Spicy Meatballs with Chimichurri

BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE

December 2023

Meatball recipes run in families, and making (and eating) meatballs is part of my earliest food memories. Yet the recipes are most often shared in conversation and demonstration, and they are largely intuitive. It’s a little of this, and a little of that.

Because of this, I’ve been handed some unclear advice over the years about critical steps in the process – how much to mix, what type of breadcrumbs to use, whether to use water or milk. It’s no surprise that for many of my early years of cooking, I never made the same meatball twice.

Soon I realized it was time to test the ingredients and process that I thought made the most tender, moist and delicious meatball. And once I finally had the mysteries solved – which I’ll share with you in the recipe below – it became easy to transition from traditional spaghetti and meatballs to recipes like these Spicy Meatballs with Chimichurri, which are a little bit spicy from the unexpected addition of hot Italian sausage, and herbaceous from the bright, acidic chimichurri sauce.

You’ll notice that I start with whole ciabatta bread. One of the first things I realized was that fresh breadcrumbs yield the best texture in any meatball. I make fresh breadcrumbs by gently toasting slices of ciabatta bread in a 250° oven until they just begin to dry out.

Then I cool them completely before pulsing in a Vitamix blender. A food processor also works, however I find that I get a more consistent crumb faster with a high-powered blender. I rarely need to make breadcrumbs for a specific recipe. Instead, I make and freeze batches when I have leftover bread.

Once you have your breadcrumbs prepared, it’s time to make the panade. A panade is a traditionally a mixture of bread and dairy. As long as it sits for a bit to allow the bread to absorb all of the liquid, it will keep your meatballs tender. In addition to the bread and heavy cream, I also add in all of my spices – onion and garlic powder, and oregano - as well as a quarter cup of parmesan cheese, one beaten egg and salt.

Let the panade sit for around 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cream is fully absorbed. Then mix in the ground beef and sausage. I’ve often been told to not overmix the meat, but you do really have to make sure the breadcrumb mixture is fully incorporated and consistent. To do this, take the time to mix it gently and thoroughly by hand. Don’t worry about overmixing. You’re only going to ruin the texture of the meatball if you use equipment like a mixer or food processor.

For any meatball, the ratio of ingredients is very important. I’ve found that two pounds of 80% lean ground meat, one cup of fresh breadcrumbs, one large egg and a quarter cup of cream is an excellent ratio. From there, I can flex the recipe to include any type of ground meat and any spices and I know it will be perfect every time.

Pan-frying meatballs is a messy chore. Baking them on a sheet pan is simple, easy to clean up and allows me to drain off any excess fat without it ending up in the final dish. This recipe yields about two dozen meatballs when you roll then into one inch balls. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes, or until they are fully cooked through. You can shorten the time slightly to put them under the broiler for a few minutes toward the end of cooking to increase the browning, if you choose.

While the meatballs bake, prepare the chimichurri. One of my favorite fresh sauces, this chimichurri is an incredible accompaniment to meat, fish and roasted vegetables.

Finely chop the parsley, garlic, and red bell pepper, then whisk together with white wine vinegar, olive oil and salt. Spoon over the meatballs or serve alongside as a dipping sauce.

These meatballs are my go-to for a party, holiday dinner appetizer or buffet table. If you’ve never considered adding hot Italian sausage to your meatballs before, this is one to try. They’re just a little spicy, so tender and balanced perfectly with the fresh chimichurri.

---

SPICY MEATBALLS WITH CHIMICHURRI

Season: Any

Serves: 4-6

Meatball Ingredients

1 ½ lbs ground beef (80% lean)

½ lb hot Italian sausage, removed from casings

1 cup homemade ciabatta breadcrumbs

¼ cup parmesan cheese

¼ cup heavy cream

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

2 ½ tsp salt

Chimichurri ingredients

1 ½ cups fresh parsley

½ medium red bell pepper

2 cloves of garlic, grated

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 425°.

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Stir in one beaten egg and the heavy cream until it makes a loose paste. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs absorb most of the liquid.

Add in the ground beef and sausage, and mix well with your hands until the meat and breadcrumbs are evenly incorporated.

Roll into 1” balls and place on a prepared baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked. Turn the broiler on if you want to speed browning.

For the chimichurri, finely dice the parsley, garlic and red pepper and add to a small bowl. Mix in the olive oil, vinegar and salt.

Serve warm with chimichurri sauce spooned over the top or as a dipping sauce.

Recipe notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all recipes are developed with Kerrygold salted butter and Diamond Kosher salt. If you prefer to use unsalted butter, adjust the seasoning to your taste. If you use table salt, decrease recommended quantities of salt by around half.