Meatballs
Ingredients
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- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion – finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes – crushed by hand
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 leaves fresh basil leaves – torn
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese – finely grated
- 1 large egg – lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley – finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1/2 small onion – grated
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Parmesan cheese – grated (for serving)
Instructions
1. Warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until translucent, 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in 3 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, 30–60 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook partially covered until slightly thickened, 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While the sauce simmers, combine the milk and breadcrumbs in a large bowl and let soak until a panade forms, 5 minutes.
4. Add the ground beef, ground pork, finely grated Parmesan cheese (0.5 cup), lightly beaten egg, chopped parsley, 2 minced garlic cloves, grated 0.5 small onion, 1.25 tsp salt, and 0.5 tsp black pepper to the bowl. Mix gently with your hands just until evenly combined; do not overwork.
5. With damp hands, form 1.5-inch meatballs (about golf-ball size), 18–22 pieces. Set on a tray.
6. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, turning to color all sides, 6–8 minutes total per batch; they should be well browned but not fully cooked. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate.
7. Nestle the browned meatballs into the simmering tomato sauce. Add the torn basil leaves and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through, 15–20 minutes; they should register 165°F inside or show no pink and release clear juices.
8. Taste and adjust the sauce with more salt if needed. Serve the meatballs with plenty of sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese (for serving).
Meatballs are tender, savory bites of ground meat bound with a panade and aromatics, then cooked until juicy. In this version, they’re gently simmered in a bright tomato sauce that clings to each sphere, balancing rich beef and pork with acidity and herbs. The texture goal is soft and springy, not dense, delivering comfort in every bite with familiar notes of garlic, parsley, and Parmesan.
Across cultures, meatballs take countless forms—from Italian polpette and Spanish albóndigas to Swedish köttbullar and Middle Eastern kofta. Italian immigrants in the United States adapted their small home-style polpette to abundant New World meat and canned tomatoes, giving rise to the Italian-American meatball in sauce. Today it’s a beloved staple in homes and restaurants, served on its own, with pasta, or tucked into sandwiches, reflecting a century of evolution from Old World roots to American table.