This is another recipe from Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld’s “Food Swings” cookbook. I don’t sense any Italian heritage here, but somehow she has come up with a darn good meatball recipe. If you want to see a grin and get a “WOW” from any male walking into your kitchen, have the sheet pan filled with over sized golf ball meatballs on the counter waiting to pop into the oven. And do make the whole recipe as they freeze well and you will have another great meal waiting for you.
You can make your own favorite Marinara recipe, but these days I rely on Rao’s from the legendary Harlem restaurant, now available in most groceries. You are given the option of browning the meatballs in a pan or baking them in the oven. Baking worked fine and so much easier.
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
5 cups Marinara sauce (homemade or purchased)
Salad greens, for serving
Preheat the oven (with the oven rack in the middle) to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk. Let stand for about 5 minutes until softened.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Add the chuck, pork, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Crumble in the soaked bread crumbs. Using your hands, combine the mixture until evenly mixed.
Using wet hands (to help prevent sticking) shape the mixture into balls the size of golf balls (which will give you about 26). Refrigerate 15 minutes (or more.)
In a large, preferably cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. In batches, cook the meatballs, turning them, for 6 or 7 minutes, until they are browned on all sides. Alternatively, you can skip the browning in the skillet and brown them in the oven instead: Spray a rimmed sheet pan with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are lightly browned and hold their shape. Transfer the browned meatballs to a large baking dish.
Pour the Marinara sauce over the meatballs. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with salad greens on the side and a little more Parmesan.
Serves 6.
Note: I made my meatballs a bit larger so they would all fit onto one rimmed sheet pan and came up with 20.
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