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.

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.

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.

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.)