An authentic Italian recipe for tender and moist meatballs. Serve them on their own as a second course or with good quality spaghetti and classic Marinara sauce for traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs.
I’m ashamed to admit that this meatball recipe goes against everything I thought I knew about making meatballs. I assumed that egg and breadcrumbs were just “filler” but in fact, they are what make these meatballs so soft and tender. I’m forever grateful for our new Italian American neighbours who shared this authentic Sicilian family recipe.
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When I wrote out the ingredients from their hand written recipe book from the early 1970s, I thought there was a mistake. This meatball recipe calls for 4-5 eggs. Yes, 4 or 5 eggs. Does that sound crazy? It did to me. But I had sampled their meatballs and who am I to dispute an authentic Italian recipe? So I made some of my own and followed the recipe exactly and realized I’ve been wrong all along. And I’m so glad!
The meat mixture is very soft. So soft, in fact, that even though they keep their shape after rolling into balls, when you start cooking it’s pretty much impossible to keep the meatballs round. They’re a little too soft for Italian Wedding Soup. But they’re so tender you won’t believe it.
In order to get the exterior of the meatballs browned, which is an important contribution to flavour, they tend to get a flat spot on the bottom. I’ve tried using two spoons or small forks to coax them into keeping their round ish shapes while rolling them around during frying but it’s almost pointless. I’ve decided that it doesn’t really matter how round the meatballs are. It’s all about the flavour. Who cares if they’re more like meat cubes?
This recipe makes a big batch of large Italian Meatballs. Unlike those shrivelled up little frozen boxed meatballs, these guys are super sized and delicious. The recipe makes about 24 good sized meatballs, a little less than 2 ounces or 55 grams per meatball. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and slightly under fill it. You could make a half batch but I suggest making a full batch and freezing half of them. They freeze well either uncooked or cooked. You’ll likely have to cook them in two batches so they aren’t overcrowded in the pan.
Here’s a very important tip when making Italian Meatballs. Once you’ve rolled them into balls it’s too late to adjust the seasoning. I’ve learned that the hard way. So combine all the ingredients, then, before rolling, break off a small piece of the meat mixture and fry it in a small pan. This gives you a chance to taste the meat to make sure you’ve added enough salt. I suggest starting with a modest amount of salt because you can always add more but you can’t take any out.
Italian Meatballs can be served right out of the pan once they’re cooked. I mentioned at the beginning they can be served as a second course. This is because many traditional Italian meals start with a pasta course, followed by a meat course. But they’re great served with pasta tossed in some sauce. You can even simmer the raw meatballs in sauce to cook them. But I prefer to add some Marinara sauce to the pan once they’ve been browned to add to the flavour of the sauce and ensure the meatballs are cooked through.
Since these Italian Meatballs are a generous size, 3 meatballs are enough to top a dish of spaghetti. And don’t be tempted to drown the pasta in too much sauce, that’s not the way Italians serve pasta.
If you make your own Italian Meatballs, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb lean ground pork
- 4 large eggs or 5 medium
- ¾ cup grated real parmesan cheese
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the olive oil and mix well.
- Break off a small piece of meat mixture and fry in a small pan. Taste and adjust salt as required.
- Roll into approximately 24 meatballs. Use ¼ cup measuring cup or kitchen scale for slightly less than 2 oz or 55 gram meatballs.
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to large skillet and fry half of the meatballs on medium heat until browned and meat is cooked through, turning frequently. Repeat with remaining meatballs, adding the second Tbsp of oil if needed. Remove meatballs from pan and serve on their own or with cooked pasta and sauce.
- If desired, add Marinara sauce to pan once meatballs are slightly less than fully cooked and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until fully cooked and sauce has incorporated flavour from meatballs.
Wow, how wonderful to have the neighbours as a great recipe resource. I’m definitely going to try these.
I know you’ll love them!
The meatballs are delicious. Excellent tip with the measuring cup to help with the size of the meatballs.
Thanks Moreen, glad you enjoyed the meatballs!
This recipe is very delicious!! Greg loved it!
Thanks Annette, I’m so glad you tried it!