We really like these Vietnamese meatballs, either with rice noodles or rice. Or in lettuce cups with mint and cilantro. Nuoc cham in any event.
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Heresy alert: the following contains concepts which you may violent disagree with.
ran across a new ārecipeā
1 pound 85/15 ground beef
whisk packet of Frenchās Beefy Onion Soup mix into one egg - itās a non-appetizing looking slurry
spread over ground beef, mix well
make meat ball.
produces a very nicely seasoned meatball.
for the one pound beef, I divide in half, each pc half again, and again, and again ā¦
to get 16 roughly one ounce meatballs.
browned in cast iron, finished in 375āF oven for 15 minutes.
freezes well - typically we eat four each āfreshā and freeze the remaining 8 for later pasta or meat ball sandwiches.
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See
Not hard absent the chemicals. Iām all in favor of better living through chemistry. Onions, salt, cornstarch, and some selected spices is simple and more useful in the pantry than a packet.
Opa!
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Yes, Opa! Iāll be gearing up for our Greek Easter celebration this coming Sunday, but havenāt completely decided on the menu. There will only be four of us, so Iāll have to use some restraintā¦
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Thanks for the Easter reminder. Iāll be zooming with my family, and I just might find keftethes on my menu.
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Yum, Iāll probably make some too, now that theyāre on my mind. Enjoy your zoom celebration @ernie_in_berkeley!
My husband loves Lipton Beefy onion something in his hamburgers.
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Recently, we fixed ground turkey meatballs. I usually avoid ground turkey because (maybe you find this too) the window btwn good and dry is very short. But this time, I added roasted tomatoes, soy sauce, egg, mustard, and goat cheese to my usual panko, dried herbs and sweet paprika mix. They didnāt even need a sauce.
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I add granulated gelatin to my meatball mix, along with a panade of bread crumbs and milk. Usually also egg, minced onion, and tomato paste (if appropriate).
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Is this what you use for ground turkey? I never would have thought of gelatin. (My wife prefers no onion.)
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Yes, for turkey. I usually get the 93/7 but have even made them with 99% fat free turkey breast.
I forgot, I also often add a grated zucchini. You canāt taste it and it makes them moist and helps spread out the calories between more meatballs.
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Zucchini grated I have used in all types of ground protein. Thanks for the tips.
Sounds like a great idea. Saving for future reference. 
I had success with a similar-ish approach when reheating breast meat left over from our Thanksgiving turkey. I spooned on a bit of the gelatin from the turkey stock I made. What a difference. The meat didnāt dry out during heating and was pleasantly flavorful.
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I often add caramelized onion/celery/carrot/bell pepper to my meatloaf for flavor and also āto spread out the calories.ā I can get 2 meals for 4 out of a lb of meat. Not generous helpings, but if there are sidesā¦
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Why do you want to do them in a crock pot? which to me seems one of the worst ways to cook them. They wonāt brown, and youāll need to do them in some kind of sauce which will end up riddled in fat.
You can of course brown them ahead of timeā¦ but if youāre gonna do that why not just roast them in a really hot oven and theyāll be completely finished in less than 30 minutes.
These are very very goodā¦
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For how long?
Youāll need a sauce in the crockpot, and, as cooked, they will be fine in that on low for hours (even better in a low oven).
Hereās my favorite recipe:
Baked Meatballs
Time: 30 minutes
1 kilo beef
40-60 g parmigiano-reggiano, depending on fattiness of meat
chopped fresh parsley leaves
(1 can of pellati, drained)
(several dried tomatoes, soaked)
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
150 g fresh bread crumbs or matza meal or Ā½-1 cup of cooked brown rice
salt and pepper to taste
makes about 25 pieces
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Grind meat and cheese into a bowl. When meat is ground, put the bread or rice through the grinder. Add parsley, garlic, soy sauce and rice wine. Salt and pepper, if required. Mix. Form into balls the size of large walnuts.
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Bake on a half-sheet pan, covered with parchment paper, 7-9 minutes at 450ĀŗF / 230ĀŗC.
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