Pork Meatballs

Pork Meatballs

A commercial on TV was showing meatballs while we were putting together our weekly menu, and we realized we had never actually made meatballs from scratch.  The result was quite tasty, although we are far from perfecting a tomato sauce to go alongside.

Ingredients:

2 ¼  lbs pork shoulder, ground
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
½ cup bread crumbs
1 large handful chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped

Directions:

If you have a meat grinder, cut the pork shoulder into 2-3” pieces and grind (if not, start with pre-ground meat).  Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until everything is well incorporated.  Form into 2” balls and place onto a lightly oiled, 9x13” baking dish.  Cook at 450F, or until cooked all the way through.
This made 20 meatballs.


Cost:
2 ¼  lbs pork shoulder - $6.42
1 cup ricotta cheese - $2.15
2 large eggs - $0.33
1 large handful chopped parsley - $0.50
¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped - $2.99/4 = $0.75
On Hand (bread crumbs, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes) - $1.00
Total: $11.15
Per Meatball: $0.56

Changes:

Next time we will add garlic, and it could easily take more red pepper flakes. 

Leftovers:

The flavor remained very similar after reheating.  The meatballs were very rich, 2 served with pasta and sauce was plenty for lunch.