Nana Margie's Italian Meatballs

       Judy, her mom Margie and me.  

I met Judy in 2001 in Denver, Colorado. We became fast friends after meeting at our children's highschool.  Both newcomers to Denver, we started "The Denver Newcomers Club" in 2001.  All our outings and events seemed to be centered around food. Many of us have remained close since those early days. Judy would host big parties, and serve delicious Italian and Greek dishes from her family recipes.  Here is her mom Margie's famous meatball recipe.  

Ingredients 

1/2 lb lean ground beef 
1/2 lb ground pork - or substitute sweet Italian sausage 
1/2 lb ground veal 
1 medium onion, chopped finely (or less)
1 TBS granulated garlic - or 4 fresh cloves, minced 
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (Progresso brand) 
1/4 tsp pepper 
salt to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil (or substitute fresh) *
1 tsp dried oregano (or substitute fresh) *
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce 
2 large eggs, beaten 
1/2 cup milk 

2-24-ounce jars of your favorite tomato sauce 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly, using your hands. 

Wet your hands, and roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. 

Place the meatballs on a foil-lined, greased cookie/baking sheet with sides. 
You can also use parchment paper. 

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until browned and just cooked through. 
Check after 15 minutes. They will cook more in the sauce. 

Place the cooked meatballs into your favorite tomato sauce. Rao's is very good and Michael's of Brooklyn is excellent, available at Whole Foods.   Simmer for about an hour. You can also simmer them on low in a crock pot (about 8 hours).

Serve as a side with pasta. Or make meatball sandwiches with crusty Italian bread and sprinkle with some grated mozzarella cheese. 

* If you have Penzey's Tuscan sunset, you can use 2 1/2 tsp instead of the oregano/basil. 
It may be difficult at time to find ground veal, in which case I have used equal amounts of beef and pork. 

You can make the meatballs and freeze 1/2 after they are baked. Then heat them up in sauce at a future date.