By looking at the ingredients, you’re going to notice that there are a ton of tips and tweaks I am pulling out of my back pocket for this recipe.

First of all, I am telling you to make a panade. (it’s a fancy term for soaking bread in liquid to make a paste). What it delivers, however, is amazing. This mixture coats and binds the meatballs making them out of this world succulent. The cream that I list below brings fattiness to the mix that rounds out the flavor and makes them velvety.

The second tip is the scant amount of unflavored gelatin. I know…you’re probably worried about this one. But what it does is makes sure the rendering juices and moisture and trapped inside each ball.

The third weird item is the soy. Just the touch of this will ad a bit more umami and “beefiness” to the meatballs. Trust me.

Finally, there is the Kraft Parmesan and Romano blend cheeses. After years of using all sorts of cheese blends, this offers the best “bulking” cheese for a meat blend. The D.O.C. Pargigiano-Reggiano just doesn’t pack the flavor you need here.

I prefer dried parsley to fresh in this recipe. It just incorporates better and offers a consistent green speckle throughout the meat mixture. There is nothing worse than an undercooked parsley stem in a meatball. Make life easy on yourself. Get the dried.

Looking forward to your adventures with this one. Feel free to tag #MrCallDesigns on Instagram if you decide to make it!