How to Brown Meatballs

When browning meatballs, never crowd the pan because that will steam rather than brown them.

Meatballs are a fun way to serve spaghetti to your kids, and the whole family. Spaghetti and meatballs is surprisingly not an authentic Italian dish, but rather an American twist on the spaghetti recipe. Browning the meatballs are essential before adding them to the remainder of the dish. Browning is easy and only takes a few minutes to complete, so if you are making sauce along with the meatballs you may want to start the sauce first.

Things You'll Need

• Olive oil
• Frying pan
• Red wine (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat frying pan on high heat, and add 1 tbsp. of olive oil.

2. Add 1-inch round meatballs to the pan to sear and brown for two to three minutes on all sides.

3. (Optional) Add a little red wine to de-glaze the pan.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not crowd the pan by stacking the meatballs, because it will cause steaming instead of browning. You may have to cook them in batches to avoid overcrowding.

• Pour 1 tbsp. of olive oil into the pan per pound of ground meat.

• Do not overcook the meatballs, especially if you are adding them to sauce, because the sauce and meatballs will need to cook an additional 30 minutes.

References

• Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe: Simply Recipes

Resources

• Meatballs: recipes and cooking: Food Network