Meatballs: 5 mistakes we make and 10 unmissable ideas

Both adults and children like meatballs, we all know it: they are easy to prepare, fast and perfect for any occasion. Meatballs are an eclectic recipe par excellence, you can make it with meat, but also with rice and vegetables; there are really a lot of recipes you can do. Anyway it is better not to underestimate the easy recipes, everyone can cook tasty meatballs but be careful not to fall into some trap, risking to ruin these wonderful flavor bombs. Here are the five mistakes not to make if you want to taste perfect meatballs!

5 mistakes we make

Be careful with the eggs

We all want our meatballs to be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, but we must pay attention to the consistency of our dough. Eggs are excellent thickeners by virtue of the proteins they contain, making the mixture soft and slippery, but during cooking they become harder and risk making the final result drier than expected. For well-balanced meatballs, consider that you will need one egg is needed for every 300/400 grams of dough.

Balance the aromas and spices well

In meatballs you cannot miss a pinch of imagination and a pinch of salt! Our tables are now full of spices and aromas such as curry, turmeric, pepper in all its forms: be careful not to overdo it, though! A little piece of garlic and some tasty parmesan cheese are almost never missing from the meatball dough, therefore it is important to balance the flavors so as not to make a mess.

Use lean meat

Meatballs are an eclectic food par excellence but this does not mean that we can really put everything in it: if you can choose, use a lean meat cut for your dough.

If you have already cooked meat in the refrigerator, meatballs are not the best way to reuse it.

Use the right method and cooking time

In the kitchen you have to be patient and even a little careful, you can cook your meatballs in a thousand different ways: fried, baked, fried and then baked, stewed, with tomato sauce and even with steam: the important thing is that they do not remain raw on the inside. The important things are to make very compact meatballs so that they do not open, that the start of cooking is – in the case of cooking in a pan – over high heat and that only when a delicious crust has formed on the bottom the meatballs must be turned and the flame adjusted.

Be careful with the size, not the form

Who said that to be good, meatballs must also be beautiful? Pay no attention to the form but only to the size: it is important that your meatballs are all of the same size so that they can reach the same level of cooking.

The 10 unmissable ideas to prepare tasty meatballs

Chicken meatballs

A very easy and quick recipe: add the stale bread, eggs, parmesan cheese and milk to the minced chicken. Flavor with chopped parsley, garlic and pepper and mix to create chicken meatballs that will appeal to young and old!

Classic meatballs

The real classic recipe, the queen of meatballs: lean ground meat, bread, eggs, parmesan cheese and a touch of fantasy with the addition of pine nuts.

Meatballs with tomato sauce

The grandmother's recipe, the meatballs that all children love and are served on the tables on family Sundays. Your meatballs made from lean ground veal must cook for about 30 minutes in a thick and tasty tomato-based sauce.

Fishballs

Who said that there are only meatballs? This easy-to-prepare recipe brings tasty cod-based fishballs to the table, cooked in the oven with a crispy breadcrumbs and sesame seed breading.

Riceballs

A quick and tasty appetizer, a finger food fun to prepare. Use carnaroli rice mixed with butter, eggs, parmesan cheese and parsley. For this recipe you can also use some leftover risotto, the result is assured anyway.

Baked meatballs

The easy recipe based on minced mixed meat to prepare light and soft meatballs to cook with or without tomato sauce, being careful not to overdo it in order not to make them dry.

Eggplants balls

A classic recipe for those who prefer vegetables to meat, the eggplants and ricotta cheese balls are very easy to prepare: with an immersion blender mix the cooked eggplants pulp with ricotta cheese, egg and breadcrumbs. To be cooked both in the pan and in the oven, these meatballs are a perfect finger food for any occasion.

Spinach balls

The sweetness of spinach and the flavor of cow's ricotta cheese come together in this quick and easy recipe, you will prepare very light spinach balls, without eggs, to which you can add a heart of stringy mozzarella!

Zucchini balls

Zucchini, stale bread, salted ricotta cheese and eggs: your zucchini balls will be a fantastic surprise of taste and flavors. Add mint and basil leaves to your dough and you will no longer be able to do without it.

Lentils balls

A healthy and protein-rich vegetarian variant: to prepare these lentils balls you will need some time and patience but the result will not disappoint you. For this recipe you will need eggs just for the breading, but you will use a boiled potato to thicken your dough.