Perfect Italian Meatballs seem like the appropriate way to kick off the ALMOST weekend!
These meatballs have been in the fall/winter rotation since my culinary school days, much like my baked rigatoni. They are PERFECTION. Adam, one of my very best friends and food stylist wizard, made them for me over 8 years ago! I've since stolen his recipe and made them on repeat for chilly nights when all I want to do is throw something in the oven, curl up on the couch with a blanket, and have a glass of red wine. That's basically my recipe for success these days between all the crazy deadlines and work obligations. I'm majorly savoring any down time when I can snuggle with Poppy, eat some Perfect Italian Meatballs and be very chill.
The key to these meatballs is two fold:
- the pesto like herb mixture that gets blended in a food processor before being adding to the meat mixture. It's insane and really a key moment in this recipe
- the use of both beef and pork. yes, you could absolutely just use one or the other, but the combo of two makes these extra special and worth the extra trip to the grocery store.
If you're wondering what to serve these with... here are a few of my favs:
- use this recipe and make a base of polenta
- garlic buttered noodles would be an excellent addition
- if you have some basil on hand... a basil vinaigrette pasta would be INSANE and delish!
Perfect Italian Meatballs
Buckle up - these are the most perfect italian meatballs that will ever grace your kitchen. Go ahead and double the recipe because you'll want these on hand at all times. Inspired by the OG Food Network man himself... Tyler Florence
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef sirloin
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs divided
- 4 tablespoon milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 loosely packed cup fresh parsley
- 1 loosely packed cup s bunch basil
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ½ cup olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium ball fresh mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine the beef, pork, ½ cup panko bread crumbs, milk and eggs and set aside. In a food processor, combine the parsley, basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan and pine nuts. Process for 30-45 seconds until almost pesto like. Add the herb mixture to the meat and mix until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Shape the meatballs into large balls then roll them in the remaining panko bread crumbs.
- In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it shimmers. Fry the meatballs on all sides to seal the crust. Transfer to a baking dish.
- To the same pan, add the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper and some extra basil. Let everything simmer together and reduce slightly for about 10 minutes. Pour the tomato mixture over the meatballs and top with torn mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Garnish with extra torn basil and parsley.
Notes
Want to save time later on? Double the meatballs and freeze the second batch. Then when you're ready, thaw and add the sauce and cook. Quick and easy!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 894kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 67g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 257mg | Sodium: 884mg | Potassium: 1084mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1883IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 450mg | Iron: 7mg
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This looks great, perfect for a potluck I'm organizing in early November. My question, and forgive me if someone has already asked this question, is what size baking dish? I'm planning to double the recipe so need to know if I use one large or two medium or two large. Thanks,
this one is approx 9x13
How many meatballs should I be able to make with this recipe? Or how large should my meatballs be?
about the size of golf balls - about 15-20
This checks all the boxes!!
These are so good! My husband and I high fived after eating them because we were so proud!
I have a ton of pesto in my freezer from this past summer so I used a cup of that instead of making the herb mix (since the herb mix is basically a pesto). I also only had 2 eggs so I used only 2 instead of 4 and they still stuck together fine. Taking a cue from Gaby's chicken parm meatballs, we stuffed these with a ball of mozzerella. I figure you can't go wrong with more cheese!
I think these are the best thing I've ever cooked. They have so much flavor; I feel like someone cooked them for me. I didn't change the recipe and wouldn't do anything differently.
I just made these and they are delicious. I was confused about the oil though. It says 1/2 cup plus more for drizzle, yet its mentioned as part of the herb mix, part of frying, and then the drizzle. Are you supposed to put 1/2 cup of oil IN the herb mix? That’s what I did...
yes - in step 2: In a food processor, combine the parsley, basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan and pine nuts. Process for 30-45 seconds until chopped. Add the herb mixture to the meat and mix until evenly combined.It's basically like adding a pesto into the meat mixture before you cook
First of all, thank you- your book has gotten us through covid-19 quarantine.
I had never made meatballs... these are amazing! And now our family is hooked. I was hesitant about freezing them because I have frozen store-bought meatballs before and they were not good. You cannot tell the difference with these. Still delish.
Gaby, is there a side-dish that you would recommend to go with these (besides pasta)? Like a specific salad or something.
Thank you!
This is my fav side salad for anything meat related! https://whatsgabycooking.com/butter-lettuce-salad/
Sorry, I’m confused. The recipe says for 1/2 C olive oil, but how much of that goes into the herb mixture and how much is used for the pan?
Hi Courtney, I read in a previous reply she posted that all of it actually goes into the meatballs!
These are amazing made our Christmas!!
This is my FAVORITE meatball recipe! My husband and I love meatballs and when we made these, we knew we'd never need another recipe!
This is my FAVORITE meatball recipe!
How many meatballs does this make? Also, if making ahead and reheating the next day, how long would you reheat for? Thanks!
roughly 20-24 meatballs depending on the size! I'd reheat in some sauce in a skillet for 10ish minutes but check the middle to see if its warm
At what temperature do you bake the meatballs at the end? They look delicious!
350!! step 1 in the directions 🙂
These were incredible! My husband claimed them “best meatballs he ever had” Next time I’m trying poly-o mozzarella (personal preference).
i wa looking at this once and knew i had to try it...and boom! i have been making these eversince. i make batches of the meatballs and just put them on the freezer. And anytime we want to have some italian meatballs it would be so much easier to make it from then. thank tou gaby. this is a real bomb and a lifesaver.