Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Gently tease the ground meat into shreds, spreading on a sheet pan as you go. Distribute the mushrooms evenly over meat, drizzle the egg and soy sauce over the meat, and sprinkle evenly with parsley. Combine granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt, pepper, cayenne, breadcrumbs, and grated Parmesan and sprinkle over meat. Fold everything together, then gently shape into meatballs—our preference is golf ball-sized. Transfer to the oven and roast until browned, about 20 minutes.

While the meatballs roast, bring marinara to a simmer in a covered saucepan. When the meatballs are done, add them to the marinara (with or without the pan drippings, which add flavor but also fat), cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Serve over hot cooked pasta or polenta, or toast some French bread and make a meatball sandwich.

Makes about 22 meatballs.

Cooking Notes:

If you’re not certain about the seasoning, make a small patty out of a portion of the mixture and quickly pan fry; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

The mushrooms add beefy flavor, but they also add moisture, and will keep even 90% lean ground beef moist.

If you don’t want to serve all the meatballs, freeze the excess after baking. To serve, simply simmer frozen meatballs in sauce for about 45 minutes.