1 egg

1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/8 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9x9 baking dish.

Mix together the egg, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the beef, bread crumbs and cheese and mix thouroughly by hand. Form into meatballs (approx. 20) about golf ball size and arrange in baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove meatballs from oven and let sit for 15 minutes to allow juices to absorb back into the meatballs. Serve with pasta and sauce.

Notebook...

Fresh basil and oregano are preferred if you have an herb garden. Roughly triple the amounts of dried herb when using fresh.

Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) may be substituted for regular bread crumbs.

Ground beef of an 80/20 mixture is what this recipe is based on. I prefer a 90/10 mixture.