Why start with a meatball?  Well, for me it means home.  It makes your house smell like home.  They are calming and heavenly.  They conjure up thoughts and warm memories of lazy Sunday afternoons as a care-free kid.  Who doesn’t want to feel like a care-free kid every once in awhile?  A simmering pot of marinara on the stove spiked with these round little wonders:  YUM.    Plus, it was my oldest son’s first experience with table food.  Yes, I fed him a homemade 6-minute meatball.  I wonder if my pediatrician would have approved?  Oh well, I wanted him to have a wonderful first experience with food.  I am delighted to report that he was one happy customer.

It is a recipe that I created with a lot of influence from my dad and grandma.  I have updated the recipe with lean ground turkey and made use of a modern marvel, the microwave.  Well, I guess this recipe is nothing like theirs.  But I did draw my inspiration from them, so to them I shall give credit.  I am all about trying to create a sense of home in our little blue house, so the 6-minute meatball will be my starting point.  Dad, I left out the huge chunks of fresh parsley : ).

Ok, 6 minutes is the actual cooking time of these scrumptious little pieces of ultimate comfort food.  In reality, you will spend about 5-6 minutes to whip up a batch of these once you are proficient.  Wow, think about it:  minutes for a homemade meatball that satisfies.  Give it a try.   It will be sure to please, or at least I am hoping so!

Before revealing my first recipe, I want to let you know the secret ingredient is more of a technique.  This technique makes these meatballs the little wonders that they are.  My husband, a foodie but not a cook knows the mantra, “bread soaked in milk”.  In my opinion, this is the key to a deliciously moist meatball.  You can use this same trick to make a meatloaf outstanding.  Without further ado:  the Six-minute Meatball.

The Six-minute Meatball

Ingredients:

1.25 pound package Jennie-O 93% Lean Ground Turkey*

1 egg

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, I like a good Pecorino

1 slice whole grain bread, crumbled and soaked with milk  (I like to use Brownberry Oatnut or Healthnut)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

 1 teaspoon dried basil

 Pinch of Salt    (don’t go overboard here, Romano cheese adds a bit of saltiness)

 Dash of freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, roughly crumble one slice of whole-grain bread.  I like oat nut but any type will do.  Pour a small amount of milk over bread crumbles until they are just covered.  Let stand for a few minutes until bread soaks up the milk.  Drain, but do not squeeze.  It should be wet. Dump the bread soaked milk into a bowl.  Add all other ingredients.  Mix well with hands until all ingredients are incorporated.  The mixture will be on the wet side, but it will be easy to shape.  Form into small round balls.  This recipe will make about 20 meatballs.  Place them on a microwave-safe dish.  Microwave on high for 6 minutes.  You will probably need to microwave in 2 batches.  That’s it.  You are done.  Plop them in your favorite marinara sauce and let simmer for about 10 minutes to marry the flavors of the marinara and the meatball.  Serve over any pasta. 

*Do NOT use the 99% Lean Ground Turkey.

* Do not substitute Ground Beef for Turkey.

If you like, heat small amount of olive oil in a deep saucepan and drop in meatballs as they come out of the microwave to brown slightly before adding your jarred marinara.

Gosh, I am nervous.  I really hope someone tries it.  I hope even more that they like it!

UPDATE:  A decade has past since I first posted this favorite recipe.   How can that be?  I am delighted with the number of people who not only tried this recipe, but let me know of their success.  Many have told me that it’s become a family favorite making it into their weekly meal rotation.  Hearing of another’s success always brings me joy!