Easiest Way to Make Johns Italian Deli

Chef John's Italian Meatballs

It all started in 1968 at 86th st.

Recipe Summary Chef John's Italian Meatballs

Homemade meatballs are a very easy to make, and since we skip the very messy step of pan-frying these before they hit the sauce, it becomes downright simple. Here I use a standard half-beef/half-pork mixture. You can substitute water or beef broth for the milk, if preferred.

Ingredients | Johns Italian Deli

⅓ cup plain bread crumbs

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 eggs

¼ bunch fresh parsley, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot oil until translucent, about 20 minutes.

Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl. Stir onions, bread crumb mixture, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and Parmesan cheese into meat mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour.

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Using wet hands, form meat mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Some recipes use equal portions of beef, veal, and pork, which is also nice, yet more expensive. These days you can find all sorts of lean-to-fat ratios for ground beef. Most stores sell 90% lean, 10% fat, but I prefer the 80% lean, 20% fat ratio for this recipe.

Once cooked, you can add the meatballs to your favorite prepared tomato sauce for 1 to 2 hours.

Info | Johns Italian Deli

prep: 20 mins cook: 35 mins additional: 1 hr 20 mins total: 2 hrs 15 mins Servings: 30 Yield: 30 meatballs

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