These Italian Meatballs are meant to be enjoyed with a glass of wine or an aperitif. As these morsels of meatball dissolve in your mouth, you will have an explosion of flavors!
Jump to Recipe Print RecipeAs the name suggests, the “polpette di carne” really means meatballs in Italian and dates back to the 14th century. Each and every Italian region, and indeed every family, has its variation of meatballs. Most traditional Italian meatballs will incorporate a mix of beef, veal, and pork, along with garlic, herbs, and spices, parmesan, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Some recipes even include cold cuts, onions, or nuts for added texture and flavor.
I’ve made my meatballs smaller than my family’s original recipe, just the way Rob likes them, over the past decade. Typically, we love eating them while having a glass of wine, and it brings me joy to see how the old recipe is still such a favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple and Quick: All you need is one large bowl, one pan, and ten ingredients to prepare these meatballs with minimal cleanup.
Prepare ahead of time: You can freeze cooked meatballs to be used for later, which makes it easy to cook larger quantities.
Ideal for Social Occasions: Whether for a family gathering or a special event, it can work wonders for boosting the overall experience and is a worthy addition to the medley of cheeses, olives, and cold dishes.
Fun Dinner for All Ages: These meatballs can be served for lunch, snacks, or dinner—it is guaranteed that the entire family will enjoy the meal.
Customizable : Feel free to switch out the meat, cheese, spices, and herbs. They’re great components to make a variation of your own!
How to Prepare Italian Meatballs
The ingredients for my Easy Italian Meatballs are simple, high-quality, and easy to find. First add lean ground beef (preferably organic) into a bowl and then add in nutmeg, red chili flakes, a pinch of salt, pepper (black crushed pepper is preferred) garlic breadcrumbs, an egg, chopped parsley and parmesan cheese. Combine everything together.
Now mix until everything is combined, then create balls from the mixture and make them walnut-sized. This size helps retain moisture and guarantee that they all cook evenly.
Put some extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in a pan with rosemary and start cooking the balls on medium-low heat, turning regularly to cook all sides until they are brown without losing moisture or tenderness.
This recipe yields 54 meatballs. They can be served with a spicy garlic mayo dip and a classic tomato and basil sauce (Marinara Sauce).
Easy Italian Meatballs recipe variations and substitutions
Any self-respecting component meat eater would rejoice over these homemade Italian meatballs. It’s hard to say no to meatballs during an aperitivo, especially for someone like myself who tries to minimize their meat consumption!
You simply have to use a different sort of gluten free breadcrumbs and you are good to go!
For an even healthier, protein-packed meal that is lower in carbs and moderate in fat, I like to use lean beef. Ground turkey is an even more lean option, and organic meat is my favorite since it is less processed. If you want to make the recipe even healthier, then turkey is the meat to use.
These meatballs can be made perfect every single time, which means that there is a lot of room to perfect the meatballs through different variations!
You can use:
- Turkey, pork or ground veal instead the typical minced meat.
- Instead of parsley, you can try other spices like coriander, mint or even rosemary.
- Add some peppery flavor with fennel, cumin, or cayenne pepper.
- Add chopped walnuts, pine nuts, or pistachios for a crunch.
The spicy meatballs fit perfectly with an antipasto platter. Use them alongside a spicy garlic mayo dip and a classic tomato sauce with basil dip. As an appetizer, it serves 8. As a main dish, it serves 4 to 5.
How lucky are you if you have remaining meatballs? With these meatballs, a classic Italian dish is always easy to prepare. Add them to the authentic Italian homemade tomato sauce, and you have a classic dish. There has also some focaccia bread, a side salad, and a glass of red wine for the perfect, easy, and delicious Italian dinner.
In polenta and the southern Italy, meatballs are served over sauce topped with tomatoes. No one serves meatballs with spaghetti on the side. But why is it that Americans seem to think of Italy when they think of meatballs and spaghetti together? The answer is simple. Italian immigrants had a lot to feed their families, so they needed to prepare large portions of inexpensive foods. If you wish to try an authentic Italian meal, attempt to create a meatball dish by adding the meatballs over delicious tomato sauce.
HOW CAN I FREEZE ITALIAN MEATBALLS?
These Italian meatballs can be frozen in an airtight container, they can last for up to six weeks.
Let them sit at room temperature for a few hours then warm them in a pan with a touch of olive oil to preserve their softness. Alternatively, place them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight then warm them in an oven preheated to 360°F (180°C) for 30 minutes.
These authentic Italian meatballs are perfect for a classic meal, as an appetizer or even as a make-ahead meal for busy days!
Juicy Homemade Italian Meatballs
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy12
servings45
minutes10
minutes343
kcalEnjoy classic Italian meatballs made with a blend of meats, herbs and cheese. Juicy, flavorful and perfect with pasta or on their own.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
2 lb beef lean, minced, preferably organic ( see notes)
2 egg
5 tbsp parmesan grated
5 tbsp breadcrumbs
3 tbsp parsley chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp salt himalayan pink
2 tsp black pepper crushed
0.4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp chili flakes dried
6 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
2 sprig rosemary fresh
2 tsp salt
For the tomato sauce
8 tomatoes
3 clove garlic
2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
6 leaves basil
For the mayo sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic minced
0.4 tsp cayenne pepper
0.4 tsp chili flakes dried
Directions
- How to Make Italian Style Meatballs
- In large mixing bowl, dump in the ground beef, grated parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, one egg, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, salt, crushed black pepper, red chili powder, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Blend the elements thoroughly so that they are mixed well. Roll the blend into walnut-sized balls, which should give you around 54 meatballs.
- Put a frying pan on the stove and set the temperature to medium, then heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil while adding a couple sprigs of rosemary.
- After a while, when the oil is warm, put the meatballs inside and sprinkle some salt for flavor. While the meatballs are steaming, stir them occasionally until every part is brown for about 10 minutes.
- Serve the meatballs hot as the main dish with sides or they can also be served as an appetizer with dipping sauces listed below.
- How to Make the Tomato Sauce
- Put some olive oil in a small saucepan on medium heat, add minced garlic and heat it until it becomes fragrant.
- Add chopped tomatoes and leave them to cook until they melt into a dense sauce while stirring once in a while.
- How to Make the Spicy Mayo Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and mince garlic alongside some spices and stir them together.
- Notes:
- You may try different types of meats like some combination of beef, pork, or veal. You can even incorporate cold cuts into the dish for more flavor.
- Varieties of cheese can be altered to fit one’s preferences, though the use of hard cheeses is best in the context. To make it Italian, you can use either Pecorino or an aged Asiago. Other possibilities could be Manchego or Vintag
Notes
- Meat Options: Feel free to mix different meats like beef, pork or veal. You can also include cold cuts for added flavor.
- Cheese Choices: Hard cheeses work best. For an Italian touch use Pecorino or aged Asiago. For other flavors, try Manchego or Vintage Gouda.
- Spice Variations: Customize the spices to your taste. For a spicy kick use jalapeño powder instead of chili flakes. Swap nutmeg for allspice, cumin or coriander. Check the post for more spice suggestions.
- Freezing Tip: You can freeze the meatballs for up to 8 weeks. Thaw them fully, then reheat in a pan with a little oil. Avoid microwaving as it can dry them out.
Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories343
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
29g
38%
- Sodium 771mg 34%
- Potassium 384mg 9%
- Total Carbohydrate
7g
3%
- Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
- Total Sugars 3g
- Protein 13g 26%
- Vitamin A 796mcg 89%
- Vitamin C 13mg 15%
- Calcium 58mg 5%
- Iron 2mg 12%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
