These Italian Meatballs are a classic Italian recipe ideal to be enjoyed with a glass of wine or an aperitive. This recipe will provide you with an explosion of flavors when these little morsels of joy melt in your mouth!
Meatballs, or polpette di carne as we call them in Italy, are an ancient recipe dating back to the 14th century. Every region – and probably every family in Italy! – has its own traditional meatballs recipe. The main ingredients you’ll find in most of the classic Italian meatball recipes are meat (beef, veal, pork or a mix), garlic, herbs, spices, grated parmesan and, eggs and breadcrumbs are added to bind everything together. Sometimes various other ingredients such as cold cuts, onions and nuts are also used.
I must confess that over the past decade I have made them smaller than my family’s original recipe. This is how Rob likes them and we usually eat them while sipping a glass of wine. For him, this is the best Italian meatball recipe and it makes me smile to see that an old recipe is still so relevant!
Why you will love this recipe?
– 1 large bowl, 1 pan, and 10 ingredients: This recipe is very easy and quick to make, and there is very little clean-up afterward!
– You can store cooked meatballs in the freezer, so you can make a big batch and use it for several meals.
– Great addition to an Italian aperitivo evening – given all the cheeses, olives and cold plates, it’s nice to have something warm and substantial too.
– A convenient meal to feed a family as a main course, meatballs are both delicious and fun to eat.
– You can customize and personalize the recipe with different meatballs mix meat cheeses, herbs and spices to jazz things up!
How to make Italian Meatballs
My Easy Italian Meatballs ingredients are genuine, simple, and easy to gather. First, put in a bowl lean ground beef (preferably organic), parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, an egg, bread crumbs, garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper (crushed black pepper is best), red chili flakes and nutmeg.
Then mix well all the ingredients and start rolling them into walnut-sized balls. This is the perfect size – making them too large makes it harder to cook them consistently and keep them juicy.
Add some EVOO and rosemary to a pan and cook them over medium-low heat . It is important to move them around until they are browned but still juicy.
This Italian Meatballs recipe yields 54 meatballs.
Serve them with 2 easy dips: spicy garlic mayo and classic tomato sauce with basil (Marinara Sauce).
Easy Italian Meatballs recipe variations and substitutions
These homemade Italian Meatballs is definitely a dish for the meat lovers out there. I have to confess that for someone that is trying to reduce her meat intake, this is still a guilty pleasure during the aperitivo!
If you are looking for a gluten-free version, sub the breadcrumbs with a gluten-free variety.
I use lean meat, which is usually beef, because the result is a healthy meal, with a lot of protein, low quantity of carbs and a limited amount of fats. If you want an even leaner meal, consider using ground turkey. I prefer using organic meat because it is less processed and more natural.
This is a flexible recipe – you can experiment every time and perfect your own signature meatballs.
-You can experiment with a variety of different meats including ground turkey, ground pork or ground veal.
-Another variation that you can try would be with different herbs such as coriander, rosemary or mint instead of parsley.
-You can also vary the spices, adding fennel, cumin or cayenne pepper, for example.
– And you can add a bit of crunchiness by adding chopped walnuts, pine nuts or pistachios.
The Italian-style meatballs can also be part of an Italian Antipasto Platter. Serve them with 2 easy homemade dips: a spicy garlic mayo and a classic tomato sauce with basil. In this case, the recipe will give you 8 portions. In case you want to enjoy them as a main, this recipe will be sufficient for 4 to 5 people.
Do you have leftovers? Lucky you! You can add the meatballs to the Authentic Italian Homemade Tomato Sauce and serve it with a side salad, some focaccia bread and some red wine and you will have a great Italian meal! In Italy we serve meatballs with tomato sauce in the South and over polenta in the North. We never eat meatballs over spaghetti. So why do Americans think that spaghetti and meatballs are Italian? This is maybe a recipe that came from the first immigrants who managed to still prepare a hearty meal and feed their family. So if you want to bring to your table some genuine Italian flair, make an Italian meatball sauce recipe using the leftover and adding them to the Authentic Italian Homemade Tomato Sauce .
How can I freeze Italian Meatballs?
You can freeze the meatballs in an airtight container for at least 6 weeks. I suggest thawing it at room temperature for a couple of hours, then reheating it in a pan with a swirl of olive oil to keep the soft texture. You can also thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and warm them up in the oven at 360°F (180°C) for 30 minutes.
OTHER RECIPES FOR YOU
Polpette al Sugo (Meatballs in Tomato Sauce) with Polenta
Chicken Meatballs with Mushrooms
Which wine to pair with Easy Italian Meatballs
If this classic Meatball recipe is part of a larger Italian aperitive, then the choice of beverage is clear – SPRITZ! I am partial to the classic Aperol Spritz – you can learn all about it in my post.
If you are serving Easy Italian Meatballs as a main, I suggest pairing them with a red wine. I recommend a wine that has medium-light body and is easy to drink such as a Valpolicella Classico (from the Verona area) or a Frappato (from Sicily). Both wines are fruity and spicy and are an easy accompaniment to a weeknight dinner.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 343kcal
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb beef lean, minced, preferably organic ( see notes)
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp parmesan grated
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt himalayan pink
- 1 tsp black pepper crushed
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ tsp chili flakes dried
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 sprig rosemary fresh
- 1 tsp salt
For the tomato sauce
- 5 tomatoes
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 4 leaves basil
For the mayo sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp chili flakes dried
Instructions
- Start by putting in a bowl the ground beef, parmesan, chopped parsley, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, crushed black pepper, chili flakes and nutmeg.
- Mix all the ingredients well and start rolling the assembled ingredients into a walnut-sized balls. This should yield around 54 meatballs.
- Heat a frying pan with 4 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and rosemary. Once the oil is warm, add the meatballs.
- Cook the meat balls, add salt and continue until they are browned on all sides, 10 minutes.
- Your meatballs are now ready to be served, either as a meal accompanied by sides or as an appetizer accompanied by the sauces below.
To make the tomato sauce:
- In the meantime, warm the olive oil and garlic in asmall saucepan, and add the chopped tomatoes.
- Cook until the tomatoes have melted into a sauce.
To make the spicy mayo sauce:
- Mix the mayo in a small bowl with the minced garlic and the spices.
Notes
- You can use different varieties of meat – you can mix the beef with pork or veal or both. You can add cold cuts as well.
- You can use different types of cheese, though I recommend a hard cheese. If you want to stay in the Italian territory, I recommend Pecorino or aged Asiago. If you want to explore other varieties, I recommend Manchego or Vintage Gouda.
- In terms of spices, you can mix and match whatever you prefer. If you want a more spicy hint, jalapeno powder will work well instead of dried chili flakes. Instead of nutmeg, you can try allspice, cumin or coriander. For more suggestions read the post.
- The meatballs can be frozen – they will stay good for 8 weeks. You should let them thaw and then heat them in a pan with a bit of oil. I do not recommend microwaving as it will dry them out.
- The nutritional values are based on the meatballs only – it excludes the sauces.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving with dips | Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 29g | Sodium: 771mg | Potassium: 384mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 796IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg
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Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb beef lean, minced, preferably organic ( see notes)
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp parmesan grated
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt himalayan pink
- 1 tsp black pepper crushed
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ tsp chili flakes dried
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 sprig rosemary fresh
- 1 tsp salt
For the tomato sauce
- 5 tomatoes
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 4 leaves basil
For the mayo sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp chili flakes dried
Instructions
- Start by putting in a bowl the ground beef, parmesan, chopped parsley, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, crushed black pepper, chili flakes and nutmeg.
- Mix all the ingredients well and start rolling the assembled ingredients into a walnut-sized balls. This should yield around 54 meatballs.
- Heat a frying pan with 4 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and rosemary. Once the oil is warm, add the meatballs.
- Cook the meat balls, add salt and continue until they are browned on all sides, 10 minutes.
- Your meatballs are now ready to be served, either as a meal accompanied by sides or as an appetizer accompanied by the sauces below.
To make the tomato sauce:
- In the meantime, warm the olive oil and garlic in asmall saucepan, and add the chopped tomatoes.
- Cook until the tomatoes have melted into a sauce.
To make the spicy mayo sauce:
- Mix the mayo in a small bowl with the minced garlic and the spices.
Notes
- You can use different varieties of meat – you can mix the beef with pork or veal or both. You can add cold cuts as well.
- You can use different types of cheese, though I recommend a hard cheese. If you want to stay in the Italian territory, I recommend Pecorino or aged Asiago. If you want to explore other varieties, I recommend Manchego or Vintage Gouda.
- In terms of spices, you can mix and match whatever you prefer. If you want a more spicy hint, jalapeno powder will work well instead of dried chili flakes. Instead of nutmeg, you can try allspice, cumin or coriander. For more suggestions read the post.
- The meatballs can be frozen – they will stay good for 8 weeks. You should let them thaw and then heat them in a pan with a bit of oil. I do not recommend microwaving as it will dry them out.
- The nutritional values are based on the meatballs only – it excludes the sauces.
Nutrition
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