I like to keep things simple! For these I usually cook them in a crock pot which is CRAZY easy (for those of you scared of the crockpot you won't be if you stick around), but today I didn't have the time so I cooked them in the oven.
When I cook meatballs I guess everything, so no worries, relax, and have fun with them! If you're low on something or forgot it, don't worry about it!
1 lb. of ground beef
3 tbs. of bread crumbs (whatever kind you have will work)
1 tbs. of oats
2 tbs. of chopped onions
some fresh basil...I love growing plants and basil is one of the EASIEST to grow. Buy it as a small plant and get ready for it to take off. If you can, keep it inside where it can get lots of light. That's what I've found to be the best
a pinch of pepper
2 cloves of garlic (or however much you like, I LOVE garlic)
a splash of milk..this you will have to judge by the wetness of it. Next time I'll take picture to try to give you a better idea, but it must be very moist, but no excess milk. Also for those of you with milk issues Almond worked just fine tonight, and it seems you need less because it's actually just water.
1 egg (hint: if you are out of eggs or making a smaller batch, you do NOT need the egg - I found this out tonight, it just helps bind)
Now the FUN part - mushing them all up!
Definitely get your hands in there and make sure all the ingredients are well mixed - it seems gross at first, but I promise after a few times, it's fun!
Put them in a pan/baker/crockpot/whatever you have. Try to keep them from touching and if they have to touch just put some sauce on the first layer and then the rest of the meatballs to keep them from sticking and cooking together.
Cover in sauce - I don't care if it's jarred or homemade - I don't judge. Also keep an eye out for my sauce trick
Cook at 350 for an hour. Test them by taking one out and cutting it in half because one hour will vary depending on size of balls, oven, and how often you sneak a peek like me. If they're done they'll be brown the whole way through. The great thing about meatballs is that with all the sauce you can 'overcook' and they won't dry out. So if you forget what time you put them in, no worries, leave them in a little longer.
ENJOY :)
Other Options/In Case of Emergency:
-if you don't have enough oats you can use oatmeal oats just pick around the raisins or whatever and pick the oats by itself, don't just dump the bag in. I wouldn't use as many, just some to get you through
-if you run out garlic, although that's sacrilege in my house, garlic powder will work
- and there is frozen crushed garlic in grocery stores for those who don't use a lot and don't want it to go bad - look out for that or make your own by crushing it and storing it flat in freezer bags.
-crockpot: cook on low for about 2.5 hours
No comments:
Post a Comment