The Very Best Cheesy Italian Meatballs
These are the Very Best Cheesy Italian Meatballs! Baked in a delicious marina sauce and drizzled with olive oil, chopped fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese. Perfect spaghetti and meatballs every time! Or try with baked spaghetti squash for a low carb dinner.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 slices of thick white bread, crusts removed
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground turkey (or pork)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups gated mozzarella cheese
- 1 24 oz jar high quality marinara sauce, or homemade
- noodles or spaghetti squash to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat about 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion until it begins to soften and turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook an additional minute. Take off the heat to allow to cool.
- Remove the crusts from the white bread and pour the whole milk over the top. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the milk absorbs into the bread. Squeeze out excess milk from the bread as best as you can, and discard leftover milk.
- In a large bowl, add the meats the moistened bread, onion, egg, dried basil, oregano, fresh grated parmesan, salt and pepper. Using your hands mix very well until evenly incorporated.
- Form into meatballs, about 2 tablespoons mixture per meatball. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Brown the meatballs on both sides, about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned. When they are done browning, add the meatballs to a large casserole dish.
- Add the marinara sauce over the top, shower with mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the cheese is bubbly and brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with noodles of choice. Enjoy!