Italian Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese (Sargento)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1/4 cup white button mushrooms (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
extra virgin olive oil (for frying)
salt

garlic pepper

Mix all meatball ingredients together (by hand is the best way to make sure everything is combined). Shape meatballs to desired size.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Place meatballs into skillet and continue turning the meatballs until they are brown on all sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take meatballs out of the skillet and place on paper towels.  Then place on a greased cookie sheet (I like to use aluminum foil for easy clean up.  Bake for 15 minutes until done.  When they are done I usually put them in a crockpot with marinara sauce on low until ready to serve.  You can use your own sauce or I really like Barilla Traditional sauce http://www.barilla.com/content/product/traditional-sauce.  Serve over spaghetti or linguine. Enjoy!

My son really wanted meatloaf this weekend and I had an Italian meatloaf recipe that I was really wanting to try out, so how did I end up with meatballs?  Well I made the meatloaf and meatballs out of the same recipe.  The only difference is that you pat the meatloaf out into a rectangle on a cookie sheet, making sure it is even.  Then you cover the top with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.   Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  I had a meeting tonight so it was easier to bring meatballs and I left the family with the meatloaf.  Everybody seemed happy with the result.