I think it is one of the oldest recipes in the world. Meatballs and meatloaf, made with what's in the house, are good and bring everyone in the family together. They are very homemade recipes and go well with anything, all kinds of meat, vegetables and even fish.
Every housewife has her own particular recipe, but even great chefs have reinvented themselves to come up with unusual but particularly tasty recipes. Let's start with the classic recipes, the ones that never go out of fashion, and then move on to those that are worth trying because they are special and original.
Meatballs can be made in exactly the same way as meatloaf, only the size varies, as once the dough has been prepared, smaller balls are made, which are also cooked either fried or in the oven.
There are, however, recipes for meatballs that are mainly good for their size, i.e. small and not suitable for meatloaf. At the end of the article there are also recipes for special and tasty meatballs.
The classic meatloaf
The meatloaf we all know, is made of beef or veal, and can be cooked either in meat stock or in the oven. The ingredients, however, are the usual ones. It is a rustic and hearty dish suitable for all kinds of lunches.
What you need for the classic meatloaf
800 g minced beef or veal
2 eggs
a tablespoon of chopped parsley
grams 100 of grated Parmesan cheese
a pinch of nutmeg
grams 200 of breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, milk and olive oil to taste
Preparation of the classic meatloaf
Mix the minced meat with the beaten eggs, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs soaked in a little milk and then squeezed out, a pinch of nutmeg. Add salt and pepper and 4 tablespoons of olive oil to the mixture.
Knead with your hands and form a kind of salami to be dipped in breadcrumbs.
Place a few tablespoons of olive oil and the meatloaf in a baking dish and bake for about an hour at 180 degrees. Pour a few tablespoons of meat stock or stock cube over the meatloaf to prevent it from drying out too much.
When cooked, let the meatloaf rest for at least half an hour before cutting it into slices. Serve with the cooking juices on top of the slices.
Stuffed meatloaf
What you need for the stuffed meatloaf
800 grams mixed minced beef and pork
grams 200 of breadcrumbs
grams 150 grated Parmesan cheese
one clove of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
For the filling
100 g grated provola-type cheese
3 hard-boiled eggs
grams 180 of chopped ham
3 chopped basil leaves
For the sauce
grams 500 of tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt to taste
Preparation of the stuffed meatloaf
First mix the meat with the breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, grated cheese, chopped garlic and parsley. Adjust the salt and pepper. Knead the dough well with your hands so that all the ingredients are mixed together.
Roll out this dough on baking paper with the help of a rolling pin, trying to shape it into a rectangle about one and a half centimetres thick.
On top of this rectangle, sprinkle the chopped ham, grated provola cheese and chopped basil. Place the 3 hard-boiled eggs in the middle lengthways and with the help of greaseproof paper roll up the dough and close it at the ends to form a kind of large salami.
In a pan, brown the meatloaf with a few tablespoons of olive oil, turning it slowly.
Meanwhile, in a rather large saucepan, put the tomato sauce with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt on the heat. Cook the sauce for about ten minutes, then put the meatloaf into the sauce, recovering the cooking juices. Cook the meatloaf in the sauce with the lid on for 30 to 35 minutes.
Allow the meatloaf to cool before cutting it into slices and placing the slices in the already heated tomato sauce. Serve hot.
Meatloaf Florentine style
Ingredients for the meatloaf Florentine style
1 kilogram of finely minced beef or veal meat
200 g minced fresh sausage
2 eggs
2 onions
2 celery ribs
grams 100 of breadcrumbs
1 carrot
2 cloves of garlic
half a glass of dry white wine
a glass of meat stock or stock cube
a teaspoon of chopped parsley
the juice of 1 lemon
flour, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
Preparation of the meatloaf Florentine style
Mix together the beef or veal meat, chopped sausage, breadcrumbs, chopped garlic, chopped onion, parsley and beaten eggs. Adjust salt and pepper and knead with your hands until you obtain a homogeneous mixture shaped like a large salami.
Dip the meatloaf in flour and leave to rest for at least half an hour. Finely chop the carrot, onion and 2 celery ribs.
In a saucepan, fry the chopped vegetables in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Adjust the salt and pepper and as soon as they are golden brown, add the meatloaf, browning it slowly on each side.
Then pour in the white wine and let it evaporate completely. If the mixture tends to dry out too much, add a little meat stock or stock cube. When cooked, after about 35 - 40 minutes remove the meatloaf, cut it into slices after about 30 minutes and moisten the slices with lemon juice.
In the meantime, finely chop the vegetables in which the meatloaf has been cooked with an immersion blender or a vegetable mill and cover the meatloaf slices with this hot sauce and bring to the table.
Chickpea and potato meatloaf
Needed for the chickpea and potato meatloaf
grams 500 already boiled chickpeas
grams 200 of potatoes
1 tablespoon capers
breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and rosemary to taste
Preparation of the chickpea and potato meatloaf
Boil the potatoes lightly (about 20 minutes). Once the skin has been removed, place the potatoes in a blender together with the chickpeas and capers.
Chop the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and once the mixture has been removed from the blender, place it on a baking sheet sprinkled with breadcrumbs, trying to give the mixture the shape of a meatloaf.
Using the breadcrumbs, try to make the meatloaf fairly solid. Place in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes, placing a few sprigs of rosemary on top. Cut the meatloaf into slices after letting it cool a little.
Tuna and potato meatloaf
Ingredients for tuna and potato meatloaf
kilograms 1 of already boiled and peeled potatoes
grams 500 tuna in oil
grams 150 grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
salt, pepper, olive oil and breadcrumbs to taste
Preparing the tuna and potato meatloaf
Mash the potatoes in a vegetable mill to reduce them to a puree. To this add the tuna drained from the oil and chopped, the grated Parmesan cheese, the two beaten eggs, chopped parsley and enough breadcrumbs to give the mixture its consistency.
Season with salt and pepper and, with the help of a sheet of baking paper, shape the mixture into a meatloaf. Close the meatloaf in the baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 30 to 35 minutes.
Ten minutes before removing the meatloaf from the oven, remove the baking paper and drizzle a little olive oil over it. This will make the meatloaf more golden and crispy. Slice the meatloaf as soon as it has cooled.
Rice meatballs
Ingredients for the rice balls
400 grams rice
grams 400 of mozzarella
2 eggs
30 g grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
salt, pepper and seed oil for frying and breadcrumbs, as required
Preparation of the rice balls
First cook the rice until al dente. Once cooked and drained, add the diced mozzarella, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Stir everything well to mix the ingredients, and season with salt and pepper. Form small balls with the mixture and after dipping them in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs, fry the meatballs in plenty of hot seed oil.
Brown the meatballs on all sides and once cooked, pass the meatballs on blotting paper to remove excess oil and serve piping hot.
Cod meatballs
What you need for the salt cod meatballs
500 grams soaked salt cod
grams 500 of potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 eggs
a tablespoon of chopped parsley
salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and enough seed oil for frying
Preparation of the salt cod meatballs
Boil the potatoes in boiling water. Once cooked and peeled, pass the potatoes through a masher or blender, where you also put the already cooked cod cut into small pieces.
To this cream of potatoes and cod add the chopped onion and parsley and the beaten eggs. Adjust the salt and pepper and mix everything well.
Using a spoon, make many small portions of the mixture, dip the meatballs in breadcrumbs and fry in plenty of seed oil. Once fried, toss the meatballs in blotting paper and serve hot.
Mushroom meatballs
Ingredients for the mushroom meatballs
grams 600 porcini mushrooms
grams 300 finely minced pork meat
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
grams 50 grated pecorino cheese
grams 30 of breadcrumbs
3 eggs
salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and enough oil for frying
Preparation of the mushroom meatballs
First clean and chop the mushrooms. Add the minced pork, minced garlic clove, parsley, pecorino cheese and breadcrumbs to the mushrooms. Adjust salt and pepper and add 2 beaten eggs to the mixture.
Knead the mixture to amalgamate all the ingredients and once ready, prepare the meatballs. Once ready, dip the meatballs in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs. Fry in plenty of seed oil until golden brown. Remove from the oil and roll the meatballs in blotting paper. Serve hot.
