Ingredients:

2 slices of whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T finely minced onion
1 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 t (rounded if you love garlic) ground garlic
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 lb lean ground grass fed beef
1 lb natural ground pork
1 cup Parmesan Reggiano, shredded

Spoon Mage™ Note:

If you do not have fresh onion or parsley, or if there is no time for chopping, go right ahead and use the dried versions. Use 2 teaspoons of ground onion and 1 teaspoon of dried or dehydrated parsley. Do try the dehydrated parsley – it works beautifully and is much tastier than regular dried. I often up the garlic to a full tablespoon, but that is just the way we like it. A tad less garlic might be your style.

It’s also ok to add a tablespoon or two more cream if the mixture seems dry at the end. It should be slightly sticky and hold together well.

Sometimes this is necessary because the eggs were a little small.

You may well need the cream if you used finely ground Parmesan instead of shredded. If that is what you have, use it. The meatballs won’t have the porcupine look or be quite as tender. Don’t fuss it. Use what you have and it’ll taste just fine.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

In a large bowl, stir the cream into the torn bread. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, minced onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, thyme, and black pepper. Stir to combine.

Use your hands, tear off pieces of each meat and place them on top of the mixture, then gently mix the meat into the seasoned bread mixture.

Add the Parmesan Reggiano, mix only just enough to spread the cheese throughout. If your meatballs are too loose, add more cheese. If they are a bit dry, mix in a dollop of cream.

Use your hands and shape the meatballs – whatever size you enjoy is just fine. I like them about 2 inches across. I make a different meatball about the size of a walnut for soups.

Place the balls inside a very large casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. You may need to use two casserole dishes – also just fine.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the little things get some brown on the top. Use tongs to lift the balls out of the grease and add them to your favorite pasta sauce where they can simmer until dinner. Or place on a plate to cool. You can separate them into serving portions, put them in ziplock freezer bags, and pop them into the freezer for instantly wonderful meatballs any time you want.

Alternative Cooking Directions:

Pan fry the meatballs over medium heat until they are beautifully browned all over. Turn them every few minutes with tongs – taking care not to squash them too awfully much or you may end up with meat parallelograms.

Then you may choose to add them to a sauce, or drain the grease and make the sauce right inside the pan with the meatballs.