Only four ingredients, but these meatballs are something special. If you don’t believe, try them one night. You will be converted after the first bite.
Meatballs are one of those staples to have around the house. I suggest you make a big batch (2x or 3x) and freeze some. You never know when they’ll come in handy.
The great thing about this recipe is that there aren’t many ingredients. So, there’s not a lot of measuring. You could even have your kids do this one.
Maybe you don’t have brioche bread crumbs at home. But, you might have a left over bun that didn’t get eaten. Or maybe there’s an old stale croissant in the your bread box. Pulse that thing up in the food processor, and there you have it!
By the way, feel free to pulse your breadcrumbs in a blender or food processor if they are chunky. To get a smooth and tender texture, you want your egg and bread crumbs to become a paste. I used a hand-held smoothie blender to get the egg and bread crumbs really combined.
If you find that your balls sag or break apart, put the meat mixture in the freezer for a few minutes. You don’t want to freeze it. You just want to firm it up so that the shape holds.
You could always add more spices: garlic, onion, thyme. You might even try these in pork or lamb. You could always grill these meatballs, or fry them. But this is a set it and forget it recipe if done in the oven.
Store them in your freezer for up to two months. Eat them within 3 to 4 days if you’re storing them in the fridge.
The Recipe
Serves 4
1 lb ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brioche bread crumbs
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix egg and salt into bread crumbs
3. Use a hand mixer to turn the mixture into a paste
4. Mix in ground beef until combined
5. Make about 16 meatballs about 1.5¨ in diameter
6. Place the meatballs on a greased baking sheet
7. Bake for 30 minutes in pre-heated oven
How to Use the Meatballs
- After you’re done, simmer these meatballs in this red gravy for a while.
- Put them on a toasted bun with some red gravy and melted cheese.
- If you’re feeling fancy, put them in the red gravy with a bit of oven-baked octopus, black-eyed peas and top with saffron oil and chopped celery leaves
- Pour some chicken gravy over them and enjoy them with mashed potatoes and peas
- Drop some meatballs in a creamy pepper soup with spinach
- Or a creamy garlic soup
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