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posted by Christy Denneyon Oct 19, 2022 (updated Mar 12, 2024) 14 comments »
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The best Italian Meatball recipe is tender and flavorful. Made with beef, soaked bread, chopped parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
Italian Meatball Recipe
I have been searching for the perfect recipe for homemade meatballs for a long time. I’ve tried breadcrumbs, soaked bread in milk, all beef, a combo of meats, cheese, you name it. The amount of meatballs I’ve made is obscene. This is the one.
INGREDIENTS IN MEATBALLS
- GROUND BEEF – A slightly lean ground beef makes for the best meatballs. An 85/15% cut.
- EGGS– This holds the meatballs together.
- SOAKED BREAD– Sure you can use breadcrumbs but in my testing soaked bread was definitely the most tender and moist meatballs. Leftover bread works great here.
- ITALIAN FLAT LEAF PARSLEY– You could also use dried Italian seasoning but fresh herbs are so much better.
- PARMIGIANO REGGIANO – Very similar to regular Parmesan and if you substituted regular I won’t be mad at you. However, the flavors are slightly different. Their aging processes are different and the cheese has to come from a particular region of Italy to be called Parmigiano Reggiano.
- FINELY DICED ONION
- GARLIC
- SALT AND PEPPER
- RED PEPPER
- MARINARA – The meatballs are cooked in the sauce. Homemade marinara sauce is best but Rao’s brand is pretty dang close.
HOW TO MAKE MEATBALLS
Here’s the line up for our ground meat mixture: ground beef, finely diced or grated onion, eggs, chopped parsley, garlic.
Bread soaked in milk. I know. It sounds weird but makes for juicy meatballs.
Yes, this makes a lot of meatballs. You can half this recipe if you want to.
The meatballs are simmered in the tomato sauce.
THE BEST MEATBALL RECIPES:
- Parmesan Chicken Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
- BBQ and Grape Jelly
- Mini Italian Meatballs
- Asian Turkey Meatballs
- Keto Meatballs
Meatballs
4.34 from 9 votes
The best Italian Meatball recipe is tender and flavorful. Made with beef, soaked bread, chopped parsley, and Parmesan cheese. This easy meatball recipe has amazing flavor and served over your favorite pasta.
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Prep Time: 25 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
Servings: 18 meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 slices white bread, stale or barely toasted, (or sub 1/2 cup breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 lb ground beef , (85% lean beef)
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, (see note)
- 1/4 cup grated yellow onion, (a food processor also works well to make it fine)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, (optional)
- ground pepper to taste
- 26 ounces marinara sauce for serving, (I like Rao's)
Equipment
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, add the bread and pour the milk over it. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, add the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mash the bread a fork or with your hands until it's a paste and add it to the meatball mixture. Mix meatball mixture until combined. Do not overmix or meatballs will be tough.
Scoop meatball mixture into 1½ inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 ℉.
In a large skillet or pot, pour the marinara in and heat to a simmer. Place cooked meatballs in the marinara and serve. Garnish with basil if desired.
Notes
Parmigiano Reggiano adds so much flavor but grated Parmesan is a substitute that can be used.
Cuisine: Italian
Course: All Recipes, Main Course
Author: Christy Denney
All Recipes Beef Italian Main Dishes Pork
originally published on Oct 19, 2022 (last updated Mar 12, 2024)
14 comments Leave a comment »
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14 comments on “Meatball Recipe”
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Michelle — Reply
Do you bake with the lid on the pot? Thank you!
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Christy Denney — Reply
Nope. No lid!
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Michelle — Reply
Do you back with the lid on the pot? Thank you
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Patricia Walker — Reply
Try adding a 1/2 cup of ricotta to this recipe and see how it enhances these meatballs! I guarantee you will thank me!
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Christy Denney — Reply
I agree it would be great!
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Carolyn — Reply
Art, you sound just like my Sicilian father-in-law. He was a great cook. The best cook of all was his mother-in-law, also Sicilian. Neither used onions or garlic in the meatballs. Fresh parsley, the very best parmigiana and always fry meatballs first in olive oil.
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Russ D — Reply
Almost identical to my recipe but I do put a little milk into the mixture as well and I like to put some crushed garlic in there as well along with garlic powder but simmering to meatballs for 40 45 minutes is definitely the best I usually use one full
4 slices of bread to 1 lb of beef but like I said the recipe is pretty much exactly mine and I love my meatballs when I go to a restaurant I’m very disappointed on the quality of the product that they give me. Also parmesan cheese and one egg per pound of meat. -
Mama Mac — Reply
DELISH
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Art — Reply
Pork does not belong in meatballs. Neither does all of that garlic!
Rao’s sauce,…really?
Last of all, fry them, bake them, but don’t cook them in the sauce! They don’t cook well and sauce should never be cooked that long that the meatballs would cook properly.I knew lots of Grandma’s who couldn’t cook for sh*t.
How come you didn’t put Veal in the meatballs?
Some people do that too!
Veal – the world’s most useless food! No nutrition from an anemic, tortured, defenseless animal.
Enjoy your garlic!-
Karyn — Reply
OH MY Art. You have to get a grip. Too much garlic? Heresy!!! There is never too much garlic. I have had meatballs fried, baked and prepared in sauce; they were all good. It depends on the quality of your ingredients and the love you put into it. I am so sorry that your grandmother was a bad cook. But, please do not take it out on the wonderful grandmothers who were.
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Christy Denney — Reply
Haha thx!
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Bill — Reply
You wouldn’t know a meatball from a
Hotdog! That is a good meatball recipe.
When available I use 1# of beef, pork & veal. I use a little more garlic and a tablespoon of crushed red pepper and 2 tablespoons of oregano. Depending on time I either simmer /fry/bake but always try to make a day ahead to get the sauce flavor in the meatballs. -
Russ D — Reply
cooking in the sauce is definitely the best you need to lay them off any excess grease but it gives the most flavorful most tender meatball frying and baking it’s crazy
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Christy Denney — Reply
Thank you!
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