Meatball Recipe

A meatball recipe that rivals that of your favorite Italian restaurant! These meatballs always come out amazingly tender, perfectly moistened, deliciously flavorful and they're always sure to impress! Makes for such a classic, comforting dinner.

Prep time: PT35M

Cook time: PT20M

Total time: PT55M

Rating

4.97 stars (118 reviews)

Keywords

Meatballs

Ingredients

2 cups (5.2 oz) fresh bread crumbs*
3/4 cup whole milk, (then more if needed)
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef**
1 lb. ground pork
2 large eggs
1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion***
2 garlic cloves, (minced (2 tsp))
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil, (only if using the fried method)

Cuisine

Italian

Steps

In a large mixing bowl stir together bread crumbs and milk while adding more milk 1 Tbsp at a time to moisten bread fully. Let rest while you prep ingredients (or at least 5 minutes).
To breadcrumb mixture add beef, pork, eggs, onion, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, parmesan and season over top of ingredients evenly with salt and pepper (I only use 3/4 tsp salt if I plan on using jar sauce to coat since it can be salty).
Gently toss mixture and break meat up with fingertips until ingredients are evenly mixed.
Shape mixture with greased hands into even size meatballs, about 1 1/4-inches each (or about 38g).
Oven Baked Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees before you begin preparing meatballs.
- Spray two dark coated non-stick pans well with non-stick cooking spray (see note 4), or brush with olive oil.
- Place formed meatballs on baking sheets, fitting about 20 per each and spacing evenly apart. Bake in upper and lower third of oven 10 minutes.
- Remove and turn meatballs if browned already on bottom (use a thin metal spatula to scrape from baking sheet). Transfer pans to opposite racks and bake until cooked through, about 8 - 12 minutes longer (should register 165 degrees in center of meatballs).
- Stir into warmed marinara sauce. Simmer on low heat if desired for even more tender meatballs (about 10 - 20 minutes, toss occasionally gently).
Pan Fried Stovetop Method
- To pan fry meatballs pour 3/4 cup olive oil into a 12-inch non-stick skillet, heat over medium heat.
- Cook meatballs in 3 batches (so they aren't overcrowded) until golden brown on bottom, about 4 - 6 minutes. Then turn to opposite side and cook opposite side until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
- Transfer meatballs to warmed marinara sauce (see note 5) in a large pot, submerge in sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat until meatballs are 165 degrees in center, gently tossing meatballs occasionally, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 329 kcal
Carbohydrates: 9.93 g
Protein: 23.4 g
Fat: 21.22 g
Saturated Fat: 8.7 g
Cholesterol: 114.32 mg
Sodium: 317.03 mg
Sugar: 2.32 g

Reviews

Patrick Lynch on 2025-01-24 (5 stars):
Thank you. I’m new to cooking, but I will try this recipe.
DEBBIE on 2024-12-04 (5 stars):
I made these exactly as written with one exception. I used 1 lb of ground Beyond Meat and 1 lb of grass-fed organic ground beef. The rest was the same, except my herbs were fresh!! Great recipe!! Thank you for sharing; I will make it again and again. This recipe would be good for Swedish Meatballs, too.
Philip Moore on 2024-09-19 (4 stars):
The meatballs came out pretty good.
Jo on 2024-08-20 (4 stars):
Fresh bread crumbs. But I'm editing my previous comment to the were fabulous after Frozen and dethawed. The Taste was wonderful.
Maureen Blackler on 2024-02-16 (5 stars):
These meatballs are great! I made them following the recipe exactly, and they were very flavorful, tender and juicy. Definitely be making them again. Thank you for the recipe.
Diane M on 2023-09-25 (5 stars):
These meatballs are the bomb!!! My family and nieces say these meatballs are the gold standard they judge all other meatballs by. Just came back from 2 week trip in Italy and tried 5 different meatballs there and all of us agreed non of them were as good as this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!!
ellen on 2023-02-22 (5 stars):
I always make my breadcrumbs from scrach with old bread; this is now my always go to meatball recipie! I had no time to make the marinara from scratch; so used store bought and added a little onion... Delish!
Amanda on 2022-12-29 (5 stars):
Delicious! I made these last night for meatball subs, and they were amazing! I used 1 cup store-bought plain breadcrumbs (had to add about equal part milk to get the right consistency). I also only had dried oregano and parsley, but was able to find fresh basil. I also used the stovetop method, and they came out AMAZING! Also, Tao’s marinara is fantastic if you don’t have time to make your own—2 jars was just enough.
Sariah Painting on 2022-12-09 (5 stars):
Me and my dad tried this recipe and we were swooning. 5/5 totally recommend.