Carrabba's Mama Mandola's Meatballs recipe

(FOX 2) - For years meatballs have taken a back seat to spaghetti but with National Meatball Day on Monday, March 9th - meatballs are king! 

James Loverdi from Carrabba's Italian Grill joined us on The Nine to share a meatball recipe with us, which you can get below. You can watch him make the dish in the video player above. 

Mama Mandola's Meatballs
Makes 36 Meatballs, Enough for 12 Servings

INGREDIENTS 
    Olive oil for the baking sheet
    1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion
    2 scallions, white and green parts, coarsely chopped
    ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    1 garlic clove
    1 large egg, beaten
    ½ cup plain dried breadcrumbs
    ½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
    4 teaspoons kosher salt
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 ¾ pounds ground round beef (85% lean)
    1 ¾ pounds ground pork

INSTRUCTIONS
1.    Position racks in the top third and center of the over and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
2.    Pulse the onion, scallions, parsley, basil, and garlic together in a food processor fitted with the metal blade about 8 times, or until very finely minced. Add the egg and pulse a few times to combine. Transfer to a large bowl.
3.    Add ¾ cup of water, the breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the ground round and ground pork and mix well. Using hands rinsed under cold water, shape the mixture into 36 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheets.
4.    Bake until the meatballs are browned and show no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25 minutes. Let cool. (The meatballs can be transferred to an airtight container and frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.)

Tip: Many cooks fry the meatballs, but with this quantity, baking is much more efficient.