This recipe makes enough meatballs to feed a crowd! Make a big batch for dinner and freeze the leftovers for an easy meal when you need it!
Meatballs are a staple in all Italian households; I grew up making them every Sunday with my grandmother. She made all-beef meatballs, which are delicious, but this way adds a ton of flavor.
This recipe is foolproof and I am so pleased to be able to share it with you. It’s so versatile that you can serve them with marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, or even plain with mashed potatoes.
Why This Recipe Works
- A mixture of ground beef and sausage meat keeps the meatballs moist and flavorful.
- Fresh herbs and freshly grated parmesan cheese give these meatballs a unique mouthwatering flavor.
- Using eggs and breadcrumbs binds the meatballs and keeps them moist and tender.
- Fresh garlic gives them a flavor kick you don’t get with garlic powder.
Using a Panade
A panade is a mixture of milk (or water) bread, breadcrumbs, or sometimes even ground crackers. It’s used to bind and add moisture to ground-meat dishes. It also helps to bind the mixture and hold its shape in dishes like meatballs or meatloaf.
I use a mixture of milk and seasoned breadcrumbs, but soaking bread or ground plain crackers in milk also works great too.
Mixing Ground Meat
Overmixing ground beef can make it tough so it’s important to avoid handling it too much. A good shortcut is to use a stand mixer to mix your meatballs, but if you do, be sure to use it on a low speed to not overwork the beef.
How to Make Italian Meatballs
- Mix ground beef, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, and herbs.
- Roll into balls around an inch and a half in diameter.
- Pan-fry and serve with sauce and pasta.
Step by Step Instructions
This recipe calls for pan-frying the meatballs. For information on oven baking, see my Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe.
Mix breadcrumbs with the milk.
Mix the ground beef, sausage meat, garlic, parmesan cheese, soaked bread crumbs, and fresh herbs until combined.
Form into balls using a scoop.
Before you assemble your meatballs it is worth taking the extra time to taste test. Make a mini patty and pan fry in olive oil until cooked. Taste and check if you should add more seasoning.
Pan fry until cooked through.
When cooking make sure your meatballs are about 2 inches apart. Pan fry until brown and crisp. Do this in batches rather than crowding the pan.
Place on a paper towel to get rid of any excess oil.
Add some sauce. Serve and enjoy.
For information on cooking the meatballs in your sauce, see my spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
Top Tips For Perfect Meatballs
- Use fresh ingredients. Fresh herbs and aromatics have the best flavor.
- Avoid low-fat ground meat Fat helps make the meatballs tender and keeps them moist. I recommend 80% lean beef.
- Don’t skip moistening the breadcrumbs. This step ensures the meatballs are tender and moist.
- Be sure to use the eggs. This recipe calls for 2 eggs to bind the meatballs. If you skip the eggs, the meatballs could fall apart in the sauce.
- When rolling your meatballs by hand, try oiling your hands so that the mixture doesn’t stick when handling.
- It’s worth taking the extra time to taste test your meatball mixture by making a mini hamburger and pan-frying it in some olive oil until fully cooked. Then taste it. It should taste delicious! If it doesn’t, it probably needs salt. Season the raw mixture and repeat if you want to be 100% sure.
- If making to serve with sauce, you’ll either a big batch of Homemade Tomato Sauce, Marinara Sauce, or at least two 24oz jars of store-bought.
- When cooking in tomato sauce, stir often. Tomato sauce sticks easily to the bottom of the pan, which can ruin your sauce if burned.
Make ahead and Freezing Instructions
This recipe makes about 30 meatballs, so there are always leftovers. You can save them for another day or freeze them for an easy meal when you need them.
- Meatballs can be made a day in advance and cooked the next day. Alternatively, fry them and refrigerate them for up to three days before reheating them.
- To freeze, arrange the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet. Try to keep them from being too close, or they will stick together when freezing. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe container and keep them frozen for two months.
- To freeze your meatballs in sauce, cool and place in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating.
FAQs
It may be that your meatballs are overworked and packed too tightly. Try to be gentle when forming your meatballs. Consider oiling your hands so the mixture won’t stick to them, and then gently and quickly form the meat into evenly sized balls.
No, you should make sure your meatballs and ingredients you are adding to the meatballs are cold so the fat doesn’t break down before cooking.
Yes, you can use water instead of milk when making the panade (breadcrumb mixture) for meatballs.
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Let’s Make Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk or water – plus more if needed
- 1 lb ground beef 80-85% lean
- 1 lb Italian sausage Meat
- 2 large eggs
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- fresh parsley a good handful, chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese fresh grated
- Salt to taste (I use at least a tablespoon of salt)
- freshly ground black pepper about 15 turns of the grind
- olive oil For frying
Instructions
- Mix the milk into the breadcrumbs and stir together. If not completely moistened, mix in more milk 1 tablespoon at a time to moisten the breadcrumbs fully. Let rest while you prep the rest of the ingredients (or at least 5 minutes).
- In a large mixing bowl, add the beef, sausage meat, eggs, breadcrumb mixture, garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese, and season with about a teaspoon of salt and freshly grated pepper (if using jarred sauce, it may be salty, so season to taste). Mix until combined.
- Gently form 3 tablespoons of mixture into 1.5-inch round meatballs; repeat with remaining mixture. This recipe makes approx 30 meatballs.
- Heat ¼ -inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a 10 or 11-inch sauté pan. When the edge of a meatball dipped in oil sizzles, add the meatballs in a single layer about 2 inches apart. Fry, turning several times until nicely browned on all sides (about 10 minutes), regulating heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking. Transfer the browned meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Repeat, if necessary, with the remaining meatballs.
- Serve with the sauce of your choice.
Tips + Notes
Tips
- Overmixing ground beef can make it tough so it’s important to avoid handling it too much. A good shortcut is to use a stand mixer to mix your meatballs, but if you do, be sure to use it on a low speed to not overwork the beef.
- Before you assemble your meatballs it is worth taking the extra time to taste test. Make a mini patty and pan fry in olive oil until cooked. Taste and check if you should add more seasoning
- When rolling your meatballs by hand try oiling your hands so that the mixture doesn’t stick when handling
- When cooking, make sure your meatballs are placed about 2 inches apart. Pan fry until brown and crisp. Do this in batches rather than crowding the pan.
- If making to serve with sauce, you’ll either a big batch of Homemade Tomato Sauce, Marinara Sauce, or at least two 24oz jars of store-bought.
Toni rose says
Oh my gosh I just made these for the first time and they’re amazing, I’m never buying frozen meatballs again! I would’ve never thought of combining sausage meat into it. I subbed the milk with heavy cream and breadcrumbs with panko crumbs, since that’s all I had. In Chinese recipes, we mix minced meat in one direction for
10 minutes using chopsticks, that’s what I did since I don’t have a mixer. It helps keep the meat springy and gives you a shoulder workout lol.
Erren Hart says
Wow, I’m so happy to hear that you had such a wonderful experience making the meatballs! I agree that adding sausage meat is definitely a game-changer, and I’m glad you enjoyed the result. Your substitutions of heavy cream and panko crumbs sound like great alternatives, and it’s fascinating to hear about the Chinese technique of mixing minced meat with chopsticks for a springy texture. It’s always fun to discover new methods in the kitchen! Thank you for sharing your feedback and tips, and I hope you continue to enjoy homemade meatballs from now on.