The Perfect Italian Meatball Recipes

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.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand.
• Use your bare hands for best results.
• Roll meatballs to about the size of a golf ball. (wet your hands to prevent the meat from sticking to them while rolling the meat balls).
• Drop raw meatballs into large (I use a stock pot) pot of sauce.
• (I have an incredible sauce recipe {#92096} I use for my meatballs).
• Simmer for about 3 hours.

CLASSIC ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Slowly add the milk until you have a soft compact mixture.Form the mixture into small balls.
• In a large pan add the olive oil, garlic, tomato puree/passata, salt, fresh basil, oregano and water. Mix to combine.
• Add the meatballs and gently mix to cover them in sauce. Cover the pan and cook on low/medium (more low than medium) heat for approximately 15- 20 minutes, uncover and continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and the sauce has thickened. If you find the sauce thickening too much then add a little more water.
• Serve immediately as a main dish or over your favourite al dente pasta. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese before serving. Enjoy!

PERFECT MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Grate the onion, set aside (will include a lot of juice, or water).
• Mince the garlic very finely, put the salt and olive oil onto it, and with the back end of a chef's knife, work the garlic into a paste.
• ** Alternative, or if you don't know how to do this, just mince the garlic and onions as finely as you can.
• In a large bowl, add the meat, onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, parm cheese, basil, pesto, 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Mix by hand just to combine - do not work it too much.
• Form into balls between the size of a golf ball and a large egg, not working the meat too much. Make as much as you can, about 11-12 and put on a plate.
• Heat the 4 tbsp olive oil on high heat in a saute pan.
• Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
• Place the already prepared pomodoro sauce in a crock pot, or a large pot on the stove, and carefully add the meatballs.
• Cook for at least 3 hours on low (I cook mine for around 6 hours in a crock pot), stirring occasionally.

ITALIAN MEATBALL PERFECTION

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
• Combine bread crumbs, eggs, Romano cheese, garlic, parsley, anchovy paste, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until eggs are well beaten. Add ground beef and sausage; mix to combine. Add milk and stir until mixture comes together.
• Scoop out and roll together 2 tablespoons of mixture per meatball. Place meatballs very close together on the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a meatball reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 25 to 30 minutes.

THE PERFECT ITALIAN MEATBALL

Steps:

• Place all above ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix thoroughly by hand until they are completely combined and the mixture is uniformly firm. Coat your hands in olive oil, and using your hands form mixture into 3-4 oz. balls Drop the meatballs into Fabio's tomato sauce (see recipe here) and add some water so that the sauce can reduce and simmer. Let cook for about 10 minutes on one side. Turn them over, add some more water and cook for another 10 minutes, covering in the sauce with a spoon as they simmer. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley, salt and pepper, more shaved parmegiano reggiano and a drizzle of olive oil, of course! Sauce: Smash 6 cloves of garlic with the back of a knife. Over medium heat, cook garlic in 3 Tbsp. of EVOO until golden brown. Add tomatoes and generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until thick (about 8 to 10 minutes) and is no longer watery in consistency. Add 3 more Tbsp. more of EVOO, turn to higher heat. Crush tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until the oil turns red. This will tell you the sauce is done! Cook's Note: The sauce is very versatile and can be used with any pasta; added to meats, fish, vegetables; or topped on toasted crostini, breads, pizza crusts.

EXCELLENT MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!
• Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.
• Pass the tomatoes through the food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
• Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and freezes really well.
• Yield: 2 quarts