Home > Blog > From Our Kitchen to Yours: Chef Richard's Italian Meatballs Recipe
Project Open Hand Purchasing Manager Vanessa Rodgers lends a hand with meatball making.
Project Open Hand Purchasing Manager Vanessa Rodgers lends a hand with meatball making.
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Chef Richard’s meatballs are a favorite meal for many Project Open Hand clients, including Terry (click to read his story). In our kitchen, we normally make 3,000 meatballs at a time; Chef Richard has adapted his recipe so you can make six portions, with three meatballs per serving.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb. ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1 small onion (approx. 8 oz.)
  • 12 small cloves garlic (or to taste)
  • ½ bunch Italian, flat-leaf parsley
  • ½ bunch fresh oregano
  • (or 2 Tbsp. dry leaf)
  • 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 3 fresh, large eggs
  • 2½ cups tomato puree
  • ¾ cup plain, dry bread crumbs

Directions:

  1. Mince very finely together the onion, garlic, parsley and oregano. Combine with tomato puree, salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs to a smooth consistency, then whisk into tomato & spice mixture.
  2. Gently crumble ground beef into a large bowl and stir mixture gently into that. When about halfway combined, sprinkle evenly with the bread crumbs and continue to mix just until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl (do not over-mix).
  3. Divide the mixture in half, then each half into 3 equal lots. Divide each lot into 3 equal portions (or whatever number of meatballs you wish to serve per portion). Roll each portion briefly in your palms – gently “slap “ each portion in your palms to eliminate any air pockets, then roll again into spheres (again, don’t overwork the mix: it can toughen the end product). Place meatballs side by side, about 1 inch apart, on an oil-sprayed or lightly greased baking pan.
  4. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and cook for 15 inutes more. Check for doneness – the meatballs should be faintly pink in the middle, but no longer red.
  5. At this point meatballs may be served with sauce, or left to cool briefly, then simmered in a sauce one hour or so. Leftover fresh parsley and oregano may be chopped or minced and added to sauce for last half-hour of cooking. If you are not on a low-sodium diet, you may also add 6 oz. grated parmesan or romano cheese along with the bread crumbs during initial preparation.

Want more recipes from our kitchen? Visit our Blog Recipes page!

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