Your best meatball recipe

I made these recently and they were super good! I have a few different ones that I use. Some with spinach mixed in, some with cheese in the middle... But for your everyday traditional meatballs, these are going to be my go to from now on.

This is actually a recipe for Meatball Sliders, but obviously you can leave out the bread (or even the sauce), and just make the meatballs.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Meatball-Sliders-239792

Meatball Sliders

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
Arugula leaves (optional)
18 small soft rolls, split horizontally

Preparation

Mix all meats, panko, 1/2 cup water, 6 tablespoons cheese, egg, egg yolk, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in large bowl. Form into eighteen 2-inch-meatballs.
Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry meatballs until brown all over. Transfer to plate. Pour off drippings from skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add olive oil to skillet. Add onion, garlic, basil, and fennel seeds. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add all tomatoes with juices. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Puree sauce in processor until almost smooth. Return to same skillet. Add meatballs. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes longer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
Place arugula leaves on bottom of each roll, if desired. Top each with 1 meatball. Drizzle meatballs with some of sauce and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and 2 tablespoons. cheese. Cover with tops of rolls.

Hands down, the best meatballs I have ever made.

Food.com. Recipe 472473. Adjust to your liking...meat wise.
These cook "in the sauce" not separately and added. Makes a huge difference. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

And the sauce I cook these in, and again, my all time favorite.
Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce....don't cringe, it's awesome.

You can find this recipe on tasteofhome.com. Only 57 milligrams of sodium for one cup !
Lots of veggies and herbs. Excellent.

If anyone tries these two recipes, let me know. You won't be dissappointed.

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I made these last week for spaghetti night and they were a huge hit. I left out the veggies and egg because I forgot to buy the veggies and forgot to add the egg, and they were still perfect! I made mine into about 2-in balls and got 30. LOVED them as leftovers, threw them into the oven with some pasta sauce and a sprinkle of mozz cheese and ate them plain.

This weekend I am making them again and plan to use the leftovers for a meatball calzone with mozz cheese and ricotta.

Enjoy!

From Whole Foods:

Beef and Quinoa Meatballs
1 pound (95-percent) lean ground beef
3/4 cup cooked quinoa (use frozen 365 Everyday Value® Organic Quinoa, or cook it from scratch*)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup grated zucchini
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well combined. Shape into 16 balls and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Roast until cooked through and golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Serve hot.

(*Note: To cook quinoa, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small pot. Pour in ½ cup quinoa, cover and simmer until water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside off of the heat for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Use 3/4 cup in this recipe, and reserve the remaining for another use.)

Nutritional Info:
PER SERVING:150 calories (45 from fat), 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 75mg cholesterol, 470mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 17g protein

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/beef-and-quinoa-meatballs