Dad's recipe for Italian Meatballs eliminates any excuses you had for using pre-made meatballs in your spaghetti and meatballs. For the love of everything Italian, please just stop and if you use those little frozen BB's in the that come in a bag, go check into a support group.
If you are going to go through the hassle of making your own sauce, which Dad really recommends, then please don't ruin it by using substandard meatballs. Buying pre-made Italian sausage is one thing, it's difficult to make your own sausage.
Meatballs, however, are super simple to make and taste so much better than the "other" stuff. Dad has a few little tricks that he uses to make sure his meatballs turn out AMAZING.
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Fat is your friend here.
The base of the meatball is built using ground beef, but not just any ground beef. Make sure you get 80/20 ground beef. If you didn't know the 80/20 on the package is referring to the beef to fat ratio. If you use a lean ground beef, 90/10, then your Italian style meatballs will not be as moist and juicy. That 10% of extra fat really matters here.
Here is where Dad throws in his first little trick, ground pork. The addition of the pork adds an extra depth to the flavor and ups the juiciness even more. You will notice that we are not using a 1/1 ratio of beef to pork. If you add too much pork it throws off the texture and flavor of the meatballs and they frankly don't taste like meatballs. One pound of ground beef and ½ pound of ground pork is the perfect ratio.
You have to use your hands.
The only way ensure that all of the ingredients are well mixed is to get in there with your hands. Get some food safe gloves, like Dad, and get in there. Mix everything around and make sure all of the ingredients are fully mixed. You don't want to get a pocket of garlic, or maybe you do.
Get specific with your meatball recipe.
Dad's final little trick is something that his Italian Mother and Grandmother never had to do because they were just that good. You see, to ensure that all of your meatballs are evenly cooked they have to be the same size.
To achieve this Dad uses a Digital Kitchen Scale to weight the meatballs out to perfect 2-ounce balls. Dad likes this size because they are big enough to be substantial yet small enough to be manageable and cook quickly. The rest of the recipe is really straight forward. It really is an easy Italian meatballs recipe.
Don't be too rough with your meatballs.
After you weight out your two ounces place the meat in the palm of your hand and gently roll it in-between your two palms while making a cupping motion. You don't want to be too rough and compact them into a super tight ball. You see you want there to be pockets of air in the meatball, it gives it that nice crumbly texture.
If you smush it too hard you end up with too much of a solid texture. I know this may sound silly, but this really matters. You want them just together enough to hold their shape. The frying will give them all the stability they need to hold up in the sauce.
You see you want there to be pockets of air in the meatball, it gives it that nice crumbly texture.
Dad cooks too much, it's an Italian thing.
For some reason even though there are only 3 people in the family Dad cooks like he is feeding an army. This recipe makes 16 two-ounce meatballs, too many for our little family. On most occasions Dad will cook ½ and freeze the other half. To freeze the meatballs stick them in a freezer bag and let them freeze solid overnight.
Then take them out and Vacuum Seal them. If you try to vacuum seal them before freezing them, it will compact them and throw off the texture of them when you defrost them and cook them.
Recipe for Italian Meatballs
Equipment
- Digital Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
- 1 lb 80/20 Ground Beef Do not get lean, you need the fat.
- ½ lb Ground Pork
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Dried Basil
- 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Dried Minced Onion
- 1 Egg
- ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese
- ¼ Cup Italian Style Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl.
- Mix together thoroughly using your hands. This is the only way to ensure that everything is mixed together properly. Use food safe gloves for easier cleanup.
- Using a digital kitchen scale weigh out 2 ounces of the mixture.
- Place your two ounces in the palm of your hand. Now roll the mixture around while making a cupping motion with your hands. The video shows how to do this. Make sure you are not applying too much pressure. You want the ball to hold its shape but not be compacted. You need the pockets of air to give the meatball the correct texture.
- This makes 16 2 ounce meatballs. You can either cook them all or freeze some for later. If you are freezing the best way is to place them in a freezer bag and freeze overnight. Then in the morning vacuum seal them. If you vacuum seal them right away it will crush them and ruin the texture.
Video
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Mention @DadGotThis or tag #DadGotThis!Ok, I made the Italian meatballs, now what?
This recipe is just how to make Italian meatballs, not how to cook them. You can fry them, bake them or even roll them in breadcrumbs and fry them. No matter what they need a sauce. Dad suggests you give his Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meatballs and Sausage a try. That recipe was based off the "all day" sauce recipe passed down from his Mom and Nana. It takes 6 plus hours to cook the traditional way, but Dad hacked it to get it done in about an hour.
