The first course with meatballs is an excellent alternative to soups cooked with meat fillet. Appetizing meat balls, like small cutlets, make the dish tasty and appetizing, but the main advantage of soups with meatballs is that they cook very quickly. The minced meat in the broth sets within a few minutes. If you need to quickly prepare a first course, then meatball soup is a good choice. Today we will talk about making meatballs from minced meat, how to properly form them, cook them, and what you need to add to them to make them juicy and flavorful.
Secrets of making delicious meatballs
Meatballs for first courses are usually made from minced pork, beef or mixed (50/50 of both types of minced meat). Boiled meat balls and those made from minced chicken are good in soup - they quickly acquire the necessary softness in the broth and children really like them.
Various ingredients are added to give meatballs a unique or interesting twist. Let’s note the most common ones that have taken root in many kitchens so that you can choose a proven meatball recipe to suit your taste.
- For softness
It is very simple to prepare “airy”, porous and soft meatballs - add soaked and crushed bread crumbs to the prepared minced meat. It is better to use yesterday’s bread, but in no case fresh baked goods. A couple of pieces of dried bread need to be poured with hot milk or just water. The bread will swell. Drain off excess liquid and grind the bread in a blender or grind it together with onions and minced meat through a meat grinder.
- For spice
If you are used to flavoring your dishes with fresh herbs and spices, then you will like meatballs with the addition of chopped parsley, dill or even nuts. These meat balls will be the highlight of the dish and turn an ordinary everyday soup into a new, interesting dish. Meat balls with chopped herbs look very, very appetizing after cooking, try it!
- For "pomp"
In order for the formed meatballs to increase in volume and become more fluffy during cooking, you need to add breadcrumbs to the minced meat. Having absorbed the liquid from the broth, they will swell and the meat balls will become larger in size. You will get a similar effect by adding semolina instead of breadcrumbs.
Important! When adding breadcrumbs or semolina to the minced meat, our recipe recommends waiting 7-10 minutes before making balls so that these ingredients combine well with the minced meat.
- For rich taste and aroma
The first dish can be given a very bright taste and aroma in one simple way - pre-fry the meat balls before cooking. Browned in butter, they will give the dish a new, pleasant note. You can use any oil for frying, but the recipe recommends using butter - it will not weigh down the taste of the dish and will not make the broth fattier.
When preparing meatballs, pay attention to the following points:
- Choose minced meat of medium fat content. If it contains a lot of lard and fat, it will transfer its fat content to the broth, and the dish will turn out high in calories and unappetizing.
- The optimal size of meat balls is the size of a medium walnut. You should not make too large specimens, otherwise there is a chance that they will increase during cooking and will tend to “jump” out of the pan.
- Meatballs are molded by hand. If you don’t want to bother with minced meat, you can use a teaspoon. You need to scoop up the minced meat with a spoon, make a round ball and put it in boiling water. Just remember, in this case the shape of the meatballs will be impromptu and sloppy.
- There is no need to add chicken eggs - they will make the resulting portioned balls hard and rubbery. To prevent the minced meat from falling apart, you must first beat it on the kitchen table or cutting board. Whenever you put meatballs in soup, beaten and cooled minced meat will keep its shape well even without eggs.
Forming meatballs for first courses
Many housewives are wondering how to make meatballs from minced meat correctly, so that they do not fall apart when cooked in broth and turn out right on the first try. It’s worth noting right away that the dish is not prepared according to the principle of sculpting cutlets, and cutlet mince is not suitable for meatballs - this is a completely different recipe. These mini soup balls should have a more “airy” consistency, which will allow them to be filled with liquid when cooked, making them soft and delicate in taste. We will tell you how to achieve this result in the following tips.
Wet your hands before sculpting
To ensure that the meatballs are the same size and shape, they need to be sculpted by hand. Often the minced meat is too “sticky”; when forming round cakes, it sticks to your fingers and completely prevents you from making neat balls. This can be avoided by preparing a separate container of water before sculpting. Before you take a piece of minced meat, dip your fingers in water - and you will no longer have problems making meat balls, even if you are using the recipe for the first time.
“Softening” the minced meat
Sometimes the minced meat behaves unpredictably during preparation and at the moment before sculpting it becomes too dense and tough. If you make balls from such hard minced meat, then after cooking it will not become softer, but will retain its consistency, and the finished meatballs will taste unappetizing. Therefore, if you noticed in the culinary process that the meat component is dry and stubborn, then add 3-4 tbsp. spoons of melted butter. Oil will give the minced meat a more velvety and pleasant consistency.
Cool the workpiece
Prepared minced meat balls must be cooled before immersing them in the broth. After shaping, place them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Chilled meatballs hold their shape better and do not stick together during cooking.
How to cook
The recipe for making meatballs is very simple. Even if you don’t know how to handle minced meat, follow the step-by-step instructions and you will certainly succeed. Making “balls” from shredded meat by hand is a lot of fun and you can do this process with your kids. We give you a classic recipe for meat balls for soup so that you can easily remember it and prepare first courses without hassle.
Cooking time: ~ 30 min.
Number of servings: 6.
To prepare home-style meatballs for the first course, we will need the following ingredients (based on a 3.5 liter pan):
- 400 g fresh minced meat (pork, beef or mixed);
- 1 small onion;
- 2 tbsp. l. breadcrumbs;
- 3 tbsp. l. butter;
- salt, ground black pepper.
As an addition (optional):
- fresh herbs (parsley, dill);
- sour cream.
Let's start cooking
1. Finely chop the onion. Dissolve 1 tbsp in a frying pan. l. butter and lightly fry the onion over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Minced meat, passed through a meat grinder several times, mixed with fried finely chopped onion, salt, pepper, and the remaining softened butter.
Note! If the minced meat turns out dense, then the recipe allows you to add 1-2 tbsp. l. liquids - milk, cream or plain boiled water.
3. Use your hands to form neatly shaped meatballs from the prepared minced meat - 8-10 g balls each. Place the molded balls on a cutting board and place in the refrigerator to cool for half an hour.
4. Place one meatball at a time into the soup or boiling salted broth and cook for 5-6 minutes at moderate boil.
5. Serve boiled meatballs with soup or broth. To improve the appearance of the dish and add additional taste, we recommend sprinkling each serving with chopped parsley or dill, and also adding 1-2 tsp. sour cream.
Juicy, flavorful meatballs are ready! Bon appetit!
Now you know how to prepare a delicious dish for the whole family from minced meat and broth in just half an hour. This recipe will be a real salvation and “lifesaver” for everyone who values every minute. Working housewives and young mothers, for whom it is important to cook not only tasty, but also quickly, will especially appreciate this quick-to-use soup. Meatballs can be made in advance in double volume and half of them can be frozen for future use. Frozen meat balls do not need to be thawed before cooking; they will quickly reach the desired temperature in the boiling broth.
In contact with
You can make meatballs from minced meat or fish. These balls turn out especially tasty when two or three types of meat are mixed and seasoned with finely chopped onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and herbs. Most recipes contain eggs and bread crumbs.
You can also add vegetables and grains to the meatballs to give the dish a bright taste.
1. Meatballs
Ingredients
- 300 g minced pork or 150 g each minced pork and beef;
- ½ medium onion;
- 1 bunch of greens;
- 1 chicken egg;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- 1 tablespoon of milk powder or cream.
Preparation
Peel the onion and chop it finely.
Place the minced meat in a bowl and add the onion to it.
Chop the greens and add to the minced meat.
Break a chicken egg into the minced meat. Salt and pepper.
Stir the resulting mass well so that the minced meat is homogeneous and tender.
To make the meatballs even more tender and give them a creamy taste, add 1 tablespoon of milk powder or cream to the minced meat.
You can replace the powder with a combination of butter and soaked white bread. Soak 150 g of bread crumb in 100 ml of water or milk for 10 minutes. Drain off excess liquid and add the bun to the minced meat. Next, add 30 g of butter.
With wet hands, form the minced meat into meatballs. Choose the size at your discretion, but remember that a meat ball with a diameter of 2–3 cm is optimal.
2. Fish balls
Ingredients
- 300 g boneless white fish fillet;
- 1 egg;
- 2 tablespoons flour;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- 50 g butter;
- a small bunch of green onions.
Preparation
Pat the fish fillet dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and grind with a meat grinder or blender. Add egg, flour, salt and pepper to the mixture. Mix the mixture thoroughly until smooth. Grate the butter and finely chop the green onions. Add the ingredients to the minced meat and mix everything again. Form meatballs from the resulting minced meat.
3. Chicken meatballs
Ingredients
- 250 g chicken fillet;
- 1 onion;
- a small bunch of cilantro;
- 100 g white bread;
- 75 ml water or milk;
- 1 chicken egg;
- ½ teaspoon salt;
- pepper - to taste.
Preparation
Rinse the chicken fillet, remove veins, excess fat and cut into small pieces. Peel the onion and cut into several pieces. Place ingredients in a blender or food processor and process on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Wash the cilantro or other greens and chop finely. Soak the bread crumb in water or milk for 5–7 minutes, then squeeze to remove excess moisture. Add egg, softened bread, cilantro, salt and pepper to the minced meat. Grind on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
Wet your hands with water and make meat balls with a diameter of no more than 4 cm.
4. Meatballs with vegetables
Ingredients
- 250 g meat;
- 150 g cauliflower;
- 1 egg;
- 20 g ginger;
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce;
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs;
- salt - to taste.
Preparation
Grind the meat (ideally chicken) in a meat grinder or blender. Wash the cauliflower, separate the inflorescences, and place in boiling water for 5–7 minutes. Afterwards, cool the cabbage a little, grind it in a blender and place it in the minced meat. Add egg, grated ginger, soy sauce and breadcrumbs. Mix well and form small balls.
5. Meatballs according to the IKEA recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium potato;
- 1 onion;
- 40 g breadcrumbs;
- 250 g minced pork;
- 250 g minced beef;
- 1 egg;
- 50 ml milk;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
Preparation
Boil the potatoes, cool, peel and mash with a fork. Chop the onion and fry with a spoon of olive oil until transparent. Add crackers, fried onions, both types of minced meat, egg and milk to the mashed potatoes. Add salt, pepper and mix well with your hands. To obtain a more homogeneous mass, beat the minced meat several times. Then form balls.
What to cook with meatballs
Meatballs are used both as an ingredient and as an independent dish. They are boiled, fried, stewed, baked.
1. How to make meatball soup
Ingredients
- ½ bell pepper;
- 1 carrot;
- 2–3 potatoes;
- ½ medium onion;
- 2 ½ liters of water;
- meatballs from 300 g minced meat;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- greens, sour cream - for serving.
Preparation
Wash the vegetables. Peel the bell pepper from seeds and cut into small cubes. Chop the carrots in the same way.
Peel the potatoes and cut into slices. Chop the onion.
Place a pan of water on the fire. Once the water boils, reduce the heat and add the onion. When bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid again, add carrots and peppers.
Bring the broth to a boil and add the potatoes to the pan.
10–12 minutes after cooking (about the time until the water and potatoes boil), add the meatballs to the soup.
If white meat foam forms on the surface, skim it off. If you want a clear broth, cook the meatballs first for 2-3 minutes. Then drain the water and prepare the soup according to the recipe.
Cook the meatball soup for 10–12 minutes. Then add salt and pepper to the soup. Then remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes to allow the soup to steep. Serve the soup hot with herbs, sour cream and black bread.
This soup is good as a base. You can make various variations of it by adding vermicelli, barley, rice.
2. How to bake meatballs
taste.com.au Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Place the meatballs and place them in an oven preheated to 180°C. Chicken and fish balls will bake in 20–25 minutes, meat balls in 30–35.
3. How to stew meatballs in tomato sauce
ivona.bigmir.net Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil;
- 2 tablespoons butter;
- 2–3 cloves of garlic;
- 1 medium onion;
- 5–6 medium tomatoes;
- 1 glass of water;
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- ½ teaspoon turmeric;
- meatballs from 700 g minced meat.
Preparation
Heat vegetable oil over medium heat, add butter and fry the garlic. After a couple of minutes, remove the garlic, throw the chopped onion into the pan and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Chop the tomatoes, put them in a blender and puree them. Add tomatoes, water, sugar, salt, pepper and turmeric to the onions. Stir and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Place the meatballs in the tomato sauce so that the tops peek out. Carefully turn the balls over and pour the sauce over the top. After boiling, simmer chicken meatballs for 15 minutes, and fish or meat balls for 20–25 minutes under the lid. Serve hot with tomato sauce.
4. How to fry meatballs
seriouseats.com This is the recipe used to prepare the famous Swedish meatballs from IKEA.
Ingredients
For frying:
- meatballs from 500 g minced meat;
- wheat flour;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil;
- 2 tablespoons butter.
For the berry sauce:
- 50 ml water;
- 30 g sugar;
- a pinch of cinnamon;
- dried ginger;
- 100 g lingonberries or cranberries.
For the cream sauce:
- 200 ml meat broth;
- 100 ml milk;
- 1 tablespoon flour;
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch;
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce;
- salt, ground black pepper - to taste.
Preparation
Dredge meatballs in flour. Pour olive oil into the pan and add butter. Fry the meat balls in this mixture until cooked for 10-12 minutes, remembering to turn over. Remove the finished meatballs from the heat and let them brew under the lid. At this time, prepare the sauce.
Start with berries. Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil. Add the berries and mash them well. Cover the sauce with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a second saucepan, heat the meat broth, pour in the milk and bring to a boil. Dilute starch and flour with a tablespoon of water and add to the sauce. Pour in soy sauce, salt and pepper. Cook until thickened over low heat.
These meatballs are best served with boiled potatoes, topped with creamy sauce. Place the berry sauce separately.
Meatballs are perfect for lunch or dinner. They go well with various side dishes, vegetable salads and sauces. You can make meatballs from different types of minced meat. We will tell you how to easily and easily prepare minced meatballs.
Minced beef and pork meatballs with sauce
We need: meat grinder, ladle or stewpan, frying pan.
Ingredients
Step-by-step preparation
- Cut 150-250 grams of pork and 250-350 grams of beef into small pieces.
- Cut half of one medium onion into cubes of any size.
- Heat 15-20 milliliters of sunflower oil in a frying pan, add chopped onion and fry until light golden brown.
- Pass the fried onion, chopped meat and half a raw medium-sized onion through a meat grinder.
- Add 120-125 grams of breadcrumbs to the minced meat and stir so that all the breadcrumbs are evenly distributed.
- Add salt to taste in half a glass of water.
- Pour into the minced meat, add 2-3 grams of dry paprika and knead vigorously. If the mixture seems too hard, you can add a little more water.
- Leave the finished minced meat for 20-25 minutes in a cool place, after which we form small meatballs from the minced meat with our hands.
- Heat 20 milliliters of sunflower oil in a frying pan, add the meatballs and fry on both sides to form a golden brown crust.
- For the sauce, place lingonberries (1/2 cup) in a ladle or saucepan, add 20-25 grams of sugar and salt to taste.
- Place the dishes on the fire and boil until boiling. Juice should be released from the lingonberries.
- Stir 25-30 grams of flour in half a glass of water and pour into the bowl with the sauce. Cook until thickened and be sure to stir occasionally.
- Pour the prepared sauce over the meatballs and serve.
Video recipe for making meatballs from minced pork and beef
To ensure that you don’t have any problems preparing the sauce and meatballs, we recommend watching the following video.
Minced chicken meatballs recipe
Cooking time: 75-80 minutes.
We need: chopper or immersion blender, frying pan.
Number of servings: 7.
Ingredients
Step-by-step preparation
Using the same principle, you can prepare meatballs from ground turkey.
Video recipe for making minced chicken meatballs
If you want to see in as much detail as possible how to make meatballs from minced chicken, we recommend watching the following video.
Recipe for minced meatballs in the oven
Cooking time: 65-70 minutes.
We need: bowl, baking dish.
Number of servings: 7.
Ingredients
Step-by-step preparation
- We combine together 750-800 grams of minced meat, one or two grated onions, finely chopped fresh parsley (15-16 sprigs), 85-90 grams of breadcrumbs, salt to taste and 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic.
- Knead the minced meat very diligently with your hands.
- We form small flat meatballs from the finished minced meat.
- Cut 8-9 potatoes into slices.
- Place meatballs and potato slices in a baking dish in several rows.
- Add 1-2 tomatoes, cut into slices, into the pan.
- In a separate bowl, combine 30-35 grams of tomato paste with 180-200 milliliters of hot water and stir.
- Pour the resulting sauce over the dish in the mold and place in the oven.
- Bake at 200 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
- Place the finished dish on plates and serve hot to the table.
Video recipe for making minced meatballs in the oven
In order not to miss a single detail of the cooking process, be sure to watch the following video.
Meatballs are an interesting dish. So, if you carefully study the recipe, you will see that the cooking technology of meatballs is no different from meatballs. The exception is the size of these meat balls. Often soups are complemented with this product, but we will learn how to prepare a meat dish for a side dish - minced meatballs. Read the recipes in our article.
Secrets of culinary mastery
Every housewife faces the problem every day: what to cook for her household for lunch or dinner. If your culinary imagination has left you or your source of inspiration has dried up, try to surprise your loved ones with a completely simple, but at the same time delicious dish. We are talking about meatballs made from minced chicken. Their recipe is very simple, and now you will see it.
Some women are surprised because they do not see any difference between meatballs and meatballs. Indeed, there are practically no distinctive features, but we cannot understand Swedish culinary specialists. It is Sweden that is considered the progenitor of meatballs and meatballs. If you want to become a master at making meat balls no larger than a walnut, you will find the following tips helpful:
Miniature meat balls: a culinary masterpiece
As already mentioned, the meatballs should be the size of a nut. If you make large meatballs, you will end up with meatballs or cutlets. Miniature meat balls will not only be an excellent addition, but also a decoration for any side dish. We offer you a simple and almost classic recipe for minced meatballs with gravy, which is popular with many housewives.
Compound:
- 0.7 kg minced meat;
- 1 onion;
- 200 g breadcrumbs;
- 100 ml milk;
- 2 eggs;
- 1 tsp each pepper mixture and salt;
- butter - to taste;
- 0.5 liters of meat broth;
- 3 tbsp. l. sifted flour;
- 3 tbsp. l. fat sour cream.
Preparation:
- While the meat fillet is defrosting, let's take care of the onions. We peel it and finely chop it. You can use a blender or food processor.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onions.
- Sauté the onion until fully cooked.
- Grind the meat to the consistency of minced meat and place in a deep bowl.
- Beat the eggs, pour in the milk, add the pepper mixture, salt and breadcrumbs.
- Then add the fried onions and mix everything thoroughly.
- The minced meatballs should have a uniform consistency.
- Now let's make meatballs. You can wet your hands with water or lubricate them with refined vegetable oil.
- Place the meatballs in a frying pan and fry in butter evenly on both sides.
- Take a heat-resistant deep dish and place the fried meatballs in it.
- Now add a little more softened butter to the pan and pour in the sifted flour.
- Lightly fry it and stir well so that no lumps form.
- Pour hot meat broth into the pan in a thin stream. We continue to simmer the gravy over moderate heat.
- As soon as the sauce boils, pour it into the bowl with the meatballs.
- Simmer the meatballs over moderate heat for about 15 minutes.
- At the end, season the dish with sour cream and mix well.
- Now we can serve the meatballs with our favorite side dish.
Let's have a family dinner: pamper the household with delicious meatballs
Every housewife probably has her own recipe for minced meatballs with rice in her culinary repertoire. In terms of cooking technology and recipe, they are completely identical to meatballs. If you want to prepare these meat balls for future use, do not add sautéed vegetables to the minced meat.
Compound:
- 0.7 kg minced meat;
- 1 onion;
- 1 tbsp. boiled rice;
- 1 carrot;
- 2 eggs;
- seasonings, spices and refined sunflower oil - to taste.
Preparation:
- We start by preparing the necessary products. Grind the meat to the consistency of minced meat.
- Boil the rice until half cooked.
- Place the minced meat into a bowl. If you use chicken fillet, add softened butter to the minced meat.
- Grind the onion into cubes, and the carrots into shavings on a grater.
- Place the vegetables in a frying pan and sauté until fully cooked. Place some of the vegetables in a bowl with minced meat.
- Place the boiled rice in a colander, rinse and wait until the liquid has completely drained.
- Mix all the ingredients with the minced meat, season it to taste with herbs and spices.
- We make meatballs and lightly fry them in a frying pan.
- Place the meatballs in a deep saucepan, add the remaining sautéed vegetables and fill everything with filtered water. You can use broth.
- Simmer the meatballs over moderate heat in a sealed container for half an hour.
Fragrant meatballs can decorate dozens of dishes - Italians put them in spaghetti and the famous minestrone soup, Scandinavians bake them and serve with mashed potatoes and berry sauce, the French put them in cheese soup, stewed with vegetables. Whatever recipe you choose, if it's based on meatballs, you'll definitely want them to be tender.
Secrets of tender meatballs
One of the main secrets of tender meatballs is proportions. Meatballs made from one meat will be tough and rough, so you need to add at least half of other additives, such as white bread soaked in milk or cream or breadcrumbs, aromatic herbs, roots and vegetables. Before adding additives to the minced meat, mix them together, because if you stir the minced meat for a very long time, it will become tough. Vegetables - chopped onions, grated carrots - fry or blanch before adding to the meat.
Meatballs do not need to be cooked for as long as vegetables. Try to form the meatballs the same size so they cook at the same time. Don't make them too dense, they should be compact but airy. For meatballs that you will put in soup or fry, use lean minced meat. Before cooking the meatballs, be sure to chill them for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
You can form identical meatballs using a special round ice cream scoop.
Before frying the meatballs, spray them with oil to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Place them only in a preheated frying pan with fat; the meatballs should “squeak” when you put them in the dish. If your pan is not wide enough to place the meatballs in a single layer, cook them in batches. Before simmering the meatballs in the sauce, roll them in flour and fry until golden brown.
Recipe for tender Neapolitan meatballs
Try making meatballs according to the famous Italian recipe. This version of a popular dish will please even the most sophisticated gourmets. You will need: - 4 cups of tomato sauce; - 3 cups of bread crumbs; - 2 cups of milk 3.5% fat; - 750 g minced beef; - 3 chicken eggs; - 3 cloves of garlic; - 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese; - 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts; - 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley; - 1/2 cup wheat flour; - salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil.
Pour milk over bread crumbs. Combine 1/4 cup chopped parsley, pine nuts, cheese and minced garlic, mix with ground beef, add soaked breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper and stir quickly. Make 12-15 meatballs, roll them in flour and put them in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Heat the sauce in a saucepan, fry the chilled meatballs until golden brown, pour in the sauce and simmer the dish for 25–30 minutes. Serve the meatballs sprinkled with the remaining parsley.
