We're about to get cozy here with a big bowl of comfort food. Juicy, plump and full of flavor, these Italian meatballs slowly simmer in a rich homemade tomato sauce until they're perfectly tender. For the ultimate convenience, you can make these meatballs in advance for easy entertaining and choose among three different cooking methods to suit your personal taste.
I used to have two great uncles from Italy who loved their meatballs. One uncle insisted poaching meatballs was the best cooking method while the other uncle stood firm that frying was the only way to go. Those two methods are great, but I'd like to throw in a third cooking method for contention: baking meatballs.
And you know what? We're all winners. As far as I'm concerned, all three cooking methods produce a delicious meatball. Your perfect meatball cooking method all comes down to personal preference.
Poached meatballs are as tender as can be, but because they simmer uncooked, I always end up with a few meatballs that break up in the sauce. Frying or baking the meatballs first develops a crust, so they stay together better, though the crust means they're not quite as tender as a poached meatball. But then some people like that textural contrast between the exterior and interior of the meatball. Browning also gives the meatballs a nice flavor.
So rather than debate which cooking method is the best, let's just agree that all meatballs are tasty, and we can pick the method that best suits our taste. Sound good?
Ingredients
Let's organize our ingredients. Here's everything we need to make our meatballs.
- Ground beef
- Ground pork
- Sandwich bread
- Heavy cream or milk
- Eggs
- Parmesan
- Fresh parsley
- Italian seasoning
- Onion
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Anchovy paste (optional but delicious)
I know some people might read anchovy paste and think, "Ew. No way." But those people are wrong. Anchovy paste adds a nice umami flavor. You won't get a mouthful of anchovy flavor, so don't worry about that. If anchovy paste truly weirds you out, you can skip it, but I highly recommend you give it a try.
Expert Tips and FAQs
As we put together our Italian meatballs, I recommend keeping these tips in mind for best results.
- When making our meatball mixture, use a gentle touch. Overworking our meat can lead to tough meatballs. Stir together the seasoning and filler ingredients first, add the meat and then mix just until combined.
- We make our breadcrumbs using fresh sandwich bread, not dried bread crumbs or panko. This makes for an ultra tender meatball. Remove the crust and only use the white bread part for the most tender bite.
- We soak our breadcrumbs before using them to keep our meatballs moist. If you feel extra decadent, I love using heavy cream, but milk also works.
- For the most tender meatball, use a ground beef that's 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat.
- Rather than chopping our onion, we grate it instead. This gives us small slithers that almost melt into our meatball while providing lots of flavor. I much prefer grated onions than eating small chunks of onion.
- No canned Parmesan please. Only freshly grated Parmesan will do. Otherwise, we get a meatball with gritty texture.
- Before shaping the meatballs, lightly oil your hands. This keeps sticking to a minimum.
How to Fry Meatballs
Frying meatballs is the most labor-intensive method, and we need to fry our meatballs in batches. Depending on the size, we get about 30 meatballs with this recipe, so one skillet obviously won't hold all meatballs at once.
To fry our meatballs, we simply heat oil in a skillet and add our meatballs. We let them cook for a few minutes until brown and then roll them over to the other side. We repeat this process until the meatballs are browned on all sides.
Once we brown our meatballs, we drop them into our sauce and simmer. The meatballs will technically be ready to eat after about 20 minutes of simmering, but I highly recommend letting these meatballs simmer for a couple hours for the best flavor and texture.
How to Bake Meatballs
If you don't want to stand over the stove frying meatballs, baking is a great option. For this method, we simply place the meatballs on a large baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Super simple, eh?
After baking, we move our meatballs to the sauce for simmering. Like frying our meatballs, they will be ready after about 20 minutes, but again, I definitely suggest giving yourself enough time to allow these Italian meatballs to simmer for a couple hours.
How to Poach Meatballs
Poaching meatballs is as simple as dropping them raw into sauce after forming. We don't brown these meatballs at all. They simply cook in the sauce.
Because these meatballs go in raw, we can't rush the cooking process. If you plan to poach your meatballs, give yourself two hours to let these meatballs simmer in our homemade tomato sauce.
Can You Make Ahead of Time?
You bet. Making meatballs is a time-consuming process, but they're the perfect make-ahead food. That, of course, makes meatballs a great option for entertaining.
To make these Italian meatballs ahead of time, you can form them into balls, cover and refrigerate. Or simply make your meatballs, simmer them in sauce and then reheat everything on the stove when you're ready to serve. You could even freeze these meatballs.
I actually love making meatballs just to freeze. That way, you're always ready with an impressive meal for those last-minute get-togethers. All you have to do is thaw, cook a pot of pasta and you have yourself a satisfying, delicious dinner.
Perfect Pairing
If you're in the mood for a beer, an amber ale is a good call. An amber ale has enough body to hold up to our meatballs and plenty of carbonation to lighten the heavier elements of our Italian meatballs. The prominent malt also nicely complements the sweetness of the tomato sauce.
Love a classic wine pairing with your Italian meatballs? I always love a chianti with my Italian meatballs, and I have a feeling you'll feel the same. Chianti has plenty of acidity to balance the tomato sauce and cut through the meatballs. We also get some nice savory, herbal notes that pair perfectly with our sauce and well-seasoned meatballs.
For those nights that call for some serious comfort food, I hope you try these meatballs. Whether you fry, bake or poach these little meaty bites, you're in for one unforgettable meal. You could even add these to my favorite meatball lasagna for another delicious dinner option.
Please let me know how you enjoyed this Italian meatball recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.
Cheers!
Need More Cozy Meals in Your Life?
- Red wine-braised short ribs
- The best coq au vin
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- Truffled burrata and grilled scallop pasta
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Italian Meatballs (How to Bake, Fry Or Poach)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: About 30 meatballs 1x
Description
We're about to get cozy here with a big bowl of comfort food. Juicy, plump and full of flavor, these Italian meatballs slowly simmer in a rich homemade tomato sauce until they're perfectly tender. For the ultimate convenience, you can make these meatballs in advance for easy entertaining and choose among three different cooking methods to suit your personal taste.
Ingredients
For Homemade Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 (6)-ounce can tomato paste
½ cup chianti, optional
3-4 (28)-ounce cans crushed tomatoes (see note)
10 fresh thyme sprigs
5 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 fresh oregano sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup chopped fresh basil
For Italian Meatballs
1 cup soft bread crumbs, torn from white sandwich bread, no crust (see note)
1 cup heavy cream or milk
2 eggs
6 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, using the small holes of a box grater
1 cup grated onion, using the large holes of a box grater
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1 pound ground beef, preferably 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat
1 pound ground pork
Instructions
For Frying Italian Meatballs
- Before starting on our meatballs, we make our sauce, so it can get a head start simmering. Heat olive or canola oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft, about five to eight minutes. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the tomato paste and chianti. Cook until the chianti is nearly fully reduced.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes with the juice. Tie the thyme, rosemary and oregano together with kitchen twine. Add the bundled herbs with bay leaves and stir in salt and pepper. Mostly cover, leaving a crack open, and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally and keep the heat as low as possible to maintain a simmer.
- Now we start on the meatballs. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and heavy cream or milk. Allow the bread crumbs to soak as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic cloves, Parmesan, onion, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and anchovy paste if using. Drain the bread crumbs in a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the bread crumbs.
- Add the ground beef and pork. Using a gentle touch, stir with a wooden spoon to form one cohesive mixture. You could even use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Mix just until combined.
- Lightly oil your hands and form into balls slightly larger than the size of a golf ball. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, add meatballs without overcrowding the pan. Brown on one side and then roll over to the other side. Repeat until the meatballs are lightly browned on all sides.
- After frying, drop the fried meatballs directly into the simmering sauce. Simmer on low to medium-low heat about two hours, stirring occasionally. Try to be as gentle as possible when stirring. If you're in a hurry, you could simmer the meatballs for only 20 minutes, but two hours is best for optimal flavor and texture.
- After simmering for two hours, stir in the freshly chopped basil and turn off heat. Serve the meatballs with pasta or as a party appetizer. Enjoy!
For Baking Italian Meatballs
- Before starting on our meatballs, we make our sauce, so it can get a head start simmering. Heat olive or canola oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft, about five to eight minutes. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the tomato paste and chianti. Cook until the chianti is nearly fully reduced.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes with the juice. Tie the thyme, rosemary and oregano together with kitchen twine. Add the bundled herbs with bay leaves and stir in salt and pepper. Mostly cover, leaving a crack open, and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally and keep the heat as low as possible to maintain a simmer.
- Now we start on the meatballs. Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and heavy cream or milk. Allow the bread crumbs to soak as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic cloves, Parmesan, onion, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and anchovy paste if using. Drain the bread crumbs in a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the bread crumbs.
- Add the ground beef and pork. Using a gentle touch, stir with a wooden spoon to form one cohesive mixture. You could even use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Mix just until combined.
- Lightly oil your hands and form into balls slightly larger than the size of a golf ball. Place on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. After baking, drop the baked meatballs directly into the simmering sauce. Simmer on low to medium-low heat about two hours, stirring occasionally. Try to be as gentle as possible when stirring. If you're in a hurry, you could simmer the meatballs for only 20 minutes, but two hours is best for optimal flavor and texture.
- After simmering for two hours, stir in the freshly chopped basil and turn off heat. Serve the meatballs with pasta or as a party appetizer. Enjoy!
For Poaching Italian Meatballs
- Before starting on our meatballs, we make our sauce, so it can get a head start simmering. Heat olive or canola oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft, about five to eight minutes. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the tomato paste and chianti. Cook until the chianti is nearly fully reduced.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes with the juice. Tie the thyme, rosemary and oregano together with kitchen twine. Add the bundled herbs with bay leaves and stir in salt and pepper. Mostly cover, leaving a crack open, and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally and keep the heat as low as possible to maintain a simmer.
- Now we start on the meatballs. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and heavy cream or milk. Allow the bread crumbs to soak as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic cloves, Parmesan, onion, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and anchovy paste if using. Drain the bread crumbs in a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the bread crumbs.
- Add the ground beef and pork. Using a gentle touch, stir with a wooden spoon to form one cohesive mixture. You could even use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Mix just until combined.
- Lightly oil your hands and form into balls slightly larger than the size of a golf ball. Drop directly into the simmering sauce. Simmer on low to medium-low heat until cooked through, about two to three hours, stirring occasionally. Because they're going in without a crust, it's normal for a few meatballs to break up during the cooking process. Most meatballs will remain intact. Try to be as gentle as possible when stirring.
- After simmering for two hours, stir in the freshly chopped basil, remove the other herbs and turn off heat. Serve the meatballs with pasta or as a party appetizer. Enjoy!
Notes
- Three 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes is technically enough to cover the meatballs, but if you like a lot of sauce, you may want to add a fourth can. This comes down to personal preference.
- Getting 1 cup of soft bread crumbs should take about three to four slices of white sandwich bread. Use only the white part of the bread --- not the crust --- and tear into small pieces.
- I find heavy cream adds a bit of decadence to the meatballs, but milk is a fine replacement.
- You can make the meatball mixture or form into meatballs up to a day ahead. Just cover and store in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can store the cooked meatballs in sauce in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze in the sauce.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stove-Top or Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 70
- Sodium: 249
- Fat: 3
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 4
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 28
Keywords: Italian meatballs
I always entertain on Christmas Eve and I feel like these meatballs will be the perfect meal!
★★★★★
Totally! I actually plan to make them on Christmas Eve as well. 😀
Your Italian Meatball recipe is definitely amazing. Such amazing ingredients and flavors to it. Love your combination to eating this platter. I am loving it.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Veena! Glad to hear it. 😀
A great recipe, and very faithful to proper authentic Italian meatballs! I always use stale bread that's been soaked in milk for my meatballs, but then I use it all, with the crust. As for the method, I'm a fryer, and then down in the sauce! And yes, anchovy paste is a big yes from me! Love it!
★★★★★
Your version sounds delicious too!
These meatballs look delicious, and I agree, no matter which way they are cooked, they are super tasty!
★★★★★
You just can't go wrong with meatballs!
Personally I love fried meatballs...the crunchy exterior is my favorite but I also love them poached which is rare to have for me. It's the way my uncle always made them when I was younger. Great tips and they look so delicious!
★★★★★
Thanks, Tammy! It really is a personal preference thing --- can't go wrong any way!
Oh, my mouth is watering now! What can be better than a bow of pasta with Italian meatballs! I think I should make it this weekend!
★★★★★
I hope you do!
This bowl of spaghetti and meatballs looks insanely delicious! What perfect meatballs! I can not WAIT to try these meatballs out! Mmmmm!
★★★★★
Hope you love them, Jess!
We love our meatballs - they are so versatile. We especially like making them up ahead of time. We've never tried the poaching method. Very interesting - we will have to give it a try.
★★★★★
I hope you do and let me know how it goes!
Thank you for such an informative post. So many options and I'm definitely going to be getting some anchovy paste. The flavor that secret ingredient adds will be outstanding! Thank you.
★★★★★
You're so welcome! I always like having options. 😀
I have so many memories of meatballs. My mom called them polpette. She would put them right in the sauce and poach them. Funny thing is 12 went in and only 8 cane out. I don't know what happened as I smiled with a sauce outline lip,lol.. As for which way to do them I like them all!
★★★★
Glad to know I'm not the only one!
Same here. I never had a fried meatball until I was an adult, and my parents were from Italy. The best was pan’funatt (Italian slang for dunked bread.) So many variations, but made with love, which makes them so good.
I like to bake meatballs. Mostly, this is because I'm lazy, and I can bake a batch without having to stand over them. I also like baking them if I'm making a huge batch to freeze, but I have been know to poach, or boil, my meatballs. I'm not a fan of frying because I have to pay attention to my meatballs. I love that you put anchovies in your meatballs. My hubby loves anchovies in almost everything.
For sure! I'm a huge fan of baking for that exact reason --- so simple and convenient.