Easy Meatball Recipe - The Russian Kotleti or lazy meatballs, as I like to call them, come together in one bowl with a few simple ingredients, most of which are seasoning! Enjoy them as an appetizer, in a meatball sandwich, in soups, or on top of spaghetti!
I love any kind of meatball served in all kinds of ways like oven baked meatballs, lean turkey and veggies meatball for appetizers, and chicken meatball soup.
However, this easy meatball recipe is my favorite one to use when I’m craving classic homemade meatballs! These all-beef meatballs are juicy, perfectly seasoned, and seared to perfection.
There is no shortage of ways to enjoy really good meatballs and this recipe is just what you need when you have ground beef to use up or you’re looking for something quick, easy, and delicious!
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Why You’ll Love This Russian Kotleti Recipe
- Meatballs aka kotleti are the ultimate comfort food.
- Makes a quick go-to meal during the busy week and doesn’t require much prep work.
- You can freeze the meatballs and have them ready to use when you need them.
- These easy meatballs are so versatile and can be used in so many ways!
Cooking Tips
- To mix the meat, feel free to use gloves.
- You don’t need to roll the meat with your hands. Just move it from the ice cream scoop to the skillet. This helps to prevent overworking the meat.
- Use a trigger release scoop to make your life easier. You won’t have to touch the meatballs at all!
- For extra flavor, use a mix of ground beef and ground pork. You can also use ground lamb.
- For lighter meatballs, ground chicken and ground turkey can also be used. These leaner meats are harder to keep moist, so it’s super important not to overwork the meat, use plenty of seasoning, and blend with a fattier meat if you can.
- Make these gluten-free meatballs by using a gluten-free flour.
Ingredients for Easy Meatballs
- Ground beef: Bring it to room temperature before handling it. Rolling cold meat with your hands is not fun! It also helps with even cooking. I use medium ground beef for added fat and flavor, but lean ground beef works too.
- Sour cream: This helps make the meatballs moist!
- Large eggs: These bind the ingredients together so the meatballs don’t fall apart.
- Flour: Absorbs any excess moisture and also binds the meat.
- Onion and garlic: Grated onion and finely chopped garlic add flavor. I grate the onion so we’re not biting into any chunks of onion.
- Seasoning: Ground coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
- Avocado oil: This is to pan-fry the meatballs. You can also use olive oil.
How to Make Meatballs with Ground Beef
Step 1: Combine all the meatball ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix with your hands making sure all of the seasoning is evenly dispersed.
Step 2: Use a small ice cream scooper, scoop up the meat mixture, and place them into a preheated skillet with a couple of tablespoons of oil.
Step 3: Grab a spatula and gently press down the meatballs into the shape of a meat pancake.
Step 4: Cook until golden and both sides and the meatballs are cooked properly throughout. Enjoy with pasta, salad, or as an appetizer!
What to Serve with this Easy Meatballs Recipe
This easy meatball recipe is super versatile and is one that can be used at a moment’s notice. Whip some up for a meatball sub using the best homemade hoagie recipe to put them in. You can serve them up with your favorite pasta, use them in casseroles, soups, and more.
Serve them on a platter and stick a toothpick in each one and serve them as an appetizer with dipping sauces on the side. BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, etc.
Sometimes I like to have them with a zesty cherry tomato salad on the side for lunch.
Recipe FAQs
First thing is to make sure you use a skillet large enough to hold as many meatballs as possible without overcrowding the pan.
Make sure there’s enough space between each one so that they all get a beautiful golden sear on the outside.
Next is to make sure the skillet is hot before you add the meat!
Use a thermometer to get a reading of the internal temperature. To be considered done and safe to eat, it should have a reading of at least 160 degrees.
If you don’t have a thermometer, check to see that it is no longer pink in the middle and the juices are running clear.
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Absolutely! This is a great reason to double or triple the recipe and freeze a batch or two for later.
Once completely cooled, place the meatballs on a baking sheet and flash freeze them for a couple of hours until they are solid. This way, when you transfer them to a freezer bag they won’t freeze together in a giant clump. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. Then, take out what you need and thaw in the fridge overnight or simmer them straight from frozen in sauce.
Ground beef meatballs pair well with tomato-based sauces like marinara sauce for pasta.
For appetizers, you can get a little more creative and smother them in teriyaki sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet chili sauce, and more.
More Ground Beef Recipes
- Best Swedish Meatballs and Gravy
- Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
- Super Easy Ground Beef Sandwich
- Ground Beef Kebabs
- Beef Samosa (Tortilla Pockets)
When YOU make this Homemade Meatball Recipe please tag us @munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!
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📖 Recipe
Lazy Easy Meatball Recipe (Russian Kotleti)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef room temperature
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup flour
- 1 medium onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- black pepper to taste
- avocado oil or olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Combine everything in a bowl. Preheat skillet over medium heat with avocado oil using about 2 tablespoons.
- Using a small ice cream scooper place meatballs into the skillet slightly pressing them down to form a small meat pancake.
- Cook until golden color on both sides. Enjoy with mashed potato casserole and Caesar salad.
Notes
- Bake meatballs on a sheet pan instead of frying for less mess.
- Make a larger batch and freeze leftovers for quick meals.
- Serve with easy sides like macaroni, rice, or no knead bread.
Hope
So good and delicious !!!
Munchkin Time
Thank you! It is sooo delicious! 😀