Betty Crocker Meatball Recipe | Betty Crocker's Swedish Meatballs
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An old homemade recipe for Betty Crocker’s Swedish Meatballs; ingredients include ground beef, ground pork, onions, bread crumbs, parsley, Worchestershire sauce, egg, milk, salad oil, flour, paprika, salt, pepper, water, and sour cream.
What Is Meatball
A tiny, seasoned beef ball. Meatballs were likely made to use up extra meat by crushing scraps and adding fillings to hold the mixture together. The meatballs are used in soups, stews, sauces, and pasta. Meatballs are served as appetizers, side dishes, and main courses with spaghetti or noodles.
Spaghetti with meatballs and Swedish meatballs are popular European cuisines. Spaghetti and meatballs mix noodle strands, different pasta forms, meatballs, and pasta sauce. Swedish meatballs, called köttbullar, are made with beef, pig, veal, or a mix of meats. Meatballs are blended with flour and/or breadcrumbs, bread pieces, or mashed potatoes. Herbs and spices are added and heated before being covered with sauce. Swedish meatball sauces include brown gravy, white cream, and wine.
When shaping ground beef into balls, it may adhere to the hands; immersing them in water prevents this. A meatballer shapes meat into spherical balls to make meatballs easier. The meatballer makes uniform-sized and-shaped balls for meatball meals.
Fishballs and matzah balls are additional meatball-like meals. Fish balls are produced of fish and/or seafood blended with fillers and boiled, not baked or fried. Jewish matzah balls are boiled in a broth and served as a soup.
Who Invented Meatballs
Contrary to popular belief, the meatballs we know and love today did not originate in Italy. In fact, if you visit Italy and dine at a genuine restaurant, you will have a difficult time finding spaghetti and meatballs on the menu.
So, if meatballs did not originate in Italy, where did they originate? Unfortunately, no one knows who invented meatballs. Although the origins of meatballs are uncertain, they are said to have come from kofta, a Persian cuisine consisting of a combination of meats and either rice, bulgur, or mashed lentils. This cuisine expanded to different nations and civilizations throughout time.
When it arrived in Italy, the locals devised its own variation known as polpette. Polpette is made using meats ranging from beef to veal, as well as eggs, garlic, parsley, and cheese. This basic cuisine was combined and then molded into little balls, sometimes as large as marbles. Following that, the meatballs were served as a main dish or with a light soup broth.
History of the “Italian” Meatball in America
When Italian immigrants arrived in America in the nineteenth and twentieth century, they brought their delicious meatballs with them. While they continued to utilize the cheapest cuts of beef, folks began to experiment. They supplemented the meal with other components such as tinned tomatoes.
As Italian immigrants’ wages increased, they were able to fine-tune their meatballs even more. Because cost was less of an issue, they gradually began incorporating more meat into their recipes, resulting in a considerably bigger and thicker meatball than their usual polpette.
Soon after, they began mixing it with marinara sauce and noodles, resulting in the well-known meal of spaghetti and meatballs. This dish is still a popular choice for people looking for a tasty, substantial, and inexpensive supper.
Are Meatballs Good for You?
Meatballs are found in almost every cuisine, but most of us envision them in the Italian form, drowned in tomato sauce on a bed of spaghetti. Meatballs and fat are frequently associated. They are, nevertheless, a good source of protein. Meatballs should be consumed in moderation.
⇒ Meatball Calories, Fat and Protein
According to the USDA, a 3-ounce portion includes 243 calories and 18.9 grams of fat. In fact, fat accounts for 30% of the calories in meatballs. According to the Mayo Clinic, 6.5 grams of the amount contain saturated fat, which might raise your risk of heart disease.
Meatballs aren’t entirely terrible. Meatballs often contain a high amount of beef, and beef, according to the Food and Drug Administration, is a great source of high-quality protein that contains all of the necessary amino acids. Protein is necessary for growth and development, improves bone health, aids in gastrointestinal health, and aids in cell signaling.
Men should take at least 56 grams of protein per day, while women should ingest 46 grams, according to the National Academies of Sciences. Meatballs provide 12.2 grams of protein per 3 ounce serving.
⇒ Watch the Sodium
The majority of Americans drink more salt than is healthy for them. The 566 mg of sodium in the 3 ounce meatball meal accounts for a significant chunk of the 2,300 mg established by the American Heart Association as the maximum daily sodium limit for healthy persons. If you have high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease, the dose should be reduced to 1,500 mg.
Although salt is required for proper physiological function, excessive quantities have been related to hypertension, strokes, renal disease, and heart attacks. If you do eat meatballs, avoid the salt shaker and other processed meals on that day.
⇒ Mind the Micros
Beef in meatballs is also high in minerals, including zinc, iron, and vitamin B12. Zinc is a powerful antioxidant that aids in DNA repair and replication, according to the National Institutes of Health. Zinc is advised at 8 milligrams per day for women and 11 milligrams per day for males. This mineral is present in 1.41 milligrams per 3 ounce plate of meatballs.
Iron is present in 1.5 milligrams per serving of meatballs. This mineral is required for the transfer and storage of oxygen. The National Institutes of Health recommends 8 milligrams of iron per day for males and 18 milligrams for women.
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, vitamin B12 is essential for the health of nerve and blood cells. Adults should consume 2.4 micrograms of this vitamin per day. 0.85 micrograms are provided by a plate of meatballs.
Betty Crocker Meatball Recipe
This Betty traditional homemade meatball recipe is well-known for a reason. Home cooks have depended on this hearty meatball dish for years to demonstrate their culinary talents. This hearty main meal just requires eight staple ingredients. Got them? Great! The solution to tonight’s supper conundrum might be nicely browned and tender meatballs, if you have 15 minutes to spare and a 13×9 pan coated with foil. Delicious does not take long, really! Prepare spaghetti, rice, vegetables, or a salad in the interim because this dish fits with everything!
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
- 1/2 cup Progresso™ Italian-style bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
- 1 egg
Sauce
Preparation Method
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line 13×9-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place 1 inch apart in pan.
- Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until temperature reaches 160°F and no longer pink in center.
Sauce
- Blend flour, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper in oil in a skillet.
- Cook over low heat then add water and cook to boiling, stirring for one minute.
- Reduce heat and add sour cream; then meatballs and heat through.
Nutrition Facts
- 280 Calories
- 15g Total Fat
- 24g Protein
- 13g Total Carbohydrate
- 3g Sugars
Pro Tips On Betty Crocker Meatball Recipe
By baking these meatballs rather than pan frying them, you can cut prep time in half and prepare the rest of the meal while they’re cooking. Make a first-course antipasto dish of meats and cheeses during the baking period. After that, prepare a Caesar salad, reheat some garlic bread in the same oven as the meatballs, or steam some fresh veggies to go with the dinner. When it’s time for dessert, serve out bowls of delicious gelato or Neapolitan ice cream and you’ve made your own Italian feast. Generations of home chefs have relied on this baked meatball recipe because of its exact amounts of meat, bread crumbs, milk, egg, and seasonings. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of making meatballs, you can experiment with even more tried-and-true dishes and cutting-edge variations from Betty’s collection of the greatest meatball recipes.
Betty Crocker Meatball Recipe
A vintage handwritten recipe for Betty Crocker's Swedish Meatballs; make these meatballs with ground beef, ground pork, onions, bread crumbs, parsley, Worchestershire Sauce, egg, milk, salad oil, flour, paprika, salt, pepper, water, and sour cream. Print Recipe Pin RecipePrep Time 15minsCook Time 25minsTotal Time 40minsCuisine SwedishServings 4
Ingredients
- 1pound ground beef
- ½pound ground pork
- ½cupminced onion
- ¼cupdry bread crumbs
- Snipped parsley
- 2tbspsalt
- ½tbsppepper
- 1tbspWorcestershire sauce
- 1egg
- ½cupmilk
- ½cupsalad oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place 1 inch apart in pan.
- Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until temperature reaches 160°F and no longer pink in center.
Keyword meatballs
Some Common Questions
Q: What is the secret to making good meatballs?
- Pick the right meats. While you can make meatballs out of any ground meat, fattier meats like beef, lamb, and pork will yield more tender meatballs.
- Keep things cold.
- Add moisture.
- Taste test the mixture.
- Be gentle when forming the meatballs!
- Bake, not fry.
Q: Is it better to bake or fry meatballs?
When making meatballs, the meat is combined with bread crumbs and eggs for binding and seasoned generously with spices and herbs to enhance the flavor. While pan-frying is the fastest way to cook meatballs, baking them is simple and can save you a few calories.
Q: Is it better to boil or bake meatballs?
Boiling would set the shape of the meatballs and cook them more thoroughly, but you would lose a lot of the flavor! Baking would be a better way to cook them through.
Q: Should I add egg to meatballs?
You only need a small amount of egg – it’s there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn’t detract from the meat’s flavour or texture. Filler ingredients like breadcrumbs or flour are important too because they stop the meatballs becoming dry.
Q: Why did my meatballs come out tough?
When meatballs are packed together too tightly, they cook up tough, rubbery, and chewy. → Follow this tip: Being gentle is the name of the game when it comes to forming meatballs. Consider oiling your hands so the mixture won’t stick to them, and then gently and quickly form the meat into evenly sized balls.