stir eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, parsley, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper in large bowl to blend. Add ground beef and mix thoroughly. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch diameter meatballs.

Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to coat bottom; heat over medium-low heat. Working in batches, add meatballs and fry until brown and cooked through, turning frequently and adding more oil as needed, about 15 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate.

OR:  Bake them as I did.  Put the meatballs on baking sheets and bake for around 20 minutes at 375 degrees F.  Check a meatball at the 20 minute mark to see if they are done.  If not, bake them more, and keep checking. 

Comments

[Kalyn]

I love meatballs too! Everything about this sounds good, especially the parsley and the idea of adding parmesan. Saving the recipe to try!

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

I've been making something similar, but substituting dry falafel mix for the bread crumbs!

[Patricia Scarpin]

I'll be trying these, Sher. If I can't find turkey easily, I'll use chicken instead. The idea of adding parsley, garlic and parmesan sounds so good!

[Cate O'Malley]

Love the idea of adding Parmesan - sounds yummy.

[Rosa]

Those meatballs look extremely good and tasty! With parmesan, parsley and garlic, it's impossible to go wrong!

Cheers,

Rosa

[Deborah]

I have been seeing a lot of meatballs on blogs lately. I guess I will be making meatballs in my future!!

[Deb]

Meatballs are so fun and I am loving all the different ways now to put them together. We like to have leftover meatballs as a sandwich the next day. Almost like a meatloaf sandwich but more challenging!

[Callipygia]

I'm with you on meatball fun. It is sort of like the chocolate chip cookie recipe, no matter how many recipes there are, I always want to try another recipe! Happy juggling-

[Kevin]

Another tasty sounding meatball recipe. I need to start making meatballs more often.

[Anh]

oH YUM!!! I would defenitely try this out. :)

[Racheli]

looks great. Can I substitue the parmesan with something else, non-dairy?
thanks.

[kristi]

I love turkey meatballs. We go to my Italian great aunt's house every Sunday for dinner, and hers are to die for...just like yours, I'm sure.

[Toni]

Parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley are the classic italian meatball combination. Another really good recipe similar to this can be found in The Best Recipe Cookbook by the Cook's Illustrated people. However, it uses only 1 egg yolk per 1 lb beef. The other proportions are similar to this Epicurious recipe. They looked delicious and I think making 2 lbs worth and freezing them is a great idea.

[gattina]

Sher, what an adorable presentation! And you always have a good taste to meatballs. Parsley is a stable on our dining table, one more good way to use it, bravo!

[gibblet]

These look great - and very similar to a Sicilian meatball recipe my husband makes that has become a family favorite (add currants, pinenuts and lots of tomato sauce to this recipe). I think using turkey would be a great alternative. Lamb (and maybe cilantro with a feta cheese?) would be another great experiment to try. Hmmm...so many meatball possibilities!

[Linda]

meatballs are so good. Another recipe for me to try.

[Sues is not Martha]

Mmmm I might have to try these. And I love that you used turkey. I think it's just as good as beef when in meatballs :)

Sues

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

Meatballs are just good and I love the endless little changes that make a whole new meatball. I'm always looking at variations on favorite dishes although Gorn doesn't like me to change the old favorites.

[RecipeGirl]

These look great- I would have baked them too. I trust that 4 fork rating!

[bee]

thank you for a great entry for WHB.

[Caity]

Sher, I made these last night for dinner (I used beef and baked them) and served them over grilled polenta rounds with a chunky tomato sauce, even my super picky husband loved them and requested leftovers for his lunch today! Thanks for the great recipe, we're definitely keeping this one!