The BEST Meatball Recipe
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5.0
81 reviews
Excellent
The BEST Meatball Recipe
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I'm channeling my Italian roots and sharing the BEST Meatball recipe! Unbelievably flavorful, tender, and soft, I use special (but simple) techniques and spices to bring you one of my all-time favorite dinner recipes! Be sure to check out the how-to VIDEO!
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Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 3 3 slices white bread crust removed
- ½ ½ cup whole milk cold
- ⅓ ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- 1 1 large egg cold, lightly beaten
- 3 3 large cloves garlic pressed (or minced if you do not have a garlic press)
- 1 ½ 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
- ½ ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- ¼ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg¹
- 1 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 1 lb ground beef I used 90% lean
- 1 1 lb ground pork
- olive oil
For Sauce (Or you may substitute 3-4 cups of your favorite, quality marinara sauce)
- 1 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 ½ 1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic about 3-4 cloves
- 28 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ ¾ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Instructions
For Meatballs
- Start by making a “panade”. To do this, tear bread into approximately 1” sized pieces and place in a medium-sized bowl. Pour milk over bread and turn with a fork until completely coated with milk. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until milk is fully absorbed and then use your fork to mash bread until it forms a paste.
- Add grated parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, parsley, onion powder, oregano, crushed red pepper (if using), nutmeg, salt, and ground pepper to panade and stir until well-combined.
- Place ground meats in a separate, large bowl. Tear off about 2 Tablespoons of meat each from ground beef and ground pork and add to the panade mixture. Stir very well until well-combined.
- Pour panade mixture into large bowl with remaining meat and use your hands to gently work ingredients together until completely combined. Do not over-work or your meatballs will be tough!
- Scoop dough into 2-Tablespoon sized balls (I use a cookie dough scoop to make this easier) and lightly grease your hands with olive oil. Roll into a round ball (don't roll too tightly) and place on a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet until you have formed all of your meatballs.
- Grab a large stockpot or enameled Dutch oven (I don’t recommend non-enameled cast-iron as it can cause a metallic taste) and add enough olive oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan so that it is ⅛-¼” deep. Heat over medium/medium-high heat until oil shimmers.
- Add meatballs to the pan (I use tongs) in batches of just 3-4. Sear/cook until browned on one side, flip and cook until browned on the other side (if your meatballs are sticking, use a spatula to gently loosen them from the pan), then remove to a clean plate. Meatballs will still be pink inside, this is expected. Repeat until all meatballs have been cooked.
- If you have more than about 2 Tbsp of grease left in the pot, drain excess grease (I use a ladle to remove). If you don’t have any grease left, add a splash more olive oil and allow it to heat and prepare your sauce. Do not remove caramelized/brown bits at the bottom of the pot!
For Sauce
- Add onion to pot and cook until translucent. As the onion cooks, use your spatula to gently scrape the bottom of the pan, loosening any browned bits from the meat (don’t discard these).
- Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (30 seconds)
- Add crushed tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir well.
- Bring sauce to a simmer and then gently place meatballs back into the pot, submerging in the sauce (it may seem like a lot of meatballs but they should all be able to be submerged into the sauce).
- Cover pot and continue to simmer over low heat until meatballs are cooked through (internal temperature should reach at least 165F/75C. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes for me.
- Gently stir sauce and serve alone, with a side salad, on subs, or over pasta.
Equipments used:
Notes
- ¹Nutmeg may seem like an unusual ingredient but it's commonly used in making authentic meatballs. It really rounds out the flavor and none of my taste testers could pick up on the fact that I'd added nutmeg (just that the meatballs were really really good!)!
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1serving (approximately 5 meatballs)
Calories
539kcal
(27%)
Carbohydrates
23g
(8%)
Protein
34g
(68%)
Fat
35g
(54%)
Saturated Fat
14g
(70%)
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
146mg
(49%)
Sodium
1020mg
(43%)
Potassium
943mg
(27%)
Fiber
4g
(16%)
Sugar
10g
(20%)
Vitamin A
452IU
(9%)
Vitamin C
16mg
(18%)
Calcium
219mg
(22%)
Iron
5mg
(28%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings (approximately 5 meatballs per serving)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 539 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving (approximately 5 meatballs) | |
| Calories | 539kcal | 27% |
| Carbohydrates | 23g | 8% |
| Protein | 34g | 68% |
| Fat | 35g | 54% |
| Saturated Fat | 14g | 70% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 146mg | 49% |
| Sodium | 1020mg | 43% |
| Potassium | 943mg | 20% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 10g | 20% |
| Vitamin A | 452IU | 9% |
| Vitamin C | 16mg | 18% |
| Calcium | 219mg | 22% |
| Iron | 5mg | 28% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
81 reviews
Excellent
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