What distinguishes this meatball recipe from others? Soak the sandwich bread in grated onions. When cooked, the bread swells up, making the meatballs extremely tender and juicy. Furthermore, it offers extra savoury flavor without the need to sauté onion separately.
These succulent beef meatballs are the real deal if you're searching for a traditional Italian-American meatball dish to go with pasta or spaghetti. I genuinely believe that this recipe produces the best homemade Italian meatballs ever, based on my mother's recipe.
Ground beef is used to produce these simple meatballs, which are then topped with grated cheese, fresh parsley, and garlic. However, their juicy, delicious texture is the "secret" to good meatballs. And adding soft, milk-soaked breadcrumbs is what causes that.
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Why this Italian Meatball Recipe Works
- My family has been making authentic Italian meatballs for many generations.
- They're simple to produce in big quantities, so you may make them now and freeze them for later!
- Fresh garlic and onion, finely grated, provide flavor and moisture to the meat.
- For nicely browned meatballs that maintain their shape, bake them rather than pan-fry them.
- Many uses are possible, including as an appetizer, a sub, an entree, or with pasta!
Ingredients
- Meat: I use ground beef that ranges from 80% (ground chuck) to 90% (ground sirloin). The proportion represents the ratio of lean meat to fat that is processed simultaneously. The fat imparts taste and suppleness, while the meat gives chew for texture contrast. For me, 85% lean meat is ideal, with 80% lean beef coming in second.
- Breadcrumbs: I recommend starting with basic breadcrumbs and then adding dried Italian seasoning. You can use prepared Italian-style breadcrumbs for convenience, but I prefer to manage the amount of flavor.
- Eggs act as a binder, adding richness and moistening the breadcrumbs.
- Seasoning: To make each bite flavorful, I combine finely sliced onions, minced garlic, grated parmesan cheese, dried Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Tomato Sauce: I always make my own marinara sauce using ripe canned tomatoes for convenience.It includes tomato paste, crushed San Marzano or Cento tomatoes, onions, and garlic.So simple!
- Sugar
How to Make Meatballs
How to make fresh breadcrumbs:
To be honest, a superb meatball depends on having good breadcrumbs. Because they are light, moist, and fluffy—the exact texture you want in a soft meatball—freshly prepared crumbs are my first choice.
Slices of hearty country or Italian-style bread should have their crusts cut off. Use your hands to tear the bread into large pieces, or pulse it in a food processor until coarse pea-sized crumbs appear.
Even without fresh breadcrumbs, you can still cook delicious meatballs with these alternatives:
- Instead of using ½ cup of fresh breadcrumbs, use ⅓ cup of dried breadcrumbs. I suggest using dried breadcrumbs without seasoning. If yours are seasoned, cut the recipe's salt by half a teaspoon.
- Panko: If the mixture doesn't stick together, use the entire amount (½ cup) and add extra by the tablespoon.
- Gluten-free breadcrumbs: Use the aforementioned instructions and use either fresh or dried breadcrumbs.
Baking option for meatball recipes
You can bake any of my meatball recipes. They stay nice and round and are healthier than pan-frying, but they aren't nearly as juicy because of the trapped liquids from searing.
To bake meatballs, it is best to use a rack on a tray, which keeps the base rounder. Then, lightly oil the meatballs and the rack, and bake for 20 minutes at 200C/400F.
Serving ideas
- Serve these babies over spaghetti or your preferred pasta for dinner.
- Prepare a sandwich with meatballs! Cut the remaining meatballs in half, arrange them on a big roll, and then cover them with grated, melted cheese (such fontina, provolone, or mozzarella). For 10 to 15 minutes, heat at 350 degrees.
- Serve them with sliced baguette as an appetizer or starter.
Frequently Asked Questions
combining eggs, breadcrumbs, and ground meat to make a panade. A starchy paste is created with the aid of the eggs' moisture. The liquids will seep into the crumbs and activate the natural starches after mixing and cooking. To speed up the procedure, the bread can be soaked in milk beforehand if preferred. The starches swell to retain the fluids as they simmer in the sauce, binding to the liquid. A really tender meatball is the end result.
Put the meatballs and sauce in a 6-quart crockpot or slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
Meatballs that have been cooked can be frozen for up to a month or kept in the fridge for up to five days. Raw meatballs can be frozen for up to a month.
If you tried this Classic Italian Meatballs Extra Soft and Juicy or any other recipe on my website, please feel free to leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. And remember to tag me on Instagram!
More Dinner Recipes To Try
- Quick And Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole
- Super Creamy Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Hash Brown Potato Soup (With Frozen Hash Browns)
- The Best Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Buffalo Wild Wings CrockPot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe
- EASY Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf Recipe
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs (Frozen Meatballs)
- Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo Casserole
- One-Pot Spanish Chicken And Yellow Rice Recipe
- Crockpot Steak and Potatoes
- The Easiest Cottage Cheese Lasagna
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
- Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes
- Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli And Rice Casserole
- Easy Swedish Meatballs
Recipe
Classic Italian Meatballs (Juicy and Tender!)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb 450g ground beef (or a mix of ground beef + ground lamb for extra flavor)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- ½ small onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon Italian spices
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups tomato sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the Panade – Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the liquid and formed a paste.
- Mix the Meatballs – In a large bowl, mix together the ground meat, panade, eggs, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, finely chopped onion, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Using your hands or a spoon, gently mix until just combined, taking care not to overmix, which would make the meatballs tough.
- Shape the Meatballs – Using your hands (or a scoop), nestle the mixture into even-sized meatballs about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. Stack them on a plate or tray.
- Brown the Meatballs — Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and sear them on all sides until golden brown (they don’t need to be cooked through at this point). Transfer to a plate.
- Simmer in Sauce – In the same pan, add your sauce. Let it come to a gentle simmer, then drop the browned meatballs into the sauce. Cover, and let them simmer over low heat for approximately 20–30 minutes, stirring a few times.
- Serve & Enjoy — After the meatballs have cooked through and soaked up the sauce, serve them over pasta, in a sandwich or on their own, with more Parmesan and fresh basil.
NOTES
- Use a Light Touch — If you’re mixing and shaping the meatballs, treat the meat gently so that you don’t compact it. Too much mixing or kneading will create dense, tough meatballs, rather than tender, juicy ones.
- Chill Before Cooking — Allow the formed meatballs to rest in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes before browning. This allows them to stay firmer while they cook.
- Deglaze for More Flavor — After browning the meatballs, seep the pan of all its flavor with a splash of red wine or broth before you add the tomato sauce. This channels all the flavorful browned bits into the sauce.
- Simmer Not Boil – Let the meatballs cook gently in the sauce on low heat. Boiling can cause them to fall apart, while slow simmering lets them soak up flavor and remain moist.
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