Authentic Italian Beef Meatballs Recipe

If you love juicy, soft meatballs, don't miss this Authentic Italian Beef Meatballs Recipe! Learn how to make Italian meatballs the old-school way by frying them first. I'm also sharing how to bake meatballs or cook them raw in sauce.

Finally! By popular demand, here's my recipe for Italian meatballs.

They're similar to the way Mom made meatballs when I was a kid, using soaked bread instead of dry bread crumbs. And they feature those dark brown, crusty edges only achieved by frying on the stove.

Most importantly, they're juicy, soft and SO delicious.

Buckle up, friends. These are the best Italian beef meatballs.

Finish cooking them in tomato sauce (start with marinara that will become a meat sauce) and serve with pasta or zucchini noodles!

Set aside almost three hours to make these happen with the sauce. Most of that time is hands off. You won't regret it!

Recipe ingredients

85% Lean, Organic, Grass-Fed Ground Beef: Here's the deal, folks. If you use super-lean beef, your meatballs won't be as flavorful. You need some fat, and 85% lean is perfect.

And, if you've never tried organic, grass-fed ground beef, you don't know what you've been missing.

It's a game-changer. A flavor powerhouse.

The taste and texture of these Italian beef meatballs will have you swooning. You won't even need to mix in ground pork or veal.

I buy organic, grass-fed ground beef at Costco, but you can find it in many grocery stores.

White Bread: After much testing, I prefer using bread instead of bread crumbs in my meatballs. When dampened with water and squished into a "panade," the bread makes meatballs moist and tender instead of dry and dense.

And white bread, (called "American bread" in my family), provides a soft, spongy texture that works better than Italian bread in this recipe. I buy Sara Lee Artesano Bread and keep it in my freezer just for making meatballs.

I take my polpette (meatballs) very seriously!

Cheese: A generous amount of freshly grated Romano cheese brings big flavor to these Italian beef meatballs. Use regular or Pecorino Romano. Parmesan could be used instead, but the meatballs won't have as much zing.

Eggs: We're using two eggs per pound of meat. That's four eggs total for this recipe. It sounds like a lot, but the eggs are what binds the meatballs so they don't fall apart.

Garlic: I recommend pressing the garlic instead of chopping it, to achieve a smoother meatball without cracks. If you don't have a garlic press (affiliate link), chop the garlic very finely.

Oil for Frying - Canola oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil and will be better for frying the meatballs. If you use olive oil, it will brown quickly, and you'd have to replace it after frying the first batch of meatballs.

Tomato Sauce - You'll need three quarts of sauce to finish cooking the meatballs. You can make three batches of my Homemade Marinara Sauce, using two (28-ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes and one (28-ounce) can of whole, peeled tomatoes. This combination will produce a meat sauce that's not too thick, nor too runny.

The meatballs will flavor the sauce as it simmers, so allow at least two hours for that magic to happen. Make this on a day when you have time. That's why it's called Sunday sauce!

And yes, we ate pasta and Italian meatballs in sauce every Sunday of my life (with leftovers on Monday) until I left home. Then, Mom made it for nearly every Sunday dinner when we visited.

How spoiled we were!

Nowadays, we don't have time every Sunday, but I make these Italian beef meatballs and sauce every two or three weeks. They're such a treat!

How to make meatballs

See the recipe card at the end of this post for full instructions, but here is an overview.

1. Remove the crusts from the bread slices and cut the bread into small cubes. Pour the water over the bread evenly and let it sit.
2. Add the eggs, parsley, garlic, cheese and seasonings to a large mixing bowl. Make a panade by squeezing the soaked bread together into a paste. Add it to the bowl, then add the ground beef.
3. Gently mix the ingredients with your hands. Shape the mixture into meatballs about 2.5 inches wide. Don't pack them tightly, or they'll be tough.

Fry the meatballs

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet until rippling. Add about half the meatballs, making sure they don't touch each other. (Don't crowd the pan like I did; it's better to fry the meatballs in two batches so they brown properly.)
2. When a dark crust has formed on the bottom (it could take seven minutes), turn the meatballs to cook the next side for about three minutes. Continue browning all sides.
3. When the meatballs are dark brown on all sides, place them on a paper-towel-lined pan to drain the grease.
4. Place the meatballs in a large pot of simmering sauce to finish cooking. Cook for at least two hours, to allow the meat to impart flavor to the sauce. The meatballs also will become soft and juicy.

Recipe tips

• It's a good idea to wear disposable gloves when mixing the meatballs, to keep your hands clean.
• When frying the meatballs, don't try to move them if they're stuck to the pan, or they'll break. Let them cook until they develop a dark, thick crust on the bottom. When you nudge them and they move easily, you know it's safe to turn them.
• If you notice the oil is splashing while frying, you can wear oven mitts to protect yourself. It helps to use a splash screen (affiliate link), if you have one.

How to bake meatballs

If you'd rather not make fried, old-fashioned Italian meatballs, you can bake them instead. Bake them at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes on a greased, foil-lined pan.

How to cook raw meatballs in sauce

If you want to skip frying or baking the meatballs, you can place raw meatballs into a pot of tomato sauce and let them simmer over low heat.

Do not taste the sauce until you've let the meatballs cook for at least 30 minutes and have checked inside one to see if it's no longer pink. (You don't want to consume raw meat.) 

You can either remove the meatballs at that point, or let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for another 90 minutes to impart more flavor to the meat sauce.

You can use less olive oil in your sauce when cooking raw meatballs in it, because fat from the meat will seep into the sauce. I use this method for my Gluten-Free Turkey Meatballs in Sauce.

How to serve Italian beef meatballs

Did you know meatballs are served after the pasta in Italy? Spaghetti and meatballs are more of an American thing.

But, I'll tell you our favorite way to serve these authentic Italian meatballs in my house. I make our favorite rigatoni (affiliate link) and top it with the meat sauce.

I place a bowl of meatballs at the table, and let each person decide whether to eat one or two with the pasta or wait until afterward. I always add one meatball to my bowl of rigatoni, with a generous helping of sauce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

And, I almost forgot to mention, I always sneak one meatball right after frying it. To die for!

Of course, you can make meatball subs or sandwiches. Try using crusty Homemade Italian Bread! You can even make a meatball pizza using this Homemade Pizza Dough with Beer.

Frequently asked questions

More recipes like this

• Italian Meat Sauce with Country Ribs
• Instant Pot Braciole (Or Stovetop)
• Traditional Italian Lasagna with Ricotta
• Italian Stuffed Peppers
• Italian Meatloaf with Chicken or Turkey

Enjoy!

(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C, with lots of input from my Mom, who is from Naples!)