1 tablespoon (15ml) of your favorite bottle of “Italian” seasoning. Note – check if it already has salt in it before adding separately. 1/2 teaspoon (7ml) oregano, garlic and onion powder, cracked red pepper, rosemary, and/or thyme 1 packet powdered onion or mushroom soup mix. 1 Adobo chili mixture or spice packet, with salt. [1] X Research source
If desired, add the small diced onion here as well. Onion, when cooked, is a savory-sweet complement to the meat. Once it looks well mixed, you can stop. Extra mixing isn’t helpful, and the more you mix the meat, the tougher it gets. [2] X Research source
If you make larger meatballs, you may need to cook them a little longer, lowering the heat to prevent burning. Smaller balls can dry out if cooked too long. They must hit high heat, brown, and then come off quickly before over-cooking. . [3] X Research source
A slow-cooker filled with sauce and meatballs can accomplish the same thing for beautifully rich, slow-cooked meatballs. To make them, add the sauce and meatballs to the cooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. [4] X Research source
Once they are just about finished, crank the heat to high or put them in the broiler for 1 minute to get a wonderful brown crust on the tops. [5] X Research source
Whole garlic will have a sharper, slightly spicy flavor. Chopped garlic will take on a slight nutty sweetness as it cooks.
If the garlic is finely chopped, wait a minute to add it. The small pieces will cook, and burn, much faster than the onion will.
Even if you don’t use wine, deglaze the pan quickly before moving on to get these bottom bits. Let the liquid mostly dissolve before proceeding.
If you want to use fresh tomatoes, you must blanch and peel them in advance. Put 7-10 Roma tomatoes in boiling water until the skin loosens (1 minute), then immediately drop them in a bath of ice water. You can then easily pull the skins off, saving the juices and cooking like normal from here out. [7] X Research source
Handful of fresh basil (note that smaller leaves tend to have the most flavor) 1-2 Bay leaves Oregano, Rosemary, and/or Thyme Ground black or crushed red pepper Fresh parsley. [9] X Research source
A splash of water, water with 1 tablespoon tomato paste, or a bit of chicken/vegetable broth can all be used to thin a sauce that is too thick. [11] X Research source Don’t worry if you over-thin out a sauce – it will thicken again as it heats up.
This is also a great way to keep the meatballs hot if you still need to cook spaghetti.
White meatballs, in particular, go well with fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme.
If the sauce is a bit too strong due to the paste, add a tablespoon of sugar to balance it out and give the sauce a light sweetness.
This is a great way to sneak some vegetables into a kid’s sauce, as well. Once they are blended up, they will have no idea it is in there. [16] X Research source
