Servings: 24 to 30 MEATBALLS

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk (2% best) ⅓ cup milk (2% best)
1 pound ground beef (75% - 80%) 1 pound ground beef (75% - 80%)
1 pound ground pork (75% - 80%) 1 pound ground pork (75% - 80%)
6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 eggs 2 eggs
1 cup ( 1 1/2 ounces) finely-grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 1 cup ( 1 ½ ounces) finely-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh parsley (or half and half parsley and basil) ¼ cup finely-chopped fresh parsley (or half and half parsley and basil)
1/4 cup grated yellow onion (might work with diced & sautéed) ¼ cup grated yellow onion (might work with diced & sautéed)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried basil
1.5 teaspoon fine sea salt (1.5 tsp table/kosher salt works fine) 1.5 teaspoon fine sea salt (1.5 tsp table/kosher salt works fine)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Make the panade. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the panko and milk until combined. Set mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Combine remaining ingredients. Add the ground beef, ground pork, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, fresh herbs, onion and Worcestershire sauce to the (same) mixing bowl. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes evenly on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the ingredients.
Chill (optional step). To make the meatballs easier to form, I recommend covering and chilling the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. But if you’re pressed for time, you can skip this step.
Prep oven and baking sheet. Heat the oven to broil on high and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Form the meatballs. Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop and roll the mixture into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (I recommend greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.)
Cooking: subheading: Cooking:
Oven method: subheading: Oven method:
Preheat broiler to high. Bake until nicely browned on top 8 to 10 minutes. Optional, take out the pan and flip the meatballs to brown the other side. Remove when browned, drain the grease. You could freeze the meatballs at this step, just cool them on a wire rack first. This gives you some flexibility on what sauce or dish to use them in.
Stove method: subheading: Stove method:
Get a generous amount of olive oil to cover the bottom of your pan (gonna shallow fry them). Heat over medium-high. Add meatballs in batches, getting a nice dark brown crust on 2 to 3 sides per ball. Set on a wire rack to cool.
Finish cooking the meatballs however you want. If simmering in sauce, immediately transfer to a low simmering sauce and simmer for an hour. You can simmer them for as little as 10 minutes and be good, but the longer they simmer the better. You can freeze the meatballs in some sauce too after this step!
Reheating frozen meatballs: subheading: Reheating frozen meatballs:
If you froze in sauce, then you are good to go. Just thaw your balls and heat them through on the stove. If you did not freeze them in sauce, then you should thaw the balls and then add them to a sauce and simmer them like the original step said to.

If you want to cook the meatballs through completely in the oven, an instant-read thermometer should measure the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F.  If you want to cook the meatballs through completely in the oven, an instant-read thermometer should measure the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F.