Giant Spaghetti Meat Balls, What a Novelty!

Do you love spaghetti night?  Do you love meatballs?  Are you looking for something different, a statement, perhaps, an impression?  Well…look no further, I may have the solution for you!  We recently hosted a dinner for eight, and I decided to serve spaghetti, salad, garlic bread…the usual, but I needed some way to make it memorable for these hungry people.  Then it came to me-make giant meat balls.  I scoured the internet, in search of a reliable recipe, each time I was disappointed.  The balls were too small.  I wanted to go BIG.  At least a half pound each, free standing, holding together, perfectly browned, a giant ball of meat in the center of a pool of spaghetti on a plate.  And so once again, I traveled into uncharted territory.  Luck was once again on my side, because it was a huge success!  There are no pictures, as it was all consumed, you’ll just have to take my word for it, and be adventurous enough to try it on your own.  Here’s how I did it:

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef

1 lb sweet Italian sausage

1 C Italian bread crumbs

1 C plain bread crumbs

3 eggs

1 medium onion

1 large red pepper

1 bulb of garlic, cloves peeled, ends trimmed

~2 T Italian seasoning blend

~1 T garlic powder

~1 T ground black pepper

Olive oil for sautéing

Method:

In a food processor, chop onion, sauté in large skillet

Do the same for the red pepper

And the same for the cloves of garlic

Place in large mixing bowl

Add herbs and spices

Add meat, bread crumbs and eggs

Mix thoroughly with hands

Press flat into bowl, and divide into 8 equal sections

Compress each section in the palms of your hands to form a nice tight ball

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Working in batches (depending on the size of your skillet), brown each side of the balls

Set them on a foil covered cookie sheet when browned

Bake for 30 minutes, test for done-ness by sacrificing one and cutting it open to inspect

Perfect-o!  8 giant meat balls, beautiful!

How about it?  Want to try something of novelty next time you serve spaghetti?  This was really fun, and those fellas with the heartiest of appetites were completely satisfied.