The meatball alone is slightly salty, a little smoky, very juicy and oh so delicious.

Not going to lie, several meatballs never found their way to the Hawaiian sweet rolls, they were that good.

The Ingredients

For the Kalua Pork we used ground pork shoulder plus two key ingredients. Liquid Smoke and Hawaiian Sea Salt are the signature ingredients.

First for the pork, I wanted to be sure the fat content was high enough to keep the meatballs juicy. So I had the butcher grind a boneless pork shoulder roast (Boston butt).

The Liquid Smoke was a first for me. Every Slow Cooker Kalua Pork recipe I could find (and there are hundreds) included it. I feared a ‘fake’ smoke taste but was pleasantly surprised. Just a small amount (1/2 teaspoon) deliver a great smoky flavor.

The final and truly authentic ingredient was the Alaea Sea Salt, also known as Hawaiian red salt.

For the sea salt, we actually brought back a couple different salts from a trip to Hawaii, both very reminiscent of the beautiful beaches we explored.

No worries if you don’t have a Hawaiian vacation in your near future, you can find the Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt at Cost Plus World Market or online.

I interrupt this Kalua Pork Meatball Slider recipe post to share some black lava and red clay pictures from our Hawaii vacay 2019.

And we’re back!

Classic Kalua Pork is a whole pig wrapped in banana leaves, then slow roasted in an underground oven called an Imu and traditionally served at a Luau.

However on the mainland, it is also very common (and much easier) to make Kalua Pork in a slow cooker with the same three ingredients – boneless pork shoulder, Alaea sea salt and Liquid Smoke.

I wanted to infuse all of the smoky slow roasted flavor I possibly could into our Kalua Pork Meatballs so I cooked them on our Primo Smoker at 275 -300 degrees F for an hour.

The Process

While bacon wasn’t part of my original plan, it served as a way to keep the meatballs from sticking to the pan and in turn became the perfect addition to our Kalua Pork Meatballs Sliders.

If you don’t have a smoker you can certainly cook these in the oven at 350 degrees. F. for 20 minutes.

How to Build the Sliders

Here’s how we build the sliders.

First I grilled King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and fresh pineapple rings (which I trimmed slightly first so they would fit the bun).

I made a simple coleslaw of cabbage and carrot tossed in a little mayonnaise dressing (same that we use for the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad) and a spicy mayo spread for the toasted buns.

The flavor combinations were out of this world.

The Kalua Pork Meatball was definitely the star with a nice smoky flavor.

The sweetness of the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and grilled pineapple balanced the spicy mayo, while the coleslaw brought a little crunch.

The bacon was a straight up bonus to this handheld slider!

I made a classic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad to go with our Kalua Pork Meatball Sliders. What a perfect lunch plate or addition to your game-day spread or backyard gatherings!

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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Kalua Pork Meatball Sliders

The flavor combinations were out of this world. The Kalua Pork Meatball was definitely the star with a nice smoky flavor. The sweetness of the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and grilled pineapple balanced the spicy mayo, while the coleslaw brought a little crunch. The bacon was a straight up bonus to this handheld slider!

Course Burger, Entree or Appetizer, Sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground pork shoulder
• 1 teaspoon Alaea sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
• 4 slices thick cut bacon

For the Coleslaw

• 3/4 cup finely shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
• 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Sliders

• 8 Hawaiian sweet rolls
• 8 slices grilled pineapple
• 1 cup cabbage/carrot coleslaw see recipe above
• 3 Tablespoons Spicy mayo equal parts mayonnaise and sriracha

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Preheat smoker grill to 250° F or oven to 350° F. Combine ground pork, liquid smoke and sea salt. Form into 8 meatballs, about 2-inch in diameter. Line a cast iron skillet with bacon slices. Place meatballs on top of bacon and smoke for 1 hour at 250°-300° F or bake in oven at 350° F for 20 minutes or until internal temperature of meatballs reaches 165° F.

For the Coleslaw

• Combine coleslaw ingredients in a small bowl.

For the Sliders

• Grill the pineapple slices and sweet rolls. Layer each toasted roll with a pineapple slice, 1/2 slice of bacon, a meatball, a small spoonful coleslaw, spicy mayo and top of roll. Secure each with toothpicks.

The post Kalua Pork Meatball Sliders appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

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.

Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs. 

I intentionally did not call this a recipe for Pasta e fagioli, although it was clearly my inspiration. 

Pasta e fagioli is traditionally a meatless dish, comprised of pasta and beans in a tomato base.  When I did my standard recipe research I had a hard time avoiding the bazillion copycat recipes for Olive Garden’s Pasta e fagioli.  

We may be the only family I know who has not had a bowl of Olive Garden’s Pasta e fagioli.  I’m sure it’s delicious but I chose not to compete with the masses.

Instead I’m delivering Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs, inspired by Pasta e fagioli AND the delicious Italian Meatballs we enjoyed over the weekend.  I think this was a combination of win.

I’ve made it known that I have a soft spot for meatballs.  In fact I’ve even shared with you my Food Truck Fantasy (Mobile Meatballs).  They seemed like a great combination with this tomato based soup.  I prebaked the meatballs for 10 minutes so they would firm up a bit and hold their shape when added to the soup.  They then completed their cooking nestled in the fabulous broth.

Besides the white beans, the addition of small pasta, such as Ditalini is key in this soup.  I cooked the pasta separately and added it to individual serving bowls.  This way, if there were any leftovers, the pasta didn’t drink up all of our broth.  I’m delivering a bowl of Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs to one of my favorite taste-testers (who happens to be a big fan of Olive Garden’s Pasta e fagioli).  I’ll let her report back.

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Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs {Pasta e fagioli inspired}

I'm delivering Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs, inspired by Pasta e fagioli AND delicious Italian Meatballs.

Course Main Course

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the meatballs…

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

For the soup…

• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 2 celery ribs chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 30-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Marinara or tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 15-ounce cans white beans such as Cannellini or Great Northern, drained and rinsed.
• 1/2 pound Ditalini dried pasta or other small pasta

To serve…

• freshly grated parmesan cheese
• fresh parsley
• drizzle olive oil

Instructions

For the meatballs…

• Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients, except meat. Add meat and gently mix until just combined. Form into small (3/4-inch diameter) meatballs, arrange on baking sheet. Should make 60 – 70 meatballs. Bake for 10 minutes and reserve. Meatballs will complete their cooking in the soup.

For the soup…

• Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain and reserve.
• In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion, carrots and celery; sauté until tender about 10 minutes. Add in garlic and seasoning and cook an additional minute.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add in drained beans and return to a simmer. Gently add meatballs to soup pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

To serve…

• Add a generous scoop of warm pasta to individual bowls, then cover with hot soup. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil

The post Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs {Pasta e fagioli inspired} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Swedish Meatballs.  Growing up, we enjoyed them every Christmas Eve as part of our annual holiday h’ordeuvres spread.  I’m slowly recreating these recipes one by one.  Some from memory and some that mom passed down to me.  Sunday I pulled out this recipe card and took a stroll down memory lane.

I made some minor adjustments to the recipe as I know when she wrote this out for me I was a twenty-something with very limited cooking experience.  She had a way of making everything seem possible.  For as long as mom was physically able, there was no adventure she wouldn’t be game for.  The only thing holding her back was money, but even then we’d plan some pretty elaborate get-a-ways or businesses we’d like to start or even how we would redecorate the house.  We’d plan it all out on paper, tear pictures from magazines, and enjoy every little detail along the way.  She had a way of making everything seem possible.

Mom’s recipe called for Red Currant Jelly, which she also used in her Cocktail Franks.  One change I made was to include Lingonberry jelly.  It’s not as common as red currant but as I shopped for this dish there it was on my market shelf.  I had to try it.  It’s very much like red currant jelly :)

I also increased the recipe to use two pounds of ground meat.  I chose a blend of beef and pork.  There are two things that make Swedish Meatballs so special.  First are the meatballs which are soft and feature the flavors of nutmeg and cardamom (or allspice).  Second is the sauce that begins with pan drippings from the browned meatballs and builds from there, eventually finishing with sour cream and jelly.  The sauce is rich with flavor yet not heavy.  Jelly imparts a slightly sweet finish which leaves you wanting to lick your bowl.  A benefit of cooking at home.

This recipe makes about 80 meatballs and you’ll be very glad of that.  They are fabulous served as an appetizer as we will do for our holiday spread.  They also made a wonderful meal served on top of egg noodles, although rice or even mashed potatoes would be perfect.  If you’ve never made Swedish Meatballs before you’re in luck, with this recipe everything is possible.

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Swedish Meatballs

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the meatballs…

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 large onion grated
• 4 slices of bread chopped into crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom or allspice
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 Tbl. butter

For the sauce…

• 2 Tbl. pan drippings
• 4 Tbl. butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbl. Lingonberry or red currant jelly.
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh parsley to garnish

Instructions

For the meatballs…

• In a medium bowl combine bread crumbs and milk and allow to sit until milk is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients (except butter) and blend by hand until ingredients are well combined.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon form meatballs; place on baking sheet. We made approx. 80 meatballs.
• Melt 2 Tbl. butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat (do not allow butter to burn, adjust heat accordingly throughout browning process). Working in batches brown meatballs on all sides. Meatballs will be tender, work gently when turning. Do not cook meatballs all the way through, once browned remove back to parchment lined baking sheet.

For the sauce…

• Once all meatballs have been browned, pour off all but 2 Tbl. of pan drippings. Add 4 Tbl. butter and melt over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until well blended making a roux. Slowly whisk in the beef broth, stirring constantly; scrapping bits off bottom of pan. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil then reduce the heat to low.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce. We were able to fit half the meatballs in each batch. Cook meatballs covered over low heat until cooked through about 8-10 minutes. Remove meatballs to a bowl. Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer then return to the pot. Add in sour cream and jelly and whisk over medium heat until well blended and heated through. Do not boil sauce.
• To serve, spoon meatballs over noodles or rice. Ladle sauce over top. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

The post Swedish Meatballs appeared first on Lemony Thyme.