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.
There is TRULY nothing better than juicy, fork-tender, flavorful meatballs smothered in a delicious sauce with your favorite macaroni on a Sunday evening! Or any night of the week, really, but I typically make this recipe on Sundays for my family for a special treat! This will be your new favorite Sunday dinner recipe.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- The meatballs come out SO soft and SO tender. There’s nothing worse than fighting to cut through a meatball with your fork. You want them to be soft so that your fork just pushes right through!
- The best tip I have is to cook them until ALMOST cooked through. You want them to still be a little pink in the center when done because they will finish cooking in the sauce and be ultra tender!
- My meatballs have a combination of beef, pork and veal to ENSURE optimal tenderness! You can buy a 1 lb of all three or you can cheat and buy 3 lb of meatball mix from your local grocery store. I sometimes do this!
- Both the meatballs and sauce are anything but bland! I have been perfecting these recipes for so long that I KNOW you are going to love it as-is. With all recipes though, play around with the amount of seasoning to suit your personal taste and use my seasoning choices as a guide to make YOUR perfect recipe. I guarantee you won’t change a thing, though!
- In my sauce, I always like to add a mixture of hot and sweet sausage for even more flavor! This is optional, but really adds another layer of flavor that we love and are delicious to eat alongside the meatballs.
Do you call it gravy or sauce? I honestly call it both depending on the situation or who I’m talking to, but I gravitate more towards gravy because that’s what my family has always called it. It’s pretty much engraved in my brain to be called gravy. Gravy or sauce, who cares. It’s a DELICIOUS gravy-sauce recipe. Hehe.
Italian Meatball Ingredients
- Ground beef: Don’t go any higher than 80-85% lean. You want some extra fat to keep the meatballs juicy and tender.
- Ground pork: Provides the fattiness needed for the most tender and juicy meatballs.
- Ground veal: Adds delicious flavor and an almost creamy texture to the meatballs. *Sometimes ground veal is hard to find so you may also use a mixture of just beef and pork with great results. I recommend just buying meatloaf/meatball mix from the store, though, if you can’t find ground veal! Same delicious results.*
- Egg yolks: I only use egg yolks in my recipe to produce ultimate richness and taste. Using whole eggs can make the meatballs rubbery and the whites really have no benefit to the meatballs so I just like to save them for another recipe, if possible.
- Salt and pepper: For flavor. I make sure my meatballs are seasoned very well. You can tweak these measurements to your liking.
- Garlic Powder: Using garlic powder over minced fresh garlic is just a personal preference of mine. You can absolutely substitute fresh garlic if you’d like. I just don’t like the pieces of garlic in my meatballs but maybe you will!
- Basil: Lotssssa basil for flavor.
- Parsley: Lotssssa parsley for flavor.
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs: I like using these for… you guessed it, more extra flavor!
- Whole milk: I recommend using whole milk for richness but you can also use 2% with pretty much the same results.
Best Italian Meatball Tips For Success
- If for some reason you cannot find one of the ground meats, you can buy meatloaf mix at the store, which is a mixture of the three. I sometimes do this in a pinch and they come out just as juicy and delicious. Sometimes ground veal is hard to find so you may even just use a mixture of just beef and pork with great results. This recipe is very versatile regarding what meats you use. I will say that the added veal does add some extra flavor and moisture.
- Be sure not to over-work/over-mix the meatball mixture! This can make the meatballs tough.
- To ensure tender and SOFT meatballs, you want your meatball mixture to have almost a wet texture. If the mixture feels too dry, add a tablespoon more of milk at a time to make sure it is wet enough.
- I like to use a cookie scoop, to portion out my meatballs. I’ll typically use 1 ½ scoops from my cookie scoop. You can also use an ice cream scoop, to make large meatballs. Make them whatever size you want! Just be sure they are all close to equal in size so they cook evenly.
- Be sure to flip the meatballs as soon as you see the bottoms browning so they don’t burn. If they do brown more than desired, no biggie! They will be fine and will soften up a whole lot while simmering in the sauce after.
- Lightly grease your hands while forming meatballs to make it easier.
How to make the best Italian meatballs
Homemade Sauce Ingredients
- Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for browning the meats and onions for the best tasting results.
- Onion: For flavor.
- Garlic: Minced fresh garlic is best. You can never have enough garlic!
- Basil, parsley, oregano: Spices that give this sauce so much flavor.. Play around with the measurements, if you’d like.
- Salt & pepper: For flavor. Use your personal taste to gauge how much you want to use. I think the measurements I have provided are just the right amount.
- Sugar: I use a small amount of granulated sugar in my sauce recipe to counteract the acidity from the tomatoes. It makes such a huge difference, don’t skip it!
- Crushed tomatoes: I think the texture and flavor of crushed tomatoes gives the best of both worlds. It’s chunky and smooth at the same time! Brand also matters here! Tuttorosso is my absolute favorite and the only brand I will buy!
- Additional meats to add into sauce:
- Sausage: Hot or sweet sausage are both great options. I always use a mixture of both. I never, ever skip the sausage! It lends SO much flavor to the sauce that otherwise wouldn’t be there without it. If you think your sauce recipe is missing that “something”, I bet it’s this.
- Pork: Bone-in pork chops are my favorite to use. Discard bones before serving. You can also use country-style short ribs.
- Beef short ribs: Another DELICIOUS option. Be sure to discard bones before serving.
Bake or fry meatballs?
You can prepare them either way! I actually prefer to fry my meatballs (mostly because I love eating the browned meatballs plain while I cook! Ha!) but most of the time I’m pressed for time and preparing a lot of meatballs at once so I like to oven-bake mine and they come out just as tender and delicious with WAY less effort by popping them on a rimmed baking sheet and baking them. So, that is what I do 99% of the time. Plus, this recipe makes a ton of meatballs so you’d be frying them forever!
- If you want to fry, just fill a heavy skillet with a small layer of olive oil and fry each side until golden brown. Pop them into the simmering sauce to cook all the way through for 45 mins-2 hours.
What to do with leftover meatballs
- Just reheat in the microwave or on the stove and heat the meal up again.
- Make meatball subs: These meatballs make the absolute best meatball subs!
- To prepare: Line your sub roll with meatballs and top with a good amount of sauce and mozzarella and/or provolone cheese. The trick is to make sure the cheese is surrounding the meatballs, not just sprinkled on top. Broil them in the oven for a few minutes and serve immediately.
- Meatball parm: Grease a casserole dish and fill it up with leftover meatballs. Top with lots of sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake @ 375 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melty and bubbly. Serve over pasta or however you’d like.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
- 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 parchment-lined 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 or fry as directed in the recipe instructions the 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 in it! 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.
What can I add to my pasta sauce to make it heartier and more flavorful?
- Sausage: you can use hot or sweet sausage or a mixture of both. Cut them up and brown them in the beginning of the sauce recipe with the onion and garlic. They will cook through completely in the sauce.
- Pork: You can really use any kind of pork you want. Sometimes I have pork chops I have to use up and I’ll throw them in my sauce Sear them at the same step mentioned above and cook until fall-apart tender in the sauce. Just be sure to remove bones before serving!
- Beef short ribs: Sear them, same as above, and cook through in the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Frying the meatballs will result in meatballs with a slightly crunchy and caramelized exterior. Baking meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you’ll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make larger batches at once.
Absolutely! Place them 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.
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📋 Recipe
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.
Instructions
For the sauce
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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.
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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.
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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
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Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease well with cooking spray. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, add ground meats, egg yolks, grated cheese and all spices.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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!
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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:
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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.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
