Traditionally, an equal parts blend of beef, pork & veal is used, but if unavailable or to preference you can use any one meat or combination of 2. You can even use ground pork or chicken for a more lean meat. These can be pan fried (messy but crispier outside) or baked. We always used stale bread dipped in warm milk instead of breadcrumbs, and Grandma always said to roll them counter clockwise.
Note: For stale bread, you want to dunk into warm milk and rip apart into the mix. You want to mix it in very well so there are not large chunks of bread poking out.
Roll up your sleeves, remove your jewelry and mix all ingredients until a consistent mixture.
Add a little olive oil to your hands to prevent sticking and roll meatballs to the desired size, a little bigger than a golf ball, and add to an oiled sheet pan.
Note: If you want perfectly portioned meatballs you can use an ice cream scooper.
Bake meatballs until well-browned underneath, about 15 minutes. Using a stiff metal spatula, pry up and turn over meatballs (they may want to stick a bit). Bake until browned on second side and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each one registers 160°, 5–7 minutes.
Note: You can pan fry if you prefer a crispier outside, but it is a bit messier.
Lastly, you can par cook your meatballs in either the over or stove top and finish in your Monte’s Sauce on a low simmer. Or you can heat your Monte’s up on the side and spoon on top, or toss to coat right before you serve. This is my preferred method as i find it keeps the meatballs flavorful and juicy.
