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Classic Italian Meatballs (Tender and Juicy!)

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This delicious recipe will only take you 5 minutes to make. This Italian Meatballs recipe with an American touch will feed up to 6 people. You can cook your meatballs however you like, whether it is on the stove or in your oven. And serve them with an amazing homemade marinara sauce.

Classic Italian Meatballs (Tender and Juicy!)

Ingredients For Italian Meatballs

  • Meat: It’s usually Italian tradition to mix veal, beef, and pork for the meatballs. Since ground veal isn’t easily found, I usually use a combination of half ground porn and half ground beef to elevate the flavors. Try to get freshly ground meat to keep it fresh and avoid it releasing too much water.
  • Fresh bread crumbs: This perfectly binds your meatballs, keeping them soft, therefore freshly crumbed bread is more moist than the ones that are sold in a can. Remove the crust from two pieces of white bread, tear it into small bits, and use that.
  • Milk: Full-fat plant based milk or dairy milk to mix with your breadcrumbs, which makes you a panade, known as a combination of liquid and starch that helps keep your meatballs soft.
  • Egg yolks: Helps the meat come together with the other components.
  • Grated cheese: You can use regular parmesan cheese or keep it Italian and have salty pecorino Romano cheese instead.
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic is best, whether minced, grated with a rasp grater, or a garlic press.
  • Fresh herbs: Either chop a mix of 1/3 cup fresh Italian flat leaf basil and basil or use 2 teaspoons of dried herbs.
  • Olive oil: A little extra virgin oil or your regular olive oil.

Ingredients For Italian Meatballs

How To Make Meatballs, Step by Step:

    1. Place your ground beef and pork in a bowl.

    2. Combine with a fork or your hands until blended.

    3. Place your bread pieces in a bowl, pour your milk over, and let soak for 5 minutes.

    4. Drizzle in your egg yolks, garlic, cheese, salt and pepper.

    5. Use a fork to mash and make your panade.

    6. Place the minced parsley and bread mixture in with the ground meat.

    7. Use a fork or your hands to mix your meat. If you have a standing mixer, you can also use it at low speed.

    8. Use a ¼ measuring cup or cookie scoop to make your portions.

    9. Make sure not to harden your meatballs when forming them by overdoing it.

    10. To cook your meatballs, heat up your olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Place in your meatballs and brown them on every side, put the lid on the pan, put the heat on low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

    11. Grease your baking pan with oil, place in your meatballs, and cook in your oven at 425 F for 20 minutes, making sure to flip halfway through.

How To Freeze Italian Meatballs

  • Completely cook your meatballs.
  • Carefully stack them in a freezer bag or container.
  • Put a label of the date and contents on your container.
  • Let thaw in your fridge overnight, and warm them up on the stove in your tomato sauce.
  • You can make your meatballs ahead of time and freeze them for 2 months.

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Classic Italian Meatballs (Tender and Juicy!)

Classic Italian Meatballs (Tender and Juicy!)

Yield: 16 meatballs
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This delicious recipe will only take you 5 minutes to make. This Italian Meatballs recipe with an American touch will feed up to 6 people.

Ingredients

  • 54 g (½ cup) of fresh breadcrumbs, made out of 2 slices of white bread
  • 60 ml of milk (¼ cup)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 50 g (½ cup) of shredded pecorino Romano cheese
  • 2 grated or minced garlic cloves
  • 2 teaspoons of Morton's kosher salt, or 1 tablespoon of Diamond kosher salt, or 1 and ½ teaspoons of table salt
  • 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • 450 g (1 pound) of ground beef chuck
  • 450 g (1 pound) of ground veal, or pork
  • ¼ cup of grated onion
  • 30 g (⅓ cup) of minced basil, or parsley
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place your bread pieces in a bowl, pour your milk over, and let soak for 5 minutes. Drizzle in your egg yolks, garlic, cheese, salt and pepper and use a fork to mash and make your panade.
  2. Mix your beef, pork, and onion using a fork in a bowl. Transfer in your parsley and bread mix. Combine using your hands, a wooden spoon, a fork, or if you own a standing mixer, use it on low speed. This can be stored in your fridge for 2 days before cooking.
  3. Form the meatballs: Form into ¼ cup portions using a cookie scoop or measuring cup and gently roll your meatballs. Don't stress about them being perfect, usually the ones with cracks marinate better in the sauce.
  4. To cook on the stovetop: Cover the bottom of a frying pan in oil and heat it up on medium-high heat. Once hot, place in your meatballs to cook making sure not to overcrowd your pan. You know your oil is hot enough if your meatballs sizzle as soon as you place them in.
  5. Make sure your meatballs are all the way browned. Put the lid on the pan, put the heat on low and let simmer until fully cooked and firm. If you have a thermometer, monitor at 165 degrees, it will take you 15 minutes. Redo the process with the leftover meatballs, making sure to replace the oil with a fresh coat.
  6. To finish cooking in tomato sauce: Once your meatballs are done, place them in your bubbling marinara sauce pot. Let cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
  7. To bake the meatballs: Turn on your oven to 425 F.
  8. Grease your baking pan with olive oil, and place in your meatballs. Bake for 10 minutes, after that flip your meatballs using tongs or a spatula. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes until fully cooked and brown.
  9. Eat your meatballs with marinara sauce or your go-to tomato sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 meatballs
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 181Total Fat: 451gSaturated Fat: 174gTrans Fat: 17gUnsaturated Fat: 231gCarbohydrates: 111gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 876g

Sos Recipes is not staffed by nutritionists or dietitians, and any provided nutritional information is an approximation. If calorie count and nutritional value are crucial to you, we suggest inputting the ingredients into your preferred online nutritional calculator. The actual calorie and nutritional content may differ based on the brands used.

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