The Best Meatballs in the World

Homemade meatballs have been a delicious treat in my family's spaghetti dinners ever since I can remember. This is my grandmother's original Sicilian recipe handed down through generations. Now most traditional Italian meatball recipes call for pork and ground beef--which are good in their own right, but my all-time favorite here uses only 80/20 ground beef. We enjoy this simple and easy recipe as a quick and delicious meal.

Yield: Approx. 30 golf-ball sized meatballs

Time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

·     2 lbs. 80/20 ground beef

·     2 eggs

·     1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

·     ½ cup grated Romano cheese

·     ½ cup water

·     2 tsp parsley

·     ½ tsp onion powder

·     ½ tsp garlic powder

·     ½ tsp salt

·     ½ tsp black pepper

Use gloves. In a large bowl mix all ingredients together by hand until combined, and then lightly roll into balls. If you use too much pressure, the meatballs will come out too dense. I recommend using a heavy bowl to mix in as a lighter one will tend to move around too much. Roll them into any size you like.

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, evenly space the meatballs close to but not touching each other. Any extras that will not be cooked right away cover with another sheet of parchment paper and place them in the freezer. After they have frozen transfer them to a large zip lock bag and keep in your freezer for future meals. Freezing them first will keep them from sticking to each other in the bag. If they are to be eaten in awhile, keep them in the refrigerator until ready.

Place them in a Pyrex dish and cover with your favorite spaghetti sauce. Bake in the oven at 375°F for 35 minutes, turning once at 15 minutes.

Homemade meatballs on homemade spaghetti--it doesn't get any better than this! They are even delicious just by themselves. Enjoy!