Easy Meatball Recipes Paula Deen

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the bread in the milk until soft. In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients except the butter and oil, and add the soaked bread. Mix thoroughly until smooth, it's best to use your hands for this. Shape into small, golf-ball size meatballs (by dipping your hands in cold water, the meatballs won't stick to your hands.)
• Heat butter and oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, about 8 to 10 at a time, and gently brown on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Shake the skillet now and then so meatballs stay round and brown evenly. Place them on a heated baking pan in a low oven to keep warm.
• To make gravy, deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of the stock, letting it simmer for 5 minutes while scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Strain the gravy into a clean saucepan and add the remaining 1 cup of stock. In a small bowl, mix the flour with 1/4 cup of cold water until smooth. Whisk flour mixture into warm gravy, and let simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, until thickened slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, arrange the meatballs on a serving platter, pour hot gravy over them, and garnish with parsley. Serve with boiled new potatoes, lingonberry sauce, and lefse.

SUNDAY SAUCE WITH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Sauce:
• Strain the plum tomatoes in a colander to extract the juice, breaking the tomatoes apart with your hands. Discard the pulp and set aside.
• Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 4 cloves garlic, the onion, red pepper and black pepper. Sauté until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add juiced tomatoes, red wine, 1/2 cup Parmesan and salt. Add the tomato paste and the water and stir together over medium heat. *Cook's Note: Tomato paste should be added after making meatballs and ribs.
• Meatballs:
• Put the ground meat in a mixing bowl. Beat the eggs and add them to the meat along with 6 cloves garlic, the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup Parmesan and milk. Mix this all together with your hands. Wet your hands with water and continue to wet them as you pinch meat from the bowl and roll into 2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the flour.
• Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a large skillet. Add 3 cloves chopped garlic and saute until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the meatballs and sauté over medium-high heat, turning them until they are brown all over.
• *Cook's Note: As soon as you can pick them up with a fork, they are ready. You don't want them to be well done. If the meatball slides off the fork when you pick it up, it needs to cook a little longer.
• Ribs:
• Cut the ribs apart and remove the membrane. Sauté them in 1/2-cup oil until very brown and remove.
• Return the garlic to the oil and add tomato paste (for the sauce) to the pan; Cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 3 minutes until it softens. Remove from the heat and add to the sauce.
• Add the meatballs and spareribs to the sauce. Bring to an easy boil, then simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Add the basil and simmer for 15 minutes more. The spareribs should be very tender, falling off the bone and the meatballs should float in the sauce.

PAULA DEEN'S LAYERED MEATBALL CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over bottom of baking dish.
• Place meatballs on top of sauce.
• Layer basil, mushrooms and tomatoes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, sour cream, eggs, remaining 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
• Stir in garlic, salt, oregano and prepared noodles.
• Pour mixture over layered ingredients in baking dish.
• Top with cheese.
• Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until bubbly.
• Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.