I’m not sure how it happened but Spaghetti and Meatballs has become an absolute favorite meal for me.  And really, it’s all about the meatballs.  I like them big and soft and full of Italian flavors like garlic, basil and oregano.

My favorite combination for meatballs (or meatloaf for that matter) is a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal. Just add a few more simple ingredients and you are less than an hour away from heaven. Great. Big. Italian Meatball Heaven.

Making Meatballs

If I had to share one tip that I’ve learned about making meatballs (or meatloaf) is do not overwork the meat mixture.  

Combine all of your ingredients, except the meat, into a bowl then add your ground meat and gently mix until just combined.  I can do this with a few good squeezes of my hands before rolling into meatballs. 

One pound of ground meat will yield 8 great big meatballs.  Yes, they take a little longer to bake, but in my opinion it is so worth it.  You’ll find two meatballs is a generous serving, even for your hungry man.

Either pan brown the meatballs in olive oil, then transfer them to a baking dish.  Or bake them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Don’t get too particular about the browning process, this step lets the cooking process begin and tends to help the meatballs stay together before finishing in the sauce.

You can easily double or triple this recipe as I did above. Italian Meatballs are such a crowd pleaser and they’re just as good the next day!!

Once browned, cover your meatballs in a nice blanket of your favorite Marinara Sauce for baking or submerge them in a pot of your favorite tomato sauce and let them simmer gently.  If however, you’re not ready for baking…just cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until ready. 

You can definitely prepare these a day ahead, which makes them perfect for entertaining. 

Who doesn’t love great big Italian Meatballs.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Italian Meatballs

My favorite combination for meatballs (or meatloaf for that matter) is a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal. Just add a few more simple ingredients and you are less than an hour away from heaven. Great. Big. Italian Meatball Heaven.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork or ground veal
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 Tablespoon garlic minced
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• a good handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

For Pan Browning

• 2-3 Tbl. olive oil for pan browning

For Serving

• 2 cups Marinara Sauce
• Cooked pasta optional
• Garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the ground meat. Mix well. Add in ground beef and pork and gently combine with hands. Do not overwork mixture. Form mixture into (8) about 2 1/2-inch diameter balls.

For Pan Browning Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and reserve.
• Add 1 Tbl. olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, brown meatballs. Transfer to baking dish. Spoon marinara sauce over meatballs. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

For the Oven Browning Method

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes (for smaller meatballs reducee the cooking time). Transfer to a pot of marinara sauce and simmer gently for 15 to 30 minutes.

To Serve

• Serve meatballs over favorite cooked pasta. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

The post Italian Meatballs {Great Big Italian Meatballs} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I was walking with a friend last week and out of the blue… ‘stuffed artichokes’ to which I emphatically replied ‘yes’ love them.  Then I couldn’t get them off my mind.  Are you an artichoke fan? Steamed, then pull their lushes pedals off one by one and dunk them in butter or better yet a mayo/mustard dip?? Are you with me?

I steamed then stuffed these bad boys. I am a complete fan, grew up with them, fighting over the heart.

For the stuffing I started with butter. Because butter. Added garlic and shallot, a couple of my favorite aromatics, a little lemon juice and white wine.

Stuffing implies bread. Now here’s a story. We had our annual Christmas Party a few weeks back. Our catered dinner was from a favorite local restaurant, that delivered delicious Italian dishes, complete with hot from the oven bread sticks. When it came time to pack up leftovers, I ended up with a full pan of garlicky breadsticks. I turned them into breadcrumbs and froze them.  Three. Gallon. Ziploc. bags of breadcrumbs.

I love that they are newly introduced in this Stuffed Artichoke recipe.

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Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients

• 4 artichokes
• 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup
• 3 shallots finely diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh Flat Leaf Italian Parsley minced
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Instructions

• Trim artichokes. Cut the stem off, making a stable base. Cut an inch or so off the top, trimming the tough leaves with scissors.
• Bring a large Dutch oven or pot, fitted with a steamer basket and 2-inches of water to a boil. Place artichokes on steamer basket; steam for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare stuffing. Melt butter and saute garlic and shallot, 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice and white wine and simmer 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat and fold in breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan and seasoning.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• When artichokes are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to remove the choke, the most center leaves and furriness. Fill with stuffing, into cavity and between leaves. Top with more grated parmesan cheese.
• Bake in a foil covered dish for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

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I wanted to deliver comfort. 

The kind of comfort that if only for a meal would help ease the weight of the day. 

Our most popular recipe on Lemony Thyme is our Salisbury Steak.  Anytime I share it the response is overwhelmingly positive.  Today I’m sharing that recipe except in the form of Salisbury Steak Meatballs {with Mushroom Gravy}.

A time for comfort

It was five years ago when my family was coming to terms with my mom’s illness.  While it is still the darkest time of my life, it was also a time when we were reminded often how much love surrounded us.

We were spending nearly all day and night at hospice, hanging on to every minute with mom.  After the first couple of days faces became familiar.  Yes the faces of our wonderful nurses who delivered a comforting word when most needed, but also the faces of the family members visiting their loved ones in the room next door and down the hall on the right.  You could see the hurt in their eyes, just a gentle nod told them you understood.

It’s no secret that food is the way to our hearts. 

Our wonderful friends would come to visit often bringing a meal to share.  There was the day that a full out lasagna, Greek salad, and breadstick spread arrived just in time for lunch.  We fed the entire staff and still had leftovers.  Or when a friend brought a giant sack full of breakfast burritos that became midnight snacks and sunrise nourishment.

However, it was the day a friend walked through the doors of Embracing Hospice with a crock pot of meatballs and gravy and a giant bowl of homemade mashed potatoes, that our hearts swelled two sizes. 

Far more food than we could ever eat so we plugged in that crockpot in the community dining room.

I’ll never forget the couple that had arrived late the night before, as their parent was being admitted. 

They were lost and hurt and uneasy.  We recognized that familiar look. 

The next day they timidly entered the dining room and were greeted with a home cooked meal.  We overheard the lady say to her husband “isn’t it wonderful that hospice provides meals for the families.”  We never said a word, just gave a warm smile in complete agreement.

So for my friend Tammy and your beautiful family, know Salisbury Steak Meatballs come straight from the heart.  

You are brave. 
You are strong.  
You will overcome. 
And we’ll be here to support you along the way. 

xo Libby

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Salisbury Steak Meatballs {with Mushroom Gravy}

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 -6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the meatballs…

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbl. fresh parsley minced
• 1 Tbl. dried shallot and roasted garlic
• or 1 garlic clove & 1 shallot clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbl. butter for pan frying

For the mushroom gravy…

• 1 Tbl. butter
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 2 shallots thinly sliced
• 1 Tbl. fresh thyme leaves minced
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups beef broth
• salt & freshly cracked pepper

Instructions

For the meatballs…

• Combine ingredients and form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Melt 1 Tbl. butter in a large skillet. Working in batches, sauté meatballs for 3-4 minutes turning until all sides are nicely browned. Remove from pan and reserve.

For the mushroom gravy…

• Add 1 Tbl. butter, sliced mushrooms, and shallots and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the fresh thyme and cook an additional minute. Dust mixture with flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. The mixture will be thick. Gradually stir in beef broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing mixture to come to a boil in between each addition. Add more broth until desired thickness is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.
• Return meatballs to gravy, reduce heat to low, and allow to braise until meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

The post Salisbury Steak Meatballs {with Mushroom Gravy} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’ve been on a sentimental journey lately exploring old family recipes.  I could hardly wait to recreate Mom’s Deviled Crab Dip.  I actually didn’t remember it all that well, but the ingredients were so yummy and intriguing that I knew we’d love it.

This journey began about a month ago when my sister found an old recipe box that included many of the favorites that we grew up on.  The recipes were all hand written and the instructions were brief to say the least ;)

When I got to this point in the Deviled Crab Dip recipe I was a bit baffled with the instructions, which said to “stir in remaining ingredients.”  The “remaining ingredients” included two cups of fresh bread crumbs, yet the recipe said to “top with crumbs.”  Yikes!  Do I put the crumbs in with the crab, cream, eggs??  Or do I save them for the topping??

I did the only thing I knew to do.  I called my sister.  We kicked around the options and came to the conclusion that the crumbs must go in with the crab and that crumbs on top likely meant cracker crumbs.  The recipe below has been amended.

Deviled Crab Dip called for one pound of crabmeat.  I opted to use crab legs, but lump crabmeat would work well also.  This dip is rich and buttery with wonderful crunch and color.  I know why Mom chose to write this one down for us to remember.  It will become a new go-to favorite appetizer.

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Deviled Crab Dip

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 pound crabmeat
• 1/2 cup celery fine diced
• 1/2 cup scallion fine diced
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbl. parsley minced
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
• 1 Tbl. vinegar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• pinch of thyme
• pinch of salt
• dash of hot sauce
• 1/2 cup cracker crumbs for topping

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place large pan with 1-inch of water in oven.
• Combine crabmeat, celery, scallion, jalapeno, garlic powder and parsley. Saute in butter for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients through hot sauce.
• Pour into a buttered 1.5 quart casserole dish. Top with cracker crumbs.
• Place casserole in a water bath. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until hot & bubbly. Depending on how hot the water is may affect the cooking time. The top will be golden brown and the edges will be bubbly.

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Exhale.  Not sure how to spell that sound so do it with me…in through the nose out through the mouth.  We’ve made it half way through April aka National Grilled Cheese Month and have proudly shared a unique grilled cheese sandwich each day on our Facebook page.

The feedback has ranged from “Speechless” to “Girl. Giiiiiiirl. Yowza!!” to “I’m dreaming of Lobster Corn Chowder reconstructed into a grilled cheese.”  That was too good to ignore.  Thank you for the inspiration Sarah Mitchell.  Here is my version of your request.  Roasted Lobster & Corn Cake Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

I took my favorite ingredients from Lobster Corn Chowder and flame roasted them before combining with fresh bread crumbs, seasonings and an egg white to bind it all together.

As it turns out, my ‘cakes’ didn’t want to stay together all that well.  So I sandwiched them between some crusty bread and covered them in a blanket of shredded pepper jack cheese.  I think that did the trick.

As I was picturing this beauty the sun came out for the first time all day.  I love the warmth it gives this picture.  Roasted Lobster & Corn Cake Grilled Cheese Sandwich has just inched it’s way onto my favorites list.  Hope you enjoy it too.

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Roasted Lobster & Corn Cake Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 ear of corn
• 1 lobster tail
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 slice bread crust removed & finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• salt & pepper
• egg white binder
• 2 ounces pepper jack cheese shredded
• 4 slices crusty bread
• butter for grilling

Instructions

• Place corn and lobster tail in a steamer basket over simmering water; cover and steam for 10 minutes. Remove lobster meat from tail.
• Flame roast lobster tail, corn, and jalapeno to lightly char the outside (can use a broiler as well).
• Cut corn off cob, chop lobster tail, fine dice jalapeno and combine with bread crumbs, seasoning and egg white. Form into two patties.
• Heat 1 Tbl. of butter in a skillet. Pan fry patties on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place patties on bread slice topped with shredded cheese and second slice of bread. Add additional butter and pan grill sandwiches until golden brown on both sides.

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