Classic Italian Meatballs (Tender and Juicy!)
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A 30-minute family-style meatball recipe with hundreds of 5-star reviews! This recipe makes a batch of tender, juicy Italian-American-style meatballs to serve up to 6 people. Bake the meatballs in the oven or cook on the stovetop.
If you’re looking for an authentic Italian-American meatball recipe to serve with spaghetti or pasta, these juicy beef and pork meatballs are the real deal. Based on my mother’s recipe, I can honestly say this recipe makes the best homemade Italian meatballs ever.
These easy-to-make meatballs are made with ground beef and pork, strewn with fresh parsley, garlic and grated cheese. But the “secret” to good meatballs comes down to their juicy, delectable texture. And that is the result of including soft, milk-soaked breadcrumbs.
My mom’s stellar meatballs really set the standard. For Sunday dinner, she would serve a large platter of meat that had spent the better part of the day braising in the “gravy” — a/k/a rich, long-cooked tomato sauce. I always made a beeline for those meatballs.
Like any childhood comfort food, a good Italian meatball represents a time, place and taste that never fails to be delicious. Sure, give me a big bowl of pasta carbonara and I’ll be happy. But I’ll still want a meatball!
Best meat for Italian meatballs
To make the juiciest, tastiest meatballs, our family stands by using cuts of meat that have generous fat marbling. This old-school meatball recipe uses an equal mixture of beef and pork.
- Ground beef chuck: We’re not talking generic ground beef here. Look for ground chuck, which has 15-20 percent more fat than lean beef and makes the best meatball.
- Ground pork: Ground pork usually comes from the meaty pork shoulder, also called Boston butt or pork butt, and has more fat than meat from the loin.
- Ground veal (optional): There are many old-school traditional meatball makers who swear by an equal mix of beef, pork and veal. By all means add it to your mix, if that’s you!
- Italian sausage: I sometimes make meatballs with bulk Italian sausage meat instead of pork. Since it’s already seasoned, use about 1/2 teaspoon less salt.
About the ingredients
- Meat: Some say that it’s more old-school for traditional Italian cooks to use a combination of beef, veal and pork to make meatballs (and you can too). Because ground veal isn’t as readily available, I prefer to use a half-and-half mixture of ground beef and ground pork for the best texture and flavor. If possible, buy meat that’s freshly ground in the store. I find it releases less water, and it’s definitely fresher-tasting than vacuum-packed ground meat.
- Fresh bread crumbs: I’m going to be honest with you — good breadcrumbs are key to a great, tender meatball. Fresh crumbs made from are my top choice because they’re light, moist and fluffy, which is the texture you’re going for in a meatball. Fresh breadcrumbs have more moisture than the fine dry breadcrumbs that come in a can.
- Milk: Use dairy milk or a full-fat plant based milk to blend with the breadcrumbs — this is called a “panade”, which is basically a mixture of starch and liquid that makes the meatballs light and moist inside.
- Grated cheese: My first choice is sharp, salty pecorino Romano cheese (our family is southern Italian) but you can also use freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic, and grate it with a rasp grater, finely chop or use a garlic press.
- Fresh herbs: 1/3 cup fresh Italian flat leaf chopped parsley or basil (or a mixture of both), roughly chopped. Dried herbs will work in a pinch — use 2 teaspoons.
How to make meatballs, step by step:
1. Put the ground pork and beef in a large bowl. 2. Combine with a fork or your hands until blended.
3. Put the bread pieces in a bowl, cover with milk and soak 5 minutes. 4. Add the egg yolks, cheese, garlic and salt and pepper. 5. Mash with a fork to make a coase paste (panade).
6. Add the bread mixture and parsley to the ground meat. 7. Blend together with your hands or a large fork until evenly mixed. Hint: You can also use a standing mixer on low speed to mix.
8. Form into 1/4-cup portions with an oiled cookie scoop or measuring cup. 9. Expert tip: Lightly form into balls without overworking the meat, which will toughen the texture of the meatballs.
10. Cook meatballs: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs until browned all over, then cover the pan, lower the heat and cook 8-10 minutes. 11. To bake meatballs: Arrange on an oiled baking sheet and bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees, turning halfway.
Classic Italian Meatballs (Tender and Juicy!)
A 30-minute family-style meatball recipe with thousands of 5-star reviews! This recipe makes a batch of tender, juicy Italian-American-style meatballs. Bake the meatballs in the oven or cook on the stovetop. Serve them with quick homemade marinara or your favorite sauce.
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup (54 g) fresh breadcrumbs, from 1-2 slices white bread (crust removed)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup (50 g) grated pecorino Romano cheese, or Parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon (8 g) salt, or 2 teaspoons Diamond brand kosher salt (see note below)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound (450 g) ground beef chuck
- 1 pound (450 g) ground pork, or veal
- ¼ cup grated onion, optional
- â…“ cup (30 g) chopped parsley, or basil
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Put the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour the milk over. Let them soak for 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks, cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mash together to form a coarse paste.
- Put the beef, pork and onion (if using) in a large bowl and mix with a fork to blend. Add the bread mixture and parsley. Blend everything together well, using your hands, large wooden spoon or large fork. You can also mix in a standing mixer on low speed, just until blended. The meatball mixture can be mixed and refrigerated 2 days ahead of shaping and cooking.
- Form the meatballs: Use a ¼-cup measuring cup or cookie scoop to portion the mixture and roll lightly into balls. They don’t have to be perfect — craggy meatballs have character and hold the sauce better!
To cook on the stovetop:
- Pour enough oil into a large skillet to coat the bottom and place over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add as many meatballs as will fit in the pan without crowding. Note: They should sizzle as soon as they hit they pan or the pan isn’t hot enough.
- Brown the meatballs on all sides. Cover the pan, lower the heat and continue cooking and until the meatballs are firm and cooked through (165 degrees on a instant thermometer), which should take about 15 minutes total. Repeat the frying with remaining meatballs, pouring out the oil and adding a fresh layer each time.To finish cooking in tomato sauce:If you'd rather finish cooking the meatballs in tomato sauce (my preference), transfer them to a pot of simmering sauce just after browning on all sides. They won't be cooked all the way through. Simmer until they're cooked through, 10-12 minutes.
To bake the meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Arrange the meatballs on an olive-oiled coated rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, then turn the meatballs over with a spatula or pair of tongs. Continue baking until nicely browned and cooked through, another 10-12 minutes.
- Serve the warm meatballs with marinara sauce or your favorite prepared tomato sauce.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- To make fresh breadcrumbs:Â Trim the crust from a few slices of hearty country or Italian-style bread. Tear the bread into large pieces and pulse in a food processor until you see coarse pea-size crumbs or just tear them into pieces with your hands.
- To use dried breadcrumbs: Adjust the amount to 1/3 cup instead of the 1/2 cup of fresh crumbs. I recommend unseasoned dried breadcrumbs. If yours are seasoned, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by 1/2 teaspoon.
- Panko: Use the full amount (1/2 cup), adding more by the tablespoon if the mixture doesn’t hold together
- Gluten-free breadcrumbs: Fresh or dried will work fine, following the tips above.
- Note on salt:  Kosher salt has a larger grain than regular table salt. Because the granules are fluffier than fine salt, there’s less salt per volume in a teaspoon of kosher salt than there is fine salt. The brand of kosher salt that I use for all recipes on this site is Diamond Kosher. If you use Morton kosher salt or another brand of kosher salt other than Diamond, reduce the amount of salt specified by one-half.
- Meatballs can be made ahead and frozen up to 2 months. Cool the cooked meatballs completely. Arrange them in a freezer-proof container or heavy-duty freezer bag. Label the container with the contents and date. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then gently heat in your favorite tomato sauce on the stovetop..
- An electric standing mixer is handy to blend the meat and seasonings if you’d rather not do it by hand.
Nutrition per serving
Serving: 1meatball Calories: 184kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 12g Fat: 13g Sodium: 246mg Fiber: 0.3g Sugar: 1g
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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What a wonderful post! I have many of the same memories. My mother and Papa would take turns cooking dinners. My Papa had his own recipe and my Mom used his mothers, the Sicilian one, and used raisins. Both recipes bring back wonderful thoughts. I don’t remember exactly what they put in them so I’m trying to figure it out myself. Thank you for the recipe because I had completely forgotten about the bread and milk.
Hello,
Thank you for this great recipe. I was in the mood for some spaghetti and meatballs and Googled the meatballs recipe and found your page.
I tried your recipe, minus the pork of course, and it was perhaps the best meatballs I had in many years. Since then I have tried it a few more times and have passed on your recipe to family and friends.
Thanks again and good luck. Loved the story as well.
Regards,
Kamran
Thank you for a truly impressive recipe! These are hands down the best meatballs I’ve ever had! Thanks again!
i am intrigued – why kosher salt when you are using pork??!!??
Seriously😂
Guess what I found today? Quinoa!!
Those looks delicious! Spaghetti and meatballs are my all-time favourite comfort food. I always make a big batch and freeze some for a rainy day.
Have been silently reading your posts for a while. Loved this meatball story. My husband is Italian and comes from a line of great Sicilian cooks. His aunt cooked for Dean Martin and owned restaurants in New Jersey. She taught me–a Hungarian-German–to make spaghetti sauce and meatballs. I now have a food blog and am sharing some of the great Italian recipes I learned, then tweaked, from my husband’s family of cooks. My blog is judyskitchen.blogspot.com. Please come visit. I love your blog.
Michelle, I do love sausage too. My grandfather was famous for his, but for some reason the meatballs were tops with me. Maybe it’s their nice, round shape.
Patricia, I guess you’d make him happy if you whipped up a batch!
Beth, let me know if you like them…
Anticiplate, thanks!
Susan, we didn’t always have the braciole but it was memorable when my mother would throw it in. Probably when it was on sale or something.
Thanks, Camilla. You’re a pretty talented gal yourself! Yes, those Guido Brunetti mysteries make me want to take up residence in a dark, damp Venetian palazzo.
Stella, next to bacon, meatballs are probably the biggest temptation for those who don’t eat meat. One meatball and you might never go back.
Hi Erin, I’d truly enjoy having you as a neighbor. Wouldn’t that be fun? Thanks for saying hello – it seems like it’s been a while.
I think I want meatballs for dinner. Tonight, if I can wait that long. Keep the great recipes coming! I loved the look of your professional chef service blog as well. The menus make me drool and wish you were my neighbor. Hope all is well with you and your family! Erin Mylroie
Hi Karen
your meatballs look irresistible. That’ll be make a meatlover at once!
Karen,
These look incredibly delicious. Equally delicious is your prose: you are such a gifted writer, akin to Laurie Colwin. Brava!
p.s., I saw that you like Donna Leon’s mysteryies, too–I’m also hooked! I love her descriptions of Venetian food. umm…
You used to have the braciole too? Oh, this post brings back a flood of delicious memories for me, Karen. I may be making meatballs this weekend.
These look great! What a wonderful story:)
Can’t wait to try these. I am also in search of the perfect meatball.
Karen, my husband is absolutely crazy for meatballs – these look wonderful, he’d have a dozen in the blink of an eye!
my favorite meatballs and gravy are my zia lilliana’s. you can’t beat those with a stick. nor can i exactly reproduce them myself.
personally, i always go for the sausage first, and then the meatballs. the braciole is a good flavoring agent for the gravy, but i never understood why you would eat that when meatballs and sausage were available!
Hi Catherine, thanks.
I’d love to hear about your food history. Tell me more.
Emiline, I bet there’s a step-by-step on how to become Italian. First one should be to make some meatballs!
I’m jealous of your garden. My dad only started growing tomatoes after I was long gone from home.
Thanks, Chef. I just fixed that typo – glad you caught it. Cheers to you…
very well written! thanks! btw, there is no mention of the bread in step 2. Cheers.
I am in awe…those look fantastic!
I know I’ve said this before, but, I’m jealous of your Italian heritage. I want to be Italian!
I’ve never made meatballs before. I should try.
My family has always grown lots of vegetables in our garden. Asparagus, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes-you name it, we’ve grown it. So I guess most of my fond memories are of vegetables.
Next to growing up in an Italian family I can’t think of a more fond memory. My Great Aunt Anna had a green house. I have many found memories of visiting her and my Great Uncle Steve & picking sweet cherry tomatoes & raspberries right off the vine.
That’s such a beautiful story! I remember and tell my history with food, too. This is a great recipe, perfect for adaptation to our own memories.