Quarterpound Meatballs

Great on spaghetti or zucchini noodles to save on calories.

This recipe makes 8 giant or 12 good-sized baked meatballs. 
Smaller meatballs don't bake well without drying out.

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Set up a large cookie tray with parchment paper on top so you are ready to form meatballs as soon as the mixture is ready.

2     lbs. 93% lean ground beef
1.5  cups Italian bread crumbs
0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1     Tbsp. Powdered oregano
1     Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1     tsp. salt
1     tsp. ground pepper
3    large eggs

Pull on some food-safe nitrile gloves and gently massage all the ingredients together until they are well-blended.

Divide the meat mixture into either 8 or 12 sections and roll the sections into balls.

Place each ball onto the parchment paper making sure no meatballs touch.

Put the tray into the heated oven and bake 25 minutes for smaller meatballs or 35 minutes for the quarterpound meatballs.

Place cooked meatballs into a large Dutch oven and pour two medium or 1 large jar of Rao's marinara sauce over them and quickly heat over moderate heat before serving over pasta or zucchini noodles.

Place on  giant or 2 large meatballs on top of cooked spaghetti or zucchini noodles, sprinkle with additional grated or shredded Parmesan cheese and serve.
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Excellent leftovers - we love to slice these and place them on a split loaf of Italian bread with a little sauce, a dash of Italian spices and thin slices of provolone and warm them in the broiler for lunch the next day.

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