Meatballs
Show: Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello
Episode: Retro Italian Feast
Rate This RecipeRead users' reviews (34)
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Total Reviews: 34
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By adamscommabrett...
Richmond, 86
on September 08, 2009
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I was a little worried at first about trying these out because of some of the negative reviews, but I went for it anyway and am so glad I did. Terrific recipe. I've made them twice now and have had no problems at all, just delicious meatballs. I highly recommend this.
By bguarino_7517811
Attleboro, MA
on March 30, 2008
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Instead of steaming them, I added 1 extra egg to the mixture, didn't add the cup of water, and pan fried. They were very good! Felt steaming meatballs seemed odd but the recipe was easy and sounded good : Family liked them and will be keeping this in my repertoire.
By pamela.simon53_...
Louisville, KY
on February 09, 2008
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I fixed this meal for Sunday dinner and it was wonderfull. I had read the other reviews about the meatballs and I adjusted a few things, like using not at much water in the mixture and also using 2 eggs instead of 1, they turned out great. I do agree that you need to watch the water as you are steaming them but it really was no problem. The only other thing that I did at the end of cooking the meatballs was I browned them a little before serving. The sauce its self was excellent, I used a pork shoulder and the meat was so tender abd the sauce was very flavorfull. I used the sauce the next day over penne pasta and it was terrific just by itself. Iam always looking for different pasta sauces and this one is one of the best I've ever made. Thank you Michael!
By 001shopper_9702943
Ft Myers, FL
on February 09, 2008
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As with all recipes, just adjust for your personal tastes! After reading the other reviews, I added a little water at a time until I felt I had the right consistency. You can also add some cilantro to sub for the parsley if none is available.
I never thought about steaming these meatballs; I baked them in the oven at 350 for about 30 mins in a 9x13. After removing the slightly cooled meatballs, I also added some H2O to the pan and returned to the oven to make sure I got all the fronds to flavor the sauce! YUMM! YUMM!
By jcain21_9589099
Clinton, PA
on January 26, 2008
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I made meatballs once years ago and they turned out like hockey pucks. This kept me from making them again for a long time. Lately, I have been hungry for them and have been searching for an easy and good recipe.
When Michael said this was his mother's recipe, I knew they would be good. My whole family loved them. They were soft and delicious. I did not make the sauce recipe (I just used a good jarred sauce but one of these days I will try the sauce too.
Thanks Michael!
By nefret12
Orlando, FL
on October 24, 2007
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Steaming the meatballs didn't work at all. The meatballs weren't cooked through and were falling apart. The water evaporated and scorched the bottom of the pan and I had to add more water and cook them twice as long as they still weren't cooked. I had to cook them in the oven to get them cooked all the way through and not to fall apart.
By foodsage
Chicago area
on October 10, 2007
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There have been a lot of mixed reviews for this recipe and that's because we have folks of very different cooking abilities trying these recipes and commenting. You need to keep in mind that ingredients vary that will affect the cohesiveness of the meat mixture - the dryness of your crumbs, the fat level of your meat, how much you mix them etc...
The recipe for these meatballs will give you extremely tender and tasty morsels if you allow yourself to adjust the ingredients as needed in order to make each step work logically.
As others did we changed some ingredients as follows - grated the onion so that there were not pieces of onion interfering with the delicate structure of the meatball, used 2 eggs instead of 1 to bind the meat, increased the garlic to 3 cloves and used less water (only 1/2 cup for cooking/steaming the meatballs.
By depatis_2286980
New York, NY
on June 25, 2007
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This has become one of my "go to" recipes. I've made these meatballs with turkey, chicken, and veal (as well as beef and they always come out moist and delicious. Start by adding 1/2 cup of water to the mixture and then see if more is necessary. I usually add about 3/4 cup. They seem a bit loose before they're cooked, but once cooked they're perfect.
By saltydog12345_7...
Brownsville, TX
on June 24, 2007
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Worst meatballs I have ever had. Too much water. Consistancy of meat is like mush. Dont waste your money. I have been cooking for 40 years and this is the worst receipe I have ever seen. Sauce isn't much better.
By patrice_berry_5...
Yutan, NE
on January 26, 2007
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Finally I have made meatballs that turned out tender, moist and flavorful. After reading the reviews, I added the water to the meat mixture a little at a time and ended up using only 3/4 cup. I used 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey and homemade fresh breadcrumbs. The only other change I made was to take the lid off after about 25 minutes and continue to simmer until the water had reduced down to a couple of tablespoons. This liquid was a flavorful addition to the marinara sauce (my homemade. We loved these meatballs -- next time I might add a little more parmesan to them. This is a must try!!!!