Baked Italian-Style Meatballs

The waiting is the worst part. Worse than the studying. Worse than the test. The waiting — the three to four weeks between taking the board exam and getting results — is a special kind of purgatory designed by people who have clearly never experienced the specific agony of a single mother refreshing a website every six minutes hoping to see the word "PASS."

In the meantime, I'm still at the Waffle House. I gave my notice before graduation, but Linda asked me to stay through January because they're short-staffed, and I said yes because the board exam results aren't in yet and I can't start at Harmony Dental until February and bills don't pause for transitions. So I'm back at the Waffle House. But different. Different because the apron is temporary now. It has an expiration date. I'm wearing it like a costume, not a uniform, and the difference is everything.

Mr. Gerald comes in at 7:15 every morning, same as always. He said, "I thought you were leaving." I said, "I'm leaving soon. Just not yet." He said, "Good. I wasn't ready." I wasn't ready either, Mr. Gerald. Some goodbyes take practice.

Chloe went back to school after winter break. She walked in like she owned the building, which is how Chloe walks into every building. Mrs. Kim told me Chloe announced to the class that "my mama graduated from college" and made everyone clap. Mrs. Kim let her. Teachers know when a child needs a moment to be proud of someone, and they know that moment is as important as any lesson plan.

I've been apartment hunting. The Antioch rental has been home for years but it's small and the kitchen is a closet and the neighborhood is fine but not where I want to raise my kids long-term. I looked at a two-bedroom in Hermitage — newer, cleaner, more space, a real kitchen with counter space. Counter space. The holy grail. The rent is $200 more a month than Antioch, which would have been impossible six months ago but is possible now, because a dental hygienist at a Green Hills practice makes real money. Real money. The words still feel strange in my mouth, like a foreign language I'm learning to speak.

I made a big pan of lasagna this week. Layers of noodles, meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan. It's not Earline's recipe — Earline didn't do Italian. It's mine. The one I taught myself from the back of a box of lasagna noodles when I was twenty-one and pregnant with Chloe and craving something that took effort. Lasagna is effort food. It's the food you make when you want to feel like you're building something, layer by layer, and when you pull it out of the oven and the cheese is golden and bubbly and the apartment smells like garlic and possibility — that's when you know the building is done. For now. Until the next layer.

The lasagna I mentioned — that big pan of layers — starts here, with these meatballs. I break them down into the sauce once they come out of the oven, but sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I just eat a few standing at the stove, still in my Waffle House uniform, smelling like syrup and wearing an apron that finally has an expiration date. If you’re in a season where you need to build something with your hands and pull it out of the oven and feel like you did something, this is where you start.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6 (about 24 meatballs)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1/2 lb ground pork
2/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil, for pan

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil.
Soak the breadcrumbs. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes until the milk is absorbed. This is the step most people skip — don’t skip it. It’s what keeps them tender.
Mix the meat. Add the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, parmesan, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the bowl with the soaked breadcrumbs. Using your hands, mix until just combined. Do not overwork it.
Form the meatballs. Roll the mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (roughly the size of a golf ball). You should get about 24. Place them on the prepared baking sheet with a little space between each one.
Bake. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until browned on the outside and cooked through to 165°F internal temperature. They will hold their shape and have a golden crust on the bottom.
Use or store. Serve immediately over pasta with marinara, add to your lasagna meat sauce, or let cool completely and freeze in a single layer before transferring to a zip bag. They keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Baked Italian-Style Meatballs — The Foundation of My Effort Food