Dad’s Meatballs

My Dad wasn’t always the master chef he is today in the kitchen. When I was little, my Mama was the main cook of the house and I remember my Dad would cook once in a while, maybe a couple of times a month. Whenever he did cook, it was always the same. Spaghetti and meatballs. It was his signature meal and always one of my favorites growing up!

My family circa August 1994 – Dad’s 33rd birthday.

Dad’s Meatballs

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 15-20 meatballs

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced onion, dried

1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

2 teaspoons parsley, dried

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

2 eggs

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/8 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions

In a large cast iron pan, add one tablespoon of olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine all the ingredients. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Then, shape the meat into desired size. Some people like ’em big some people like ’em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. I use a cookie scooper to help start the shape of the meatball before I roll it into a ball.

Once you’ve shaped the meatballs, place them in the cast iron and brown the meatballs on all sides or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!

*Feel free to use your favorite marinara sauce. I used the recipe from our Cheesy Polenta with Marinara recipe.

Recipe by Rudy Tellmann (Dad).