The BEST Authentic Italian Meatballs (with sauce recipe!)
These BEST Authentic Italian meatballs are so juicy and flavorful, smothered in a rich and delicious homemade pasta sauce. This is a recipe passed down from my Italian grandmother with a few tweaks here and there to make it EVEN better! This is truly the only recipe you'll EVER need for both meatballs and sauce! Trust me.
Servings: 40 2" meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef 80-85% lean
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground veal
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 3 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon basil
- 3 teaspoon parsley
- 1 cup pecorino romano cheese finely grated
- 1 cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 cup whole milk divided
Sauce
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4-5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoon basil
- 2 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or to taste
- (4) 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 lb hot and/or sweet sausage optional
- 2-4 pieces boneless pork* optional
Instructions
For the sauce
- In a very large pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until translucent. If you are using sausage and/or pork in your sauce, you will also brown these at this point with the onion. Stir in minced garlic, cooking just until fragrant.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and add all 4 cans of crushed tomatoes, stirring well. Stir in all spices. Allow mixture to become very hot, but not boiling.
- Turn heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes-2 hours. The longer you simmer the better the flavor, but you need at least a minimum or 45 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to ensure the bottom of the sauce will not stick and burn.
For the meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease well with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add ground meats, egg yolks, grated cheese and all spices.
- In a separate bowl, stir breadcrumbs and ½ cup milk. Add to meat mixture along with the second ½ cup of milk and mix until evenly distributed and fully incorporated. Add more milk as needed to create a wet and soft texture. You do not want the mixture to be sopping wet, but wet enough to create soft and tender meatballs.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, portion out 1-2 tbs of meat and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through to brown both sides. Turn oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes, if needed. Cook them to about 150°F. If you are finishing them off in the sauce, you typically just want to sear the outside. They do not need to be fully cooked in the center. If you are serving them without sauce, cook them a little longer so they are cooked all the way through! Before serving, be sure the meatballs have cooked to an internal temperature 160°F.
For frying meatballs:
- Portion out meatballs as directed above and fry in a thin layer of olive oil on both sides until browned evenly. Again, you don't want to fully cook them in the center if you are finishing them off in the sauce. If you are serving them without sauce, be sure to cook them all the way through!
- Add meatballs to simmering sauce and simmer for 45 minutes - 2 hours, until soft, fork-tender, and cooked through. Internal temperature of meatballs should read 160˚F. Be sure to stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pot, so the bottom of the sauce does not burn.
Air Fryer Meatballs:
- Place meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for about 10-12 minutes at 400ºF or until they reach an internal temperature of 160˚F.As mentioned in the recipe instructions, if you are making sauce, you'll want to cook the meatballs in the air fryer (just like the oven and stove-top instructions) to an internal temperature of about 150ºF and finish them off in the sauce to a final internal temperature of 160˚F to ensure they are fully cooked. This will give them the softest, most tender texture.
Notes
- Storage Instructions: Store cooked meatballs in sauce for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Re-heat on the stove or in the microwave until heated through and enjoy.
- To freeze raw: Roll into balls and place on a baking sheet. Put the pan in the freezer to flash freeze. Once frozen, remove from baking sheet and put meatballs in a large resealable freezer bag. They will keep for up to 3 months. To thaw: Remove from freezer and place the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator over night. Bake as directed in the recipe instructions next day.
- To freeze cooked: Prep and cook meatballs. Store in a resealable bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the sauce with the meatballs! Dump the meatballs and sauce in a large resealable bag and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw: Thaw in refrigerator over night and dump mixture into a large pot to heat up next day.
- Pork cuts: I like to either use boneless pork chops or country style pork ribs in my sauce.