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.
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs (from 1-2 slices white bread (crust removed)
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped or grated)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or 2 teaspoons Diamond brand kosher salt (see note below))
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
- 1 pound ground pork (or veal)
- ¼ cup grated onion (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley (or basil)
- Olive oil
Directions
- 1
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.
- 2
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.
- 3
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!
- 4
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.
- 5
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.