Jonny’s Famous Meatballs

These meatballs are made juicy and delicious with the use of finely crushed salted crackers instead of bread crumbs. A great dish for a big crowd.

When you have a big hungry crowd, what do you do? Especially if that crowd wants delicious food very soon?

Recently, my brother invited us for dinner and he prepared a fantastic spaghetti and meatballs dish. Now, I’ve had spaghetti and meatballs many times, and usually it’s pretty average, sometimes good, and very rarely great.

But this time, it was a winner. These little guys were juicy, flavor-packed and even though I couldn’t eat any more, I still wanted more and more. He likes to use his favorite sauce, so you can use whatever pasta sauce you prefer.

One of his tips was to actually cook the onion and garlic a bit before you add them to the meatballs. Oh, and also to use salted crackers instead of breadcrumbs. Don’t ask me why—but the result is delicious.

To crush the crackers, simply add them in a bag or bowl and Hulk smash. This is a particularly healthy activity, especially after a long day 🙂

Not to mention, these meatballs are of course a great dish to serve to a large crowd. There were about 8 of us there, children and adults all hungry, and we ate and ate and ate. Even the picky little eaters couldn’t keep their hands off (of course, kids also love to paint their faces with the meat sauce, but that’s another story).

As I mentioned before, this one will make quite a bit of meatballs, so you’ll need a big, nicely-sized high-quality saucepan. Not 100% sure where Jonny got his, but you can pick up a pretty good stainless steel saucepan from Amazon for a relatively good price.

If you want to serve a big crowd a delicious meal that’s easy and cheap to make, you should definitely stick with the classics.

Get the recipe below.

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Jonny's Famous Meatballs

These meatballs are made juicy and delicious with the use of finely crushed salted crackers instead of bread crumbs. A great dish for a big crowd.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 10 people

Calories 383 kcal

Author Meyer Food Blog

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 lbs ground beef (1 kg)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup salted crackers, finely crushed
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• spaghetti, cooked to package instructions
• your favorite pasta sauce

Instructions

1. In a large pan over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of the olive oil and fry the onion for about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. 

2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, oregano, red pepper, egg, crushed crackers, basil, and salt & pepper. Add in the cooked onion and garlic and mix well.

3. Shape the meat balls—you should get about 20 large or 30 medium, but you can make them whatever size you prefer.

4. Add 1/3 of the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry your meat balls individually. This will probably take 3 batches, depending on the size of your pan. You want them browned, but not cooked through. They will finish cooking in the sauce.

5. In a separate large saucepan, bring your favorite pasta sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add in the meatballs and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

6. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. When ready, serve the meatballs over the spaghetti, with a good dose of freshly grated Parmesan.

   Bon appetit!