Meatballs

I've been making this meatball recipe most of my life. When I was growing up, this is the recipe that my parents used whenever we had spaghetti and meatballs. My parents didn't really measure the seasonings, and that is how I learned to add a little of this and a little of that.
As an adult, I've written down the measurements and made a couple changes. My parents always used ground beef for these meatballs. I still do sometimes, but I have found that my family prefers ground pork. I've determined set amounts for the seasonings, and I make sure to crush the saltines fine with my food processor. As a child, we used our hands and frustrations to crush the crackers.

I start by putting all of my ingredients into a bowl. You can mix the seasoning with the crushed crumbs first to make sure that the seasonings get evenly distributed. I like to use saltines instead of breadcrumbs because I think that it makes a sturdier meatball that can hold up to heavier sauces.

I mix everything up with my hands. I just don't see any better way to do it!

I preheat the oil in my cast iron skillet. The oil will take about 5-10 minutes to heat up on a medium high heat setting. I usually look for the oil to start to have a ripple look to it. It will have a consistency more like water.

Next up is making the meatballs. Most of the time, I use my hands to pick off sections of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. You can use a cookie scoop to make sure you get meatballs that are the same size.

Fry them up. See that golden brown color? That is perfect. You want to fry the meatballs for 15-20 minutes and use tongs to roll the meatballs around every few minutes to make sure that they cook on all sides.

See all these little bits and leftover oil? Don't toss it! This is perfect to start your sauce!

These meatballs are perfect for spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, casseroles, and Swedish meatballs. You can try them in your favorite recipes for meatballs.

If you are going to freeze the meatballs, cool them completely and store them in a freezer ziploc baggie. They are super convenient to have in the freezer on busy nights!

Meatballs

Author: The Marigold Kitchen

These are a perfect meatball for any dish!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 sleeve saltine crackers (about 39 crackers)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Crush the saltine crackers to make fine crumbs.
2. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with your hands to combine.
3. Preheat a skillet with 2-3 tablespoons oil.
4. While the skillet heats, roll your meat mixture into meatballs. You can use a cookie scoop to get uniform meatballs.
5. Fry meatballs for 15-20 minutes, rolling over every three minutes or so to allow for all sizes to cook and brown.
6. Use the drippings and bits of meatball left in the pan to start your sauce, if needed.
7. These also freeze very well. Store in a freezer gallon bag.

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