I love Italian food, but I’m picky about meatballs. I have never found a store-bought meatball that I like, so I always make them from scratch. After messing around with many recipes, here is my favorite so far:

Preheat oven to 350, cover a baking sheet with parchment, if desired. 

1 pound of meatball mix (or just ground beef, if you prefer.)

1 large egg

1 cup Ritz Cracker Crumbs, crushed *I make mine gluten free so I use my favorite GF bread crumbs-crushed Crispy Hex cereal! (This is Market Basket brand Crispix b/c Crispix are not actually gluten free but the off brand are, go figure.)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove of garlic, chopped fine

1 large pinch of fennel seed, cut up into smaller pieces

1/4 tsp each of oregano, Basil, and parsley 

Large pinch of salt and pepper 

Place your meat in a large bowl. Crack the egg into the meat and spread into the meat so it covers it. Mix dry ingredients separately then add to bowl. Hand mix the egg covered meat and the dry ingredient blend until well combined, trying not to crush the meat. 

Form into 2 inch balls and set on baking sheet. I usually get about 12, three rows of four. Bake for 25 minutes. 

Transfer to pot with a jar of your favorite marinara and let simmer for another 15-20 minutes. I use this time to cook my pasta!

When it’s all ready, just serve and enjoy! Oftentimes I make a double batch and freeze one of the batches after baking but before simmering. A little gift to myself for the future. Enjoy!