Traditional Meatballs { Italian-American Recipe} are a deliciously tender and flavorful recipe that will have your meatball fans coming back each time for more. These meatballs are made with love out of lean ground beef, quality ground pork, breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, garlic, fresh Italian herbs, and then lightly fried to perfection in olive oil.
My Traditional Meatballs are an Italian-American recipe that has been in our family since the early 1940s, over the years my family has tweaked them a bit from my Grandmother Josie’s original Meatball recipe to make them a little more simplified and to the point to make.
My Grandmother was born in Bellosguardo, Italy, a town, and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Some years later, she would make her dream journey to Ellis Island, New York, to begin her life here in America; and learn to make these meatballs in her quaint kitchen from one of the neighbors.
Her Italian-American Meatballs are a far cry from traditional meatballs that are found in Southern Italy, traditionally Italian Polpette are usually the size of marbles, made with ground beef or veal and never served with pasta in Italy. Polpette is cooked in a homemade sauce, broth, or sometimes just fried and served as is.
My Grandmother’s Meatball recipe has become one to reckon with after being fried in a quality olive oil and then added to her homemade sauce to be simmered for a period to marry the flavors together. Those tender, flavorful meatballs are perfect for Italian bread with mozzarella cheese or eaten over al dente pasta; the choice is yours to make. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have.
Ingredients needed for Italian Meatballs
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One and 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef
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1/2 of a pound ground pork
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3/4 of a cup panko breadcrumbs
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1/4 of a cup of quality Pecorino Romano cheese +more
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1/4 of a cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
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Four cloves of garlic, minced
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Two tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
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Two large egg, lightly beaten
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Two tablespoons milk
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pepper flakes, to own taste
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kosher salt to own taste
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fresh ground pepper to own taste
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Six tablespoons olive oil for cooking meatballs divided by 2
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Homemade sauce
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Fresh Mozzarella
Chef tips for making great meatballs
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Choose the correct meat for your recipes such as ground fattier meats like beef, pork, sausage, and pork. It will provide more tender meatballs. If you use leaner meats like poultry, be careful not to overcook them, or they will become tough. For better flavorful meatballs, use a blend of different types of ground meats.
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Keep the ingredients refrigerated until needed. You will want to keep the fat content from breaking down before you prepare the meatballs, always keep the meat and other ingredients as cold as possible.
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Add moisture to the recipe. Since the proteins in meat make it reduce when cooked, it can lead to a tougher meatball. The added moister will aid in a more tender meatball. Eggs and binders like breadcrumbs mixed with milk will assist in meatballs tender and moist.
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Use a tender touch when you are forming the meatballs. If the meatballs become packed too tightly, they’ll turn out on the tough and chewy side.
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Use a small scoop to make the meatballs uniform sized meatballs.
These meatballs are made with love out of lean ground beef, quality ground pork, breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, garlic, Italian herbs, and then fried to perfection in olive oil.
- 1½ pounds Lean ground beef
- ½ Pound Ground pork
- ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese +more
- ¼ cup Chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Fresh basil chopped
- 2 large Egg lightly beaten
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 pinch Pepper flakes to own taste
- Kosher salt to own taste
- Fresh ground pepper to own taste
- 6 tablespoons Olive oil for cooking meatballs divided by 2
- 2 cups Homemade sauce
- 8 ounces Fresh Mozzarella
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In a large bowl combine cold lean ground beef, ground pork, panko breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced garlic, fresh chopped basil, beaten eggs, milk, pepper flakes, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Form meatballs to 1×1 or 2×2 inches. Place on a metal baking pan till needed.
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Heat 2 large cast iron or metal skillets on medium heat before adding olive oil to the bottom, add enough to coat the bottom of the skillet or metal pan but not drench the meatballs in olive oil about 3 tablespoons or less in each.
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Fry the meatballs on each side until browned. Remove from the skillets and place them on a wire rack to drain for a few moments.
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Meanwhile, add your favorite homemade sauce to a large saucepan over low heat and then place the meatballs in the sauce to cook for 1 hour on the very low heat. Be sure to stir here and there.
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Serve meatballs with Italian bread and cheese, or over your favorite al dente pasta if desired.
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Top with Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil.
22 Comments
Paula Montenegro
June 7, 2020 at 8:37 amThese were fantastic meatballs! I love how you added cheeses. All my favorite flavors in one place! Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed them
Chandice
June 6, 2020 at 4:22 pmI love how delicious and beautiful these meatballs turn out! Perfect on pasta or on their own, thanks! Great recipe.
Anna
June 6, 2020 at 9:41 amWe made these meatballs for dinner last night. The whole family LOVED them! They have perfect texture and are full of flavour! Perfect meal for any day of the week, definitely making this again!
Tatiana
June 5, 2020 at 12:34 pmThose meatballs were a hit last night! I’m so happy it’s only me and my husband here, so we still have leftovers for lunch. Great recipe, super easy to follow and super flavorful meatballs.
D.M. Hensley
June 5, 2020 at 9:28 amFor me, these meatballs are so fun to make and taste so good! I absolutely loved the addition of Pecorino cheese! This recipe is a keeper.
Ben Butler
June 4, 2020 at 6:34 pmAww yeah, this recipe is remarkably good. It doesn’t get better than your meatball recipe. These were so easy and went over perfectly at dinner.