Just Give the People What They Want.
And what they want are Italian meatballs, served over a big bowl of al dente pasta—if there is any meal that is more comforting, more deeply satisfying, we have yet to taste it. We’ve searched high and low for the best Italian meatball recipe and, after some highly scientific research, we can say with total confidence that this is the best Italian meatball recipe on the planet.
Well, OK. The last thing we want to do, ever, is make the nonnas mad. Maybe we’ll just say that these are the best Italian meatballs that anyone that doesn’t happen to be an actual, legit, real-life Italian nonna could ever hope to make.
Research Methods 101: Italian Meatball Edition
We are certain that this is the best Italian meatball recipe, because we really did do our homework. We asked anyone and everyone we knew with Italian heritage how their Grandmas and Great-Grandmas made their meatballs.
From those hunger-inducing conversations, our Italian meatball recipe was born. Of course, everyone claimed that their family’s Italian meatballs were the very best, most authentic Italian meatballs in the world. But (though we’d never tell them this) there wasn’t actually all that much difference amongst the various families’ ingredients or way of making Italian meatballs with red sauce. Everyone’s family recipe had one major thing in common: simmering the meatballs in the tomato sauce long enough for them to really soak up that buttery, tomato goodness.
So, after much trial and error, we present to you the very best Italian meatball recipe. Print it, bookmark it, memorize it, love it—your family will thank you.
How to Make Italian Meatballs:
So much of this Italian meatball recipe comes down to the slow simmer in simple, homemade tomato sauce (see below for more on that!), but there is a little technique at play, too. Here’s what you need to know:
- Don’t overmix your meatballs. Italian meatballs should be moist, yielding, unbelievably tender, and you can ensure that yours turn out just the way you want them by handling your meat as little as possible. Dump everything into a bowl, and use your hands to carefully and gently mix herbs, cheese and breadcrumbs into the meat.
- Do use fresh herbs, fresh cheese, and fresh garlic cloves! This Italian meatball recipe—like most of Italian cuisine—is really pretty simple. It’s all about taking a few, fresh, high-quality ingredients, and treating them with care. Fresh Italian parsley, freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, fragrant cloves of fresh garlic—this trio of flavor-enhancers will make your meatballs beyond succulent. Avoid the temptation to swap dried herbs or jarred garlic—this is the moment for fresh fresh fresh.
- Don’t overmix the meatballs. Oh wait—did we already say that? But seriously—light hands make for delicious meatballs.
Let’s Talk Tomato Sauce:
Of course, Italian meatballs have to be simmered in tomato sauce. And to make sure that our sauce is one worthy of an Italian Grandma, we’ve turned to the ultimate nonna, Marcella Hazan, for inspiration. Marcella—we’re on a first name basis, at least in our imagination—calls for only three ingredients in her classic, velvety, rich tomato sauce:
- Canned tomatoes. Use the best quality you can—they’re going to be a defining flavor in this dish. Over the course of the meatballs’ simmer time, their sweetness and light acidity will seep into the herby meatballs and make them deeply flavorful and incredibly moist.
- Butter. Butter makes this tomato sauce so silky, and just ever so slightly, ever so gloriously creamy. Italian meatballs are not a meal to try to lighten up—they’re rich, decadent and a total treat. Let your inner nonna guide you—embrace the butter!
- Onion. These will be sliced only in half—don’t dice, or slice them thinly. You want just a gentle infusion of that lovely, sharp, oniony scent to compliment the tomato and cut through a bit of the butters’ richness.
How to Serve Italian Meatballs:
The windows are steamed up and the whole house smells heavenly—like Italy on a Sunday afternoon. During that last 30-minute simmer, maybe some friends have started to gather, and someone opened a bottle of wine. Maybe there’s a little Dino playing in the background. Stomachs are rumbling and it’s finally time to mangia! Serve your beautiful bowls of al dente pasta and meatballs with a simply dressed green salad, and maybe a little crusty bread on the side to sop up every last droplet of red sauce.
Tools Needed to Make the Best Homemade Meatballs with Tomato Sauce.
- A big glass bowl for mixing the meatballs.
- A sharp knife for chopping the parsley and garlic.
- A good cheese grater for all that parmesan.
- A large pot for simmering the meatballs in their tomato sauce.
- A big platter for serving the meatballs to your family.
Other Italian Favorites:
It always comes back to Italy for us food lovers, doesn’t it? Here are four Italian pasta recipes that we turn to again and again:
- Baked Penne Alla Vodka
- Baked Gnocchi
- Baked Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli Pesto Pasta
- Easy Stuffed Pasta Shells
Grazie, Nonna!
If you make this Italian meatball recipe, we want to hear about it! Post it to Instagram and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Is it the best Italian meatball recipe? Is it nonna-worthy? Let us know what you think!
