Melly's Meatballs

Got this recipe from an authetic "Southsider." And if you're from Des Moines, you know that means they're as Italian as you can get without having actually been born in Italy. :)

(makes approx. 50 golf-ball sized meatballs)

1 lb ground beef (I use 80% lean)
1 lb Italian sausage (do NOT use regular pork sausage and don't skimp on quality)
1¾ c bread crumbs
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
3½ T Sweet basil leaves
2 T Ground oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 T fresh minced garlic (I use the pre-minced stuff from the jar)
4 eggs

Mix together and form meatballs. I use a small ice cream scoop for consistency & speed. Cook in an electric skillet at 300° until brown on the outside, then put in spaghetti sauce and simmer for 6-8 hours. (You can also fry them in a regular skillet on med-high heat or bake at 375° for 25 mins, flipping once half-way through the cooking process.)

You can also freeze them, but make sure they're cooked thoroughly and cooled before you put them in freezer zipper bags.

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If you're like me and would rather make up a bunch at once and freeze them, here's the recipe for 300 meatballs:

6lb ground beef
6lbs Italian sausage
10½ c bread crumbs
6c parmesan cheese
1 1/3 c basil
¾ c oregano
¼ c salt
¼ c pepper
1/3 c minced garlic (roughly 2 full heads of garlic)
2 doz eggs

This is TWELVE pounds of just meat - not counting all the other ingredients, so you'll need to make sure you've got counter/table space to mix everything up NOT using a bowl. Literally, my entire island is full of meat when I'm mixing this stuff up.