Meatballs

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
¼ c. plain dried bread crumbs
1 lb. ground beef

Stir together the onion, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. Stir in cheese and breadcrumbs. Using your hands, mix in the ground beef. Shape into balls. Bake at 350 degrees (or deep fry) until cooked through. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your meatballs.

Add in: Forming the meatballs around a bite sized piece of mozzarella cheese gives them an added surprise.

Serve alone as appetizers (they’re very flavorful by themselves), with spaghetti, or freeze after cooking and prepare in crock pot with bbq or jelly sauce—the same way you would make traditional cocktail weenies.

This is a modified version of the meatballs that Giada de Laurentiis prepared for her Italian Wedding Soup recipe in her cookbook, Giada’s Family Dinners.