Sicilian Inspired Meatballs

Ryan Eckles, Project Bread

Entrée
School Lunch

School Lunch Recipe: Beef Tips

Sicilian Inspired Meatballs

We love the traditional Sicilian meatball which uses black currants and pine nuts in its mix because of the earthy sweetness the currants bring and the velvety nuttiness from the pine nuts. To mimic this we’ve used raisins and our roasted chickpeas in their place. These are also great as no-roll meatballs where you can scoop the filling directly into a simmering sauce or onto a parchment lined sheet pan for ease of preparation and cooking.

sicilian inspired meatballs scooped onto a tray

Yield: 100 servings, 2.2 oz. portions

Ingredients

16.75 lbs ground beef
24 eggs
3 cups milk
8 cups panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup fresh garlic, minced
8 cups raisins, plumped and chopped
4 cups Roasted Chickpeas, chopped
4 cups Parmesan, grated
4 cups fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 Tbsp oregano, dried
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper

Directions

  1. Mix eggs, milk, panko, garlic, raisins, chickpeas, parmesan, parsley, and oregano. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  2. Add ground beef to mixture and gently mix until thoroughly combined. Do not overmix.
  3. Use 2 oz. serving scoop to roughly scoop out meatballs.
  4. Simmer in pasta sauce or roast in the oven until meatballs are fully cooked and reach an internal termperature of 165°F.

USDA Requirement

2 oz. meat/meat alternative

Nutritional Information

Calories 297 calories Saturated Fat 5.1 g Sodium 397 mg Carbohydrate 23.2 g

* nutrient data and allergen information may vary depending on the specific ingredients and equipment used in your location.

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