Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, known for a variety of Food Network shows as well as his restaurants and cookbooks, shared a favorite meatball dish with Fox News Digital as a tasty and healthy option to prepare at home for family dinners during the week.
“It smells so delicious and there's nothing better than the smell for a true food souvenir,” he said of his dinner choice.
“It's a great idea for a weeknight dinner, as it can be made in large portions and frozen,” said the chef and restaurateur, who divides his time between Florida and New York. He is the host of “The Kitchen” and also a star judge on “Chopped.”
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The perfect meatball, he said, requires “lots of Parmesan cheese, ground pepper and a mix of pork and beef.”
He said it “should be toasted halfway through to lock in the flavors and then finished gently in a marinara.”
Chef Geoffrey Zakarian shared a favorite meatball and garlic bread recipe with Fox News Digital for fall — and pretty much any time of year. He said it's important to use a “high-quality blend of ground pork, veal and beef for the meatballs.” (Geoffrey Zakarian)
Garlic bread, he said, is also his favorite choice.
“It sure is,” he said in an email. “There are many ways to prepare.”
Said Zakarian: “Besides, no one ever says 'no thanks' to garlic bread!”
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Zakarian said he “learned to cook from my mother and four aunts. They lived to be 90 and were all great cooks and I learned how to make everything from them.”
He has presided over some of the country's top kitchens over the past 25 years. As the chef previously told Fox News Digital: “Food is the ultimate expression of love – sitting at the table with your family and friends, eating and drinking.”
Here, he shares his “Classic Meatballs with Garlic Bread” with Fox News Digital readers.
'Classic Meatballs with Garlic Bread' Recipe by Geoffrey Zakarian
“There are some important tips for this recipe,” he said.
First, he said, “use a mix of high-quality ground pork, veal and beef for the meatballs — and second, don't overmix. Otherwise, the meatballs will have a meatloaf consistency.”
When preparing the meat for this dish, “don’t overmix,” Chef Zakarian said. “Otherwise the meatballs will have the consistency of meatloaf.” (Geoffrey Zakarian)
As for garlic bread, he said, “You can, of course, include it in just about any pasta meal, but it also works as a warm pre-meal bruschetta if you cut it into small pieces and then top them with fresh bread. diced tomatoes.”
The recipe serves 4 to 6 people.
Ingredients for meatballs
1 large onion, cut into pieces
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cup of water
½ pound ground pork
½ pound ground veal
½ kilo of ground beef
3 large eggs
Chef Zakarian is shown during a culinary presentation in New York City in October 2022. He notes the addition of garlic bread to his classic meatball dish: “No one ever says 'no thanks' to garlic bread!” (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
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Pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
1. In a food processor, combine the onion, garlic and water. Beat until very homogeneous.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pork, veal, beef, eggs, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the onion puree and mix with your hands until well combined.
Halfway through cooking, place the garlic bread on the top rack and bake until toasted.
3. Wet your hands and form 24 meatballs with the mixture, placing them on a baking tray. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil. Book.
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4. Instructions for garlic bread. Cut the bread in half lengthwise and place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, Parmesan, minced garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme and garlic powder. Spread evenly on each cut side of the bread. Book.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake the meatballs on the lower rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until a thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into a meatball.
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6. Halfway through cooking, place the garlic bread on the top rack and bake until toasted.
7. Place the garlic bread on a cutting board, cut into eight pieces – and serve hot with the meatballs.
