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1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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2
Spray baking sheet with PAM.
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3
Put celery, bell pepper, egg, oil, and milk (or liquid) in blender (or food processor) and process until vegetables are finely chopped.
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4
In a large bowl mix together meats, oats, seasonings, Parmesan cheese, and blender concoction then gently knead until uniform in texture.
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5
Take a little of the mix and cook it in a skillet on the stove so you can taste it to see if it needs more seasoning. Happy with that? Then proceed to the next step --.
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6
Roll all the mix into balls and line them up on the baking sheet (they will shrink so it's okay if they touch). To make the balls I like to use an ice-cream or cookie scoop (depending on the size I want), it makes the job easier. Also, use a baking pan with sides, such as a jelly-roll pan or cake pan, because these are juicy little balls and I don't want you set the oven on fire with meatball juice!
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7
Bake 30 minutes (or until no longer pink inside).
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8
Remove from oven and cover with foil for about 15 minutes - don't drain off the juices because the little balls will suck it all up. Alternatively, you can transfer meatballs right out of the oven into a pan of simmering sauce of your choice.
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9
The meat mixture can also be formed into patties and fried in a pan on the stove like you would a burger (use cooking spray or oil in the pan).
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10
Serve with some kind of sauce - bar-b-que, pasta sauce, creamy mushroom sauce, or just plain old gravy.
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11
NOTE: these freeze very well so I frequently make a double batch and freeze some in quart size freezer bags.
