Best Ever Italian Meatballs
"This is a recipe I was given from a lady from Italy. She told me that the secret of mouth watering meatballs is not to cook them before adding them to the sauce, as cooking them in the sauce will not only add more flavor to the sauce, but also to the meatballs. What I do is make these a day ahead of time, with my sauce. Then, I refrigerate it over-night, which makes any fat rise to the top and harden, where it is easily removed. This process also allows all of the flavors to "marry" together, making it especially delicious!"
photo by Irishcolleen
- Ready In:
- 1hr 55mins
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Yields:
-
16 Meatballs
ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1⁄2 lb ground pork
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3⁄4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
- 1⁄3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1⁄4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons anise seeds (optional)
directions
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Shape into small meatballs.
- Drop the meatballs into simmering sauce. It is important not to stir the sauce for at least 25 minutes. This will allow the meatballs to firm up enough as not to break up in the sauce. Make sure your burner is low enough so that your sauce does not scorch during this process.
- Continue simmering until sauce reaches desired consistency and meatballs are cooked through.
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Reviews
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My review is for those who, like me, may not have all the ingredients so the recipe was modified. Used all ground beef, no fresh herbs but substituted dried, omitted anise and green pepper. I cooked the meatballs in the sauce as directed but couldn't fit them all in the pan so baked the remaining ones - those in the sauce came out better. Didn't touch it for 25 minutes, turned them, simmered another 10-15. The sauced meatballs (12) were much larger than the size of a golfball and the baked ones (14) about the size of the golfball - so with 1 1/2 lbs. of meat, this makes quite a bit. Simmering them softens the onion where baking doesn't allow enough time for the onion to mellow. I'll use all fresh herbs next time - which I always prefer. -
This recipe is AMAZING! I omitted the anise because I didn't have it but it turned out yummy anyway. I've read the other reviews to leave out the green peppers so I'll try that next time. Also, the sausage I used for this was the Jimmy Dean sage flavor (it was all I had) which itself is seasoned to perfection so I also went easy on the salt. DELICIOUS!
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Definitely the best meatballs ever! I use a bit more mince, almond instead of wheat flour, and exclude both the anise and capsicum. I've also made in bulk and frozen the meatballs to good effect. Thank you so much for this recioe!
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These meatballs are by far THE BEST we have ever made or tasted! Im Hungarian so I take pride in everything I cook, cooking them in the sauce is a good secret I never knew. I am on my second batch, I got my two kids to help me mix everything together I doubled the recipe! Im making two batches tonight and freezing one for the next time. I'm actually going to slow simmer an entire meatloaf submerged in sauce this way and then carefully pull it out of my Dutch oven to cool. I will have enough this time around to make meatball subs afterwards and to slice them when they're cool and put them on our homemade pizza! thank you so much Colleen for putting out this recipe my family and friends love it! Two years later.... Still making them and everybody requests them at least once a month now. By mixing the beef and pork together simmering them in the sauce is perfection! -
I've read and re-read the recipe and still can't find anything relating to the sauce. Where's the sauce ingredients and instructions? Anyone out there can help me? Thanks.
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Tweaks
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Very tasty meatballs - I used hot italian sausage in place of the ground pork and used grass-fed beef. I did not use the anise seeds. Made these in my mother's sauce and it all turned out beautifully. Served over gluten-free brown rice pasta. Thanks for posting - made for Spring PAC 2012.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Irishcolleen
Abbeville, Louisiana
Hi! I'm of Irish heritage, with a little bit of American Indian, Spanish, and English in me. I was raised in the heart of Cajun Country, but have traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad. I'm in the restaurant business and have worked in every aspect of it for the past 35 years. I'm also a Jazz vocalist. My passions in life are singing, gardening, and cooking. I'm in the process of writing a cookbook, as a legacy to my mother, who passed away in 1979, who was a fabulous cook, and who always wanted to write her own cookbook. I have one daughter, and a beautiful granddaughter, who is the love of my life. I can't wait to be able to teach her how to cook and cook with her! Thanks for your interest in me! God bless you and have a wonderful day!
