'Great weeknight dinner' of classic meatballs with garlic bread a celebrity chef's favorite

Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, well-known from a variety of Food Network shows as well as his restaurants and cookbooks, has shared a favorite meatball dish with Fox News Digital as a tasty and healthy option for making at home for family weeknight dinners.

"It smells so delicious and there’s nothing better than smell for a real memory of food," he said of this dinner choice.  

"It's a great weeknight dinner idea, as it can be made in large batches and frozen," said the chef and restaurateur, who splits his time between Florida and New York. He is a host of "The Kitchen," as well as a star judge on "Chopped."

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The perfect meatball, he said, requires "lots of Parmesan cheese, cracked pepper and a mixture of pork and beef."

He said it "should be seared halfway to keep in the flavors, then finished gently in a marinara."

Chef Geoffrey Zakarian shared a favorite meatball and garlic bread recipe with Fox News Digital for the fall season — and virtually any time of year. He said it's important to use a "high-quality mix of ground pork, veal and beef for the meatballs." (Geoffrey Zakarian)

Garlic bread, he said, is also a favorite choice of his.

"It sure is," he said via email. "It just has so many ways to be prepared."

Said Zakarian, "Plus, nobody ever says ‘no thank you’ to garlic bread!" 

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Zakarian has said he "learned how to cook from my mother and my four aunts. They lived into their 90s and they were all great cooks and I learned how to make everything from them." 

He's presided over some of the country’s top kitchens over the past 25 years. As the chef previously told Fox News Digital, "Food is the ultimate expression of love — sitting around a table with your family and friends, with food and beverage."

Here, he shares with readers of Fox News Digital his "Classic Meatballs with Garlic Bread."

Geoffrey Zakarian's ‘Classic Meatballs with Garlic Bread’ recipe

"There are a couple of important tips for this recipe," he said. 

First, he said, "use a high-quality mix of ground pork, veal and beef for the meatballs — and second, don't overmix. Otherwise, the meatballs will have a meatloaf-type consistency."

During preparation of the meat for this dish, "don't overmix," said Chef Zakarian. "Otherwise, the meatballs will have a meatloaf-type consistency." (Geoffrey Zakarian )

As for the garlic bread, he said, "you can, of course, include it with just about any pasta meal, but it also works as a warm, pre-meal bruschetta if you cut it into small pieces and then top them with fresh diced tomatoes."

The recipe serves 4-6 people. 

Ingredients for meatballs

1 large onion, cut into chunks

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup water

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground veal

½ pound ground beef

3 large eggs

Chef Zakarian is shown during a culinary presentation in New York City, Oct. 2022. He noted of the garlic bread addition to his classic meatball dish, "Nobody ever says ‘no thank you’ to garlic bread!"  (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for NYCWFF)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 cup unseasoned dried bread crumbs

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

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Pinch of red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Basic tomato sauce 

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine the onion, garlic and water. Purée until very smooth.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, veal, beef, eggs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the onion purée, and with your hands, mix until just combined.

Halfway through baking, place the garlic bread on the top rack and bake until toasted.

3. Wet your hands and form the mixture into 24 meatballs, placing them on a sheet plan. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil. Set aside.

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4. Directions for garlic bread. Cut the bread loaf lengthwise in half and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, Parmesan, minced garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Spread evenly on each cut side of the bread. Set aside.

5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the meatballs on the bottom rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until a thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into a meatball. 

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6. Halfway through baking, place the garlic bread on the top rack and bake until toasted. 

7. Place the garlic bread on a cutting board, slice into eight pieces — and serve warm with the meatballs.