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.

Recipe by Karen Tedesco on October 19, 2022

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT15M

Total time: PT30M

Rating

4.93 stars (862 reviews)

Keywords

authentic italian meatballs, best meatballs, comfort food, italian meatballs, meatball dinner ideas

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

Cuisine

Italian

Steps

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.
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.
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!
To cook on the stovetop:
- 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.
- Brown the meatballs on all sides. Cover the pan, lower the heat and continue cooking and until the meatballs are firm and cooked through (165 degrees on a instant thermometer), which should take about 15 minutes total. Repeat the frying with remaining meatballs, pouring out the oil and adding a fresh layer each time.To finish cooking in tomato sauce:If you'd rather finish cooking the meatballs in tomato sauce (my preference), transfer them to a pot of simmering sauce just after browning on all sides. They won't be cooked all the way through. Simmer until they're cooked through, 10-12 minutes.
To bake the meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Arrange the meatballs on an olive-oiled coated rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, then turn the meatballs over with a spatula or pair of tongs. Continue baking until nicely browned and cooked through, another 10-12 minutes.
- Serve the warm meatballs with marinara sauce or your favorite prepared tomato sauce.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 meatball
Calories: 184 kcal
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Protein: 12 g
Fat: 13 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 61 mg
Sodium: 246 mg
Sugar: 1 g

Reviews

Nanjee on 2024-09-11 (5 stars):
This meatball recipe is an absolute must-try! I love that it’s family-style and ready in just 30 minutes. With thousands of 5-star reviews, you know it’s going to be delicious. The fact that you can bake them or cook them on the stovetop makes it super versatile. Perfect for serving up a tasty, tender, and juicy meal to the whole family!
Marsha on 2026-04-06 (5 stars):
I made these last night and they are the best meatballs EVER! I used a pound of the 80/20 ground beef, and a pound of a very mild Italian seasoned ground pork. This was not a fancy Italian sausage from a specialty store, just a grocery store pork. I used two extra cloves of garlic. Two thick slices of Pepperidge Farm Homestyle bread, crusts removed and maybe a little extra milk. I loved the trick of mixing everything in with the bread. I did use fresh chopped basil. I mixed it all together with my very clean hands. Then very lightly formed the balls and put on a baking sheet without any liner. I lightly smeared some olive oil on the sheet to be sure they wouldn't stick, but not sure it was necessary. Followed the cooking instructions and used a meat thermometer to check for correct temp. These meatballs were heaven. Not dense hockey pucks. Not chewy. Almost airy, but in the best way. I now have a secret weapon recipe. I made a very simple homemade batch of marinara with crushed canned tomatoes.
Robert Fischer on 2026-03-22 (5 stars):
I tried the recipe today and it turned out wonderful; combined beef, pork and veal as I had all three. Thanks.
N. L. Kleeve on 2026-03-06 (5 stars):
Love these meatballs! I used 1.25 lbs of the local store's "meatloaf mix" (beet, veal, and pork). and 1.15 lbs of ground beef, and a little extra bread. It worked great. I made the meatballs a little on the smaller side and got a yield of 30 which is enough for 3 dinners of spaghetti and meatballs for two. (Or a bunch of meatball sandwiches.) I cooked 10 at a time, and the total cook time was about 45 minutes. That included the browning time. I'm having 9 of them in sauce with spaghetti tonight. (I had to eat one just to try it out.) I have 20 more that I am freezing for future use. I love a recipe that allows you to make a bunch at once so you can quickly use the leftovers whenever you want to!
Sheila on 2026-02-19 (5 stars):
5 stars… Thank you for this great recipe. I just made the meatballs and tasted one. So moist and delicious. I appreciate the mixing instructions to make a paste. Thanks for the freezing tips too. I love it when I have something premade in the freezer for a simple dinner.
David on 2026-02-16 (5 stars):
Made them small to use on a pizza so reduced the cook time. They were very good but I would make them spicier next time. I didn't use the onion because I had onion as another topping on the pizza.
Meghan on 2026-02-15 (5 stars):
We made the meatballs last night and absolutely loved them!!! Perfect little balls and wonderfully moist! Thank you.
Jerry on 2026-01-28 (4 stars):
I made a half portion of this meatball recipe tonight, very tasty. One suggestion: followed everything in quantity but only used a 1/4 tsp of black pepper instead of 1/2 tsp it would have been as per a 1/2 recipe. The full batch of meatballs calls for 1 tsp of black pepper! The black pepper was still overpowering. I recommend using only a few large dashes of black pepper so you can taste the other milder flavors of basil, parsley and Parmesan. Still enjoyed it, meatballs came out cooked perfect, and the grated onion was almost a purée instead of chopped, I like that part. We then put them in a marinara for dinner with pasta
Terry on 2026-01-26 (5 stars):
After not making meatballs for over a year, I couldn't remember the recipe. And because Mom's not here to ask, I hit up google. Well I've tried close to a dozen different recipes....this by far is the best. Next time I'll add more garlic! Thanks so much for my go to recipe for meatballs! Delish and 5 stars for sure!
Istar on 2026-01-23 (5 stars):
To get uniformed sized meatballs make the mixture into a large rectangle one inch high. Cut the rectangle into an inch grid. Uniform cubes that you roll into balls. No scouping nor weighing.
Claire Dolan on 2026-01-06 (5 stars):
First time making meatballs and they were amazing! Great recipe!!!!