There are some strong opinions about meatballs. I worked as a server in an Italian* restaurant about 10 lifetimes ago, and a regular customer would order spaghetti and meatballs… every. single. time. And every single time, he’d declare that The Spaghetti Factory made better meatballs. And every single time, I thought, “Then go to The Spaghetti Factory! Why are you here?!” But what I did was smile and tell him, “I’ll let the chef know.”

People get infatuated with what constitutes an excellent meatball. They should be sweet or savory, include oregano or NEVER include oregano, or should be small or the size of a giant’s fist. It doesn’t really matter, because the common denominator is; they are always gone. My husband is a big fan of this version especially on a sub or as something easy to defrost for dinner.

I combined a few recipes here, and I learned the hard way not to cook these on tinfoil because of how much they stick. All sorts of ugly and angry. Parchment on a cookie sheet will wield excellent results.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons basil
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Don’t overmix. Roll a golf ball-size meatball by hand and place on parchment paper (They’ll stick to tinfoil). Bake 12 minutes. Carefully flip the meatballs. Bake another 8 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees. They are ready to eat at this point or add a few to your favorite marinara sauce and simmer for 30 minutes or longer.

FREEZING: To freeze the meatballs before adding them to the sauce, first let them cool. Then, place the meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes. Once frozen, put the meatballs in a ziploc baggie. Mark the date on the bag and use within 3 months. To use, thaw the meatballs and either heat in the microwave or simmer in marinara sauce for ~30 minutes.

Makes about 24 meatballs.

*It was a chain restaurant that many people adore, and yet others call it the the Denny’s of fine dining.