Meatballs made their debut in America during the 19th century when Italians migrated to the States and started dishing them up with spaghetti—and we’re forever grateful. I wanted them to be good enough to fly solo as a dish, whether or not there was bread, or roasted potatoes, polenta or, yes, even spaghetti on the table. We tried the spaghetti squash lasagna (my first time trying the squash noodles”) but im not too hott on the ricotta.
The oven will be set to 400 degrees F. But the inside (internal) temperature for a finished meatball would be about 160 degrees F. So, if you have a meat thermometer and inserted it into the middle of the meatballs when they are supposed to be done, you should see a temperature of about 160 degrees F.
I made them twice this week…once for meatball subs with mozzarella and once for ravioli and meatballs. One of the recent comments above (by Erin) was nice enough to work it out on and said that it’s 60 calories per meatball (if 42 made from the batch).
Linda Harrell, chef and partner at Cibo e Beve Italian Kitchen & Bar on Roswell Road, might well be the queen of the Atlanta meatball scene. Used 1/4 cup measuring cup to pack meat in and then used small spoon to to help drop out meatball on foil-covered pan, then smashed down the meatball slightly, no messy hands!
These are my go to meatballs, I’ve also made them without the sauce for another use and they baked perfectly on a cooling rack placed on a sheet pan so the fat drips down and they stay crispy. My 8 year old ( with a little help ) cooked it up for her sisters and daddy Had it with egg noodles… Lots of happy faces while eating.. A perfect lunch, thank you.
