If you are looking for cocktail meatballs, here's a great recipe that a caterer (friend) shared with me:

COCKTAIL MEATBALLS
2 pounds ground beef (lean)

1 cup cornflake crumbs

2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup parsley flakes

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon garlic salt
1/3 cup catsup

2 tablespoons minced onion

Mix together, make balls and place in flat casserole dish or pan (13x9 or 15x10.)

In separate bowl, mix:
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 - 12 oz. Jar of chili sauce (not relish type)

Pour over meatballs. Bake about 1 hour at 350̊. These meatballs can be made ahead, frozen and cooked the day of the party.

If you are looking for meatballs to go with spaghetti sauce, here's my mother's recipe:

MEATBALLS
2 Pounds Ground Beef
2 Beaten Eggs
3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (optional)
5 Tablespoons Bread Crumbs
1 Teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1 Chopped Onion
Italian Seasoning
Chopped Garlic Clove
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix and make meatballs; either bake or fry until they start to get a little brown.

I haven't ever had the kind you're talking about, but if by "light" you mean delicate/tender, I think the key for that is to add a little milk to your meatball mix along with bread crumbs.

I've only made them once....a recipe I got on Pinterest, and though they tasted good.....the texture was mushy, I didn't like that. I heard that when you form them, use a light touch, but I'd like to find a recipe where they aren't mushy. That ruined them for me.

Are the bread crumbs supposed to be dry bread crumbs or fresh?

I wanted the particular kind I found at Walmart with cheese and jalapeño. When I made mine I didn't use breadcrumbs, maybe that is where I went wrong.

Wanda your recipes look wonderful!

I bought some great value homestyle meatballs, what I thought was that it's very little meat and mostly fillers. Personally, I didn't care for them very much. Look at the ingredients label and see if that gives you a clue as to what's really in them.

In my experience, lightness comes from moisture, whether milk, water, or the moisture from vegetables, but I've never made pork. I'd also grate the cheese very finely so it didn't become pockets of solid fat.

There's another really important thing in keeping meatballs light rather than rubbery -- don't over handle them. If you roll it around like a superball, you're going to get a superball. Which is a good thing if you're playing jacks, or simmering for a long time in a sauce. If you want a soft, light, delicate meatball that's browned in a pan or the oven, rather than boiled, however, don't compress it. I portion with a scoop, then quickly roll between my hands, once forward, and once sideways, but without pressing more than just to keep it from falling on the floor. That's just enough to tighten the surface so it browns nicely, but doesn't compact the middle at all.

Instead of breadcrumbs, I use matzah, whirred in the Cuisinart, usually whole wheat. It's already dry, and has no oil or seasonings so I don't have to account for that in flavoring my meatballs. My proportions are one piece of matzah and one egg per half pound of beef. Poultry is pretty sticky and usually only needs one egg per pound.

This is the recipe I use for meatballs for spaghetti.

1 lb. ground beef

1 egg-maybe 2 depends on the consistency

1/3 cup dried bread crumbs

¼ cup parmesan cheese

almost a ¼ cup water

As mentioned gently roll them, place in a greased casserole & bake. I find they turn out tough frying them. But then I do not have much luck frying anything.

Check this out: jalapeno cheese meatballs http://www.hungryharps.com/2011/09/meatball-monday-jalapeno-cheeseburger.html

Dampened bread or grain product is called a panade. Adding even a small amount mixed in to ground meat, even for hamburger but especially meat balls, will keep the end product moist and light. Google the word for more info.

Glenda, that is pretty much how I made them, but Walmart's are better. Maybe I rolled them around too much.

Sinidely, thank you. I will add some panade and also be careful not to overhand the meatballs and see if that improves them.

I have some fresh made meat balls I just bought to make spaghetti and meatballs. I was going to fry them but instead will bake them. Thanks for that tip. What temperature and time do you use Janey?

I use an old recipe my mother used to make us when I was a kid. I mix a couple of lbs of hamburger with Contadina Italian seasoned bread crumbs (and my mother would also add some cooked rice sometimes too) and an egg or two. Then I add a mix of Italian seasonings and the usual parsley, onion and garlic. The egg is to keep it moist, but I also avoid using the flake seasonings as much as possible and stick with the powdered instead.

I cook ours in a tomato sauce that has the same seasonings in it and my family loves to use that as gravy on rice or mashed potatoes.

I think the texture can also depend greatly on the kind of beef one uses, I've noticed the leaner the meat, the more gritty it seems to be. I hate gritty but don't want fatty meatballs either. So now I'll make them the day before with a 20/80 beef and skim the fat off after they've chilled over night.

My DH & SIL enjoy their meatballs stuffed in bell peppers, I'm not a fan of cooked bell pepper but it really adds flaver when I cook them together with the regular meatballs.

Never heard of pork meatballs but I like the idea of using a mix of beef and pork (italian sausage maybe?) and adding some parmesan cheese. That sounds really yummy!

So the breadcrumbs are typically supposed to be the dried ones rather than fresh?

yep...the dried ones is what I use.

That is a good idea Janey, I usually brown mine with the onion and garlic for the sauce, but I can always saute them instead.

I've tried basically the same recipe as above, but instead of bread/breadcrumbs I used sodacrackers and had excellent results. I put them in a baggie and roll a tin of soup over to crush them to a fine consistency. Tried fresh bread (the crust on the end of the loaf torn into small pieces) but they turned into 'mushy meatballs'.

Use 1/2 ground sirloin, 1/4 uncooked hot Italian sausage and 1/4 ground pork for moist and flavorful meatballs. I grate dried leftover Italian or French bread for the breadcrumbs. An ice cream scoop (whatever size you like, but I use No. 24, which is about 1/4 C size) makes the shape-forming quick and easy, and prevents toughness due to over-handling. For this size of meatballs, I bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes; internal temp. of 165.

I'd post my recipe, but it has a lot of fresh ingredients that takes time to chop and prepare. Maybe I am mistaken, but I think most cooks are more interested in quick nowadays.

These meatballs are usually the first ones to go at potluck. No one can guess the ingredient that makes them so tender. Tried and true.

The best basic meatballs...then add your own ingredients according to taste, cheese, peppers, spices etc.

2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/4 cups water
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400ºF.
Line 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil; spray with cooking spray. Mix ingredients just until blended; shape into 32 (1-1/2-inch) balls, using 1/4 cup for each.
Place in prepared pans. Bake 16 to 18 min. or until done (160ºF).

Easy way to get uniform sized meatballs is to line a pan with saran wrap, flatten the meat mixture in the pan and cut as you would a pan of squares, depending on how big you want your meatball. Roll and cook as per normal.

My SIL makes the best (Swedish) meatballs. I haven't made them in years, and neither has she....79 years old and will buy the Costco frozen, use her own sauce. Her original recipe called for crustless (I think) bread soaked in milk, squeezed partly dry before adding to the meat mix, not crumbs.

Actually -- I have NEVER eaten a meatball I thought was great. Serviceable, maybe, but never great. But then again I hate mixing grains in with the ground meat.

I will have (perhaps) to work on this.

It sounds like a challenge. I've made great beef meatloaf using sweet potatoes, and great ground pork meatloaf using apples. No drying-out grains, but some really healthy and moist-ly enjoyable substance to go along.

Okay, I simply (I think??) have to size things down?

(PS, I also cook gluten-free. I do not NEED to be gluten-free, but I figure with what I eat out, at the very least at home I can be gluten-free. So color me, Low-Gluten... And so far, everything still tastes at least equal or better without that gluten.)

As far as the panade is concerned, the only difference between using bread crumbs (whether browned or not) or just plain bread is the flavor, the same result happens to the meat no matter what is used. Same is true for using egg or another liquid, anything works, the grain just needs to be dampened.

I'd stay away from Stove Top type products or other similar prepared foods, most contain needless chemicals, trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup, too much sodium, and other things best not consumed. You can always add whatever herbs and spices desired for flavoring.

We're just like a family around here.

Everyone has value: I learned about panade today. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I personally like stove top. And I like all of you too.

I intended no offense, I'm sorry you interpreted my comment that way. I didn't say whether I do or don't share your view but there are a lot of people who don't.

I made the comment I did specifically with potlucks in mind. I know people who don't go to them or won't eat if they do precisely because they don't want to risk eating something that might have an ingredient they wish to avoid. Because there are so many with food allergies or other specific preferences running around these days, people will often make an announcement or include a note next to their dish to explain what it contains. Something that said "contains trans-fat and high fructose corn syrup" would go untouched. That's all.

PS after reading Lucille's comment - I agree, everyone has value, every comment has value, and people have different tastes. A comment that disagrees or expresses a different view does only that, it isn't necessarily negative. I do understand that style and the means of expression make a difference, it's a challenge I have that I know the friendly people here will accept me with as I continue to try to do better.

Eggs aren't just like any other liquid. They do function as the liquid, but the other thing they are is glue.

My go-to meatballs (which, coincidentally, I made a batch of today per request) have a lot of vegetables in them. The egg keeps it all stuck together. I used ground bison but do it with beef as well, 1 matzah (as crumbs) to 1 lb. meat, 1 egg to 0.5 lb. meat, seasoning, a large handful of dried parsley per pound of meat, 1 small onion, minced, per pound of meat, 1/3 - 1/2 lb. carrots, minced, per pound of meat. I put the veg in juice and all. Fresh parsley works fine. These were baked on parchment paper sprayed with oil at 365° F (convection bake) for about half an hour. Usually, I do 350° for more like 40 minutes, but I was in a hurry and they're forgiving.

This is a great recipe for chicken balls (I use half chicken and half turkey). It uses Italian bread soaked in milk, but even more with poultry, you don't wan to over-handle, including while you're mixing, or it goes very dense. The tomato paste on top is for color or they're very white, but you could use a reduced red pepper sauce, pesto, or just a brush of oil. I haven't made the peperonata, just make my own sauce. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baked-Chicken-Meatballs-with-Peperonata-354471#ixzz0zSpAmYzD

A classic panade is made from simple white bread and milk, or even water. It does the opposite of glue, it keeps the proteins in meat from linking too tightly when cooking, which keeps the end product moist and less dense. Those with Italian grandmothers who used old country recipes will recognize the technique as being the addition of moistened bread to a raw meatball mix. A panade can also be used to thicken soup (another way to make use of stale bread).

Yes, eggs can be used for glue as with an external egg dip before breading something. That's not what a panade is about.

Cooking is an occasional hobby for me, my source for information (and recipes) for the last dozen years or more has been Cooks Illustrated. What I know of panade use comes from them. Just as an example, they had a recipe an issue or two ago about using a panade for hamburgers to allow grilling to well done but still producing a burger that was light and moist.

Ravencajun, 350º for about 15 minutes.

I learned about panade, too, very interesting. And I like Stove Top, also!

My MIL taught me how to make meatballs for spaghetti. Use a mixture of fresh ground pork, veal and beef ( markets around here call it "meatloaf" mix ). an egg, minced fresh garlic, minced parsley and fresh bread crumbs (just toss a couple of pieces of slightly stale bread or rolls into a blender). form into balls and fry (in olive oil).

My Italian grandmothers only used panade for meatballs, never dried breadcrumbs. I prefer the panade. Occasionally they added ricotta that made them even more moist. A good meatball requires minimal ingredients. The key is not over mixing as they become dense. Some people brown before letting them cook in the sauce, some don't. I think browning adds an extra depth of flavor and texture. The sauce is key as well.

This is a great recipe....and makes a wonderful meatball

Lucille, the answer to why your homemade meatballs didn't come out like you wanted them to probably rests with the many additives in the WalMart brand. I just looked up the label and found that the meatballs have quite a few extra ingredients.

I'll bet that yours were delicious.

They were OK but not as yummy as Walmart's were.

Will try to make them again soon with panade. I'm waiting for a couple more jalapeños in the garden.

Thank you everyone who made suggestions. I made meatballs today and included a panade of breadcrumbs. They came out light and delicious.

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing the outcome. Can't ask for better than light and delicious!

BTW, the reason many of us specify dry crumbs is for control of the amount of moisture over all. Dry crumbs absorb better, and especially more better than if there's oil in the crumbs. This supposes that you're adding liquid. The crumbs are there to soak it up! When combined with eggs, the absorbent crumbs also become part of the glue. :) The "tooth" to the mortar, as it were. With the panade, you also have more control over the moisture. If your bread isn't quite stale enough to suck it all up, you can just work in the remaining liquid and all will be fine in the end. Other recipes use the quantity of moisture that a certain amount bread of bread will suck up, and actually want it to be pressed out, but, again, you have control.

My late mother in law made delicious meatballs and meatloaf, essentially the same recipe. Her "secret" is to cook the onions (fry them in a little oil until they get soft and translucent) before adding them to the mixture.

I'm not a meatball person. I had never heard of 'Matzah' and looked that up so now I know something new. I looked up the recipe Glenda posted for the Jalapeno Cheeseburger Meatballs. I've been looking for some gourmet burger ideas like the meat department at the grocery store sell without cost. I will make this recipe this weekend as burgers instead of meatballs. We'll see how it tastes.

I made dry meatballs for many, many years until I switched from dry bread crumbs to fresh. Now they taste like Mom's, who couldn't cook but made a mean meatball. I use two slices of firm white bread and run them through a food processor. The crumbs are light and fluffy and only need a few tablespoons of milk. None of that soaking and squeezing of soggy bread like most recipes say.

I also started using fattier beef. I think that's the real key to a lighter meatball with more flavor. Buy 85% ground beef or add some fattier beef to lean. I mix 80% ground beef with 92% because that's how it's sold at the butcher shop. One pound of beef needs one egg. I always add finely chopped onion, salt and pepper. I had been leaving out the salt since I don't use much in cooking, and that was a mistake. Throw in some chopped parsley or Italian parsley if you want to get really creative. Sometimes I add grated parmesan--the real stuff, not the green can. I bake them and never have a problem with mushiness.

threejs, are you having a bad day? Too much caffeine? Why can you interject an opinion but when "SW" puts an opinion, where he clearly states that *he* would not do something, why does that cause such venom and attacks? He didn't attack you, why attack him? He didn't say nobody else could, he simply said he would avoid the chemical products. Nothing wrong with expressing an opinion. Looks to me like the "one way or the highway" attitude can be seen in somebody's own mirror, eh? No need to overreact when someone has a different opinion than you. That's what the forum is about, exchanging ideas and opinions. SW is not the one who needs to apologize here, IMO.

Back to the topic. Essentially a meatball is nothing more than a mini meatloaf and a meatloaf is just a big meatball. What's good in meatballs is so subjective it's hard to give advice. Some like a loose meatball/meatloaf. Then handle it less. If you like it firmer, which I do, pack it a bit more. I like minimal fillers. (And for the record I'm saying "I" like it this way, not saying someone else is wrong for liking them different! lol) I don't like them spongy. Some seem to confuse spongy for light or tender or whatever. I also like a good crust on meatloaf and meatballs so I like meatballs fried, and I think it adds flavor. My meatloaf has improved since using bread rather than breadcrumbs. And I learned to always moisten them a bit before adding. I also think it improves a loaf/ball to mix the meats, I use ground beef and pork sausage. The texture is different and it's not as "hard" as beef only.

Since my sister is Celiac, I've tried experimenting with using shredded potatoes or instant potatoes as the filler/binder. I've read a lot of peoples' opinions that the dried spuds work well. No firm opinions on it yet but might be something to consider.

Cynic, you might also try using rice. I think it works best when it's cooked but then allowed to dry somewhat, so leftover rice (if it's plain) is great for this. Some people grind it to coarse, but I've found that it works fine whole. It's not a binder, per se, but it gives everything else something to stick to.

I made meatballs this afternoon. I usually make a couple dozen and freeze them. That way you have them on hand for last minute spaghetti dinner or for a meatball sub. I'll give them to my kids to take back to their apartments and they're happy to have a quick meal in the freezer - one son just defrosts them and pretends they're miniature round meatloaves.

I put a few slices of bread in in my Cuisinart to make fresh bread crumbs and I combine them with a little grated Parmesan cheese. A friend told me about baking them in the oven years ago and I think they stay moister that way. I've never had to grease or oil the pan.