[Roll_Bones]

So I had a pound of ground lamb and a pound of ground veal. So I decided on meatballs. Meatballs have always been a challenge for me. Seemed I needed to find a way to make soft juicy meatballs and I came close to my goal with this result. Everyone said they were good in the past but I knew I could do better.

I used the usual suspects in the meatballs. As most here know I don't follow recipes and I don't post them unless asked. I do post steps and how the dish was accomplished. I do look at recipes for ideas and help with measurements. I follow Baking recipes exactly and use a scale.
But it seemed simplicity was what I was lacking in my meatballs. I had been adding everything under the kitchen sink to the mixture and lots of it.
Last evening I followed a simple rule "KISS" (Keep It Simple Stupid). I listened. They came out light and juicy.
Below is what I made last night. I made a homemade marinara sauce, topped with Italian parsley and Parmesan Regianno.

 

[KitchenWench]

Yum! They look great! I've never ventured into the realm of meatballs because I'm the only one who likes them.

 

[Roll_Bones]

When I made meatballs I had about 15 left. So I froze them for later use. Not wanting to do much I made meatball subs.
Sliced provolone on the bottom (keeps the bread from getting soggy)
Marinara sauce, meatballs the shredded mozzarella.
Bake covered (keeps bread from getting to crispy) at 375° for 10 minutes.

I never do the milk. Do you?
Of course I usually have a few wet veggies and a wee bit of ketchup in there. Maybe I am just getting the moisture a different way

I always add some kind of liquid. Milk is a good choice but so is wine or stock. Even water works.

 

[Snobnd]

The trick to a nice soft, meatball is not to roll them too tight the more you compress them the harder they will come out!

 

[Roll_Bones]

The trick to a nice soft, meatball is not to roll them too tight the more you compress them the harder they will come out!

I agree. Along with using binders lightly and not over doing it with grated cheese. It also helps to not mix up the meat mixture to much. I think there are several reasons a meatball can be to firm.
My last batch came out much better.

 

[miteigenenhaenden]

In Germany, we usually use pork or a mixture of pork and beef for meatballs. Pork has a higher fat content. This keeps things from getting dry.
Getting into German Meatballs
1000 grams of meat
1 diced onion
1 bread roll, soaked in water and then squeezed out well
salt and pepper
some ground all spice
some sweet paprika powder
ground mustard seeds

I am canning the fried meatballs in glasses together with some sauce from the skillet. So I always have a supply and the meatballs are very tasty and juicy

 

[Colbyt]

Never have for meatballs. I use 50/50 blend for meatloaf.