basic recipe

CLASSIC PORK MEATBALLS

FROM MELISSA JOULWAN OF WELL FED

Meatballs are the friendly result when the ground beef of a bunless burger is mashed up with the spices used in sausage. They’re fun, easy to make, quick to cook, and extremely versatile—plus, they’re delicious in both their original round form and when transformed into other recipes. This recipe uses classic seasonings, and the cream of tartar–baking soda combo creates meatballs that are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s pretty much kitchen magic!

MAKES ABOUT 84 MEATBALLS

PREP: 45 minutes COOK: 20 minutes TOTAL: 1 hour 5 minutes

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, combine the pork, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. In a small bowl, mix together the water, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Add the water mixture to the meat mixture and mix to combine. Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch balls (see Tip). Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time, until the meatballs are browned. Let cool.

Divide the meatballs into three portions (about 28 meatballs each) to use in Italian Meatball Soup (see recipe), Asian Sesame Noodles (see recipe), and Autumn Hash (see recipe). Store in airtight containers or resealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator before using.

TIP A 1-inch cookie dough or ice cream scoop makes the job of shaping the meatballs go faster. They will also be more uniform in size. Keep a small bowl of cool water nearby and use it to slightly dampen your hands occasionally, which will help keep the meat from sticking to them.

MELISSA JOULWAN

Melissa Joulwan is the author of the best-selling Well Fed cookbook series. Her most recent title is Well Fed Weeknights: Complete Paleo Meals in 45 Minutes or Less. She also blogs at MelJoulwan.com, where she shares her triumphs and failures in the gym, in the kitchen, and in life. Melissa has been a featured chef for U.S. Wellness Meats and Lava Lake Lamb, as well as an instructor at Whole Foods, and she’s a columnist for Paleo Magazine. After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and food as the enemy, Melissa found the Paleo diet in 2009 and has been happily following it ever since. That year, she also underwent a thyroidectomy. In the aftermath, she became particularly interested in how diet affects hormones, body composition, mood, and motivation. These days, her workouts are just as likely to include yoga and meditation as lifting heavy things and sprinting to stay ahead of the stopwatch.