Use the quantities below and add 6 to 8 quarts of your favorite sauce to complete your meal. You might go Italian with a tomato sauce, or a Mushroom Stroganoff Recipe that makes 2 quarts of sauce is quick and great with the Swedish-seasoned meatballs. Heat the sauce thoroughly (allow 30 minutes), then add the cooked meatballs and simmer until they are hot through. If the meatballs have been frozen, they should be thawed 24 hours in the refrigerator, don’t add frozen meatballs to your sauce.
Meatballs for 25
About 1 hour for the meatball preparation, 30 minutes baking time for the meatballs, then 40 minutes simmering time in the sauce.
Mix together:
7 to 7-1/2 lbs. ground chuck
OR 4 lb. hamburger plus other ground meats to make the weight
4 eggs
3 grated onions with juice, you can substitute grated celery
4 cloves crushed garlic (optional)
Soak in water or milk, squeeze dry, shred and add:
6 slices bread
You may substitute 1 Cup dry bread crumbs or wheat germ, soaked in milk to moisten, or 1-1/2 cups cooked oatmeal.
For Italian seasoning, use:
4 Tablespoons mixed Italian herbs
1/2-1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seed
For stroganoff or Swedish meatballs use:
3 Tablespoons dill weed
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
Mix it all together, take out scoops no larger than 1/4 Cup, and roll each so it is firm but not tight. You might add a little extra soaked bread or wheat germ to get this to workable consistency.
Arrange them on broiler pans and broil, turning every few minutes, until browned on all sides. Or bake at 350o for 30 minutes, draining fat as needed. Set aside to drain.
Use immediately, or freeze flat on cookie sheets and tranfer to ziploc freezer bags. I keep several bags in the freezer for busy group cooking days.
Vegetarian option: This recipe can be prepared using ground wheat meat or unbeef seitan, soyburger in similar amounts, or reconstituted TVP made up as follows:
7-1/2 cups dry TVP burger
9 cups boiling water
Cool, add:
12 eggs
You may add extra soaked bread or wheat germ to get this to workable consistency.