Absolute Best Italian Meatballs Recipes

THE BEST MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)

CHEF JOHN'S ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
• Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl for 20 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot oil until translucent, about 20 minutes.
• Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl. Stir onions, bread crumb mixture, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and Parmesan cheese into meat mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour.
• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Using wet hands, form meat mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

BEST EVER ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Shape into small meatballs.
• Drop the meatballs into simmering sauce. It is important not to stir the sauce for at least 25 minutes. This will allow the meatballs to firm up enough as not to break up in the sauce. Make sure your burner is low enough so that your sauce does not scorch during this process.
• Continue simmering until sauce reaches desired consistency and meatballs are cooked through.

ABSOLUTE BEST ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, add the pork, Italian sausage, pancetta, bread cubes, parsley, oregano, fennel, red pepper flakes, salt and half of the basil as well as half of the parmesean. Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Don't over-work.
• 2. Whisk the beaten eggs and ricotta together in a separate bowl until there are no more large clumps. Pour into the bowl of the meat mixture. Mix with your hands until just incorporated. Again, do not over-mix.
• 3. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with olive oil. Form meatballs in your hand, about 1 1/2-inches in diameter, using about 3 Tbsp of the mixture to form each meatball. Arrange in pan so there is some space between them. If they are too crowded they will steam and not brown.
• 4. Roast meatballs in the oven for about 30 minutes, turning the meatballs after about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are beginning to brown.
• 5. Remove pan from oven. Use a metal spatula to dislodge meatballs from being stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan. Carefully cover the pan with aluminum foil.Return the pan to the oven. Lower the heat to 300°F. Cook for an additional hour to 1 1/2 hours.
• 6. Sprinkle the rest of the basil and the rest of the parmesean into the sauce and over meatballs before serving.

CLASSIC MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat 2-3 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine with your hands the beef, pork, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, parsley, egg, parmesan, breadcrumbs, ricotta, and salt.
• Using a small cookie scoop, form 1 1/4 inch balls out of the mixture.
• Heat olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Working in batches, add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. (Add more olive oil if needed and turn down heat if they're starting to burn.)
• Place browned meatballs on the baking sheets and transfer to the oven to finish cooking for 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and combine with spaghetti sauce and pasta, or let cool and freeze for another day!

THE BEST ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• In a bowl combine the ground meats, garlic, parsley, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, if using parmesan, add it in at this point too. Using your hands blend everything together so the meat is well mixed. Stir in the almond flour and then slowly add in the almond milk, half a cup at a time. It will quickly absorb into the meat.
• Roll the meat into balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Save 1 large handful of the meat mixture which will be added to the sauce later.
• Bake the meatballs in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping half way through to ensure they brown evenly.
• While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce.
• In a large pot sauté the minced garlic and onion in olive until the onion becomes translucent. Add in the saved meat mixture and using a wooden spoon break it up into a crumbly consistency. Once the meat has begun to brown, add in the canned tomatoes.
• Allow to simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 2 hours (the longer you leave it to simmer the richer the flavours will be)
• Add the meatballs into the sauce to coat. Freeze the sauce and meatballs together in containers. Enjoy the meatballs on their own or with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.