Meatballs

If you’re like me, and I know I am, mixed-up, indistinguishable foods always inspire suspicion when made by hands other than your own. Casseroles, goulashes, any manner of loaf – you never can tell what has been ground into tiny pieces and added to those things. Hence my natural aversion to meatballs, which always look suspicious when served at restaurants.

A couple years ago, back when I was still living at home and getting three free squares a day (man, those were the days), Mom made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I absolutely loved them, and the memory lingered so strongly in my mind that during my last Murder Mystery Party, it struck me that Mom’s delicious meatballs would be just the thing to serve to people pretending to be gun-wielding Italian mobsters from the 1920s.

I’ve now made this recipe three times in the past few months. They’re easy to make, easy to serve, and, best of all, they’re baked on a broiling sheet to they don’t come out cooked in their own grease. I highly recommend them for a nice, comforting meal with the ones you love (and with murdering gangsters in pinstriped suits).

Beef Meatballs
Source: Cooking Light
Yields: 30 meatballs (6 servings)

1 1/2 pounds ground round
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in a bowl; stir well. Shape mixture into 30 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until done.