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  • (light upbeat music)

  • - Hey everybody, it's Natasha of natashaskitchen.com

  • and today, I'm gonna teach you how to make

  • the juiciest meatballs.

  • These are make ahead, freezer friendly, so easy

  • and you'll learn the secrets

  • to making a truly juicy meatball, so let's get started!

  • (bell dings)

  • We'll start with three slices of white bread.

  • Trim off the crusts, and dice them up.

  • Transfer those breadcrumbs to a large mixing bowl

  • and add 2/3 cup of cold water.

  • Stir that together lightly,

  • then set it aside for five minutes.

  • Meanwhile, you can prep the rest of your ingredients.

  • You'll need three large garlic cloves finely minced

  • and finally chop up two tablespoons of fresh parsley.

  • All right, now that the breadcrumbs have had a chance

  • to absorb the water,

  • you're gonna mash it up thoroughly with a fork.

  • It should have an applesauce consistency.

  • (fork clanks)

  • Now add one pound of ground pork

  • and one pound of ground beef,

  • then add 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, one large egg,

  • your minced garlic cloves, and your finely chopped parsley.

  • Season the mixture with one teaspoon of sea salt

  • and half a teaspoon of black pepper.

  • The best way to mix is using your hands,

  • so stir that mixture together just until it's well combined

  • and make sure you do not over mix.

  • We'll start out by portioning the meatballs

  • and to make this easy,

  • I use a trigger release ice cream scoop

  • and I'll link to this in the notes.

  • You should get about 22 to 24 meatballs.

  • Portion them so they're about

  • two tablespoons of mixture each.

  • Now it's time roll them and it helps to roll them

  • with wet hands, so keep a small bowl of water next to you

  • as you roll.

  • Each of the meatballs should be

  • about one and a half inches in diameter.

  • Once all the meatballs are rolled, we're ready to cook them.

  • Now you can either bake them or saute,

  • and I love to saute because it creates

  • a beautiful golden brown crust

  • and seals in the juiciness of the meatballs

  • but I will leave instructions on baking and freezing

  • in the recipe notes.

  • Place a large nonstick pan over medium heat

  • and add two tablespoons of oil.

  • Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs

  • to the skillet cooking in batches if needed,

  • and saute for about two minutes per side,

  • or about eight minutes total.

  • And I'll also link to the splatter guard

  • that I use to keep my stove top cleaner.

  • (meat sizzling)

  • When the meatballs are fully cooked through,

  • they should reach a safe 160 degrees Fahrenheit

  • in the center on an instant read thermometer.

  • And I will link to our favorite thermometer in the notes.

  • Once your meatballs are done, transfer them to a platter.

  • You can add more oil as needed and repeat the process

  • with the next batch of meatballs.

  • (laughs) These are done and don't they just look

  • so big and plump?

  • And they are so juicy.

  • I need to show you guys what's inside.

  • All right, while they're still hot and fresh.

  • (metal clanks)

  • Just cut one in half and do a quick taste test.

  • I'm hungry.

  • Always. (laughs)

  • Ah, look at that.

  • All right, here we go.

  • Mm.

  • Mm mm.

  • Now those are some juicy meatballs.

  • These are so satisfying and adding the breadcrumbs

  • adds that needed moisture, so do not,

  • do not skip the breadcrumbs.

  • Oh my kids love these and so does my husband.

  • My four year old says, "Mommy, you're the best cooker ever."

  • (Natasha laughs)

  • When she tried one of these, oh.

  • And they always disappear fast.

  • Once they're cooked, you have a couple options.

  • You can either turn them into a meal right away

  • and my favorite thing to do with this is so easy.

  • You just simmer some marinara sauce, add the meatballs,

  • cook them just until they're hot and heated through.

  • Add a little bit of parsley and voila!

  • You've got dinner.

  • Then just serve it over pasta.

  • Or put them in hoagie rolls for a meatball sub.

  • Mm. (laughs)

  • Easy peasy.

  • Or you can also put these meatballs in a gravy,

  • serve them over mashed potatoes.

  • If you toss them in like a teriyaki sauce,

  • you can serve them over rice for dinner

  • or you can toss them in barbecue sauce

  • and serve them as an appetizer with little tooth picks.

  • There is so much you can do with this recipe.

  • It works well with so many flavors.

  • Or, if you're not ready to eat the whole batch,

  • what I like to do is I like to freeze half of them.

  • So to freeze, this is so simple.

  • They freeze really well.

  • You just line a baking sheet with some plastic wrap

  • so that they don't stick.

  • Then transfer them all in a single layer.

  • We're going to loosely cover those

  • and freeze just until they're firm on top.

  • Just loosely loosely

  • And then once they're frozen, you're gonna put them

  • in a large Ziploc bag and keep them for about two months

  • in the freezer.

  • And then when you're ready to use them,

  • thaw and use them in just about any recipe! (laughs)

  • I love that these are make ahead.

  • So easy, so delicious.

  • Make these and you'll be known for your meatballs.

  • All right, somebody smelled the meatballs.

  • So we're gonna do taste test round two.

  • What do you think?

  • - More.

  • - More?

  • You can have more, that's fine.

  • - All!

  • - All?

  • All right here you go.

  • Here you go, take your meatballs. (laughs)

  • We're in trouble. (laughs)

(light upbeat music)

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