These are the best Italian meatballs I’ve made (and I’ve made a lot). Tender, incredibly juicy and generous in size, this recipe offers everything you’re looking for in a classic meatball.
These homemade meatballs are large, juicy and tender. One pound of ground meat yields four generous meatballs. You can serve them with pasta such as spaghetti or on a plate with extra sauce next to some bread such as focaccia.
Our recipe guarantees the perfect texture — soft, juicy, tender and not too close in the middle. They almost melt in your mouth. I can’t wait for you to try them! If you do, please come back and leave a review. We’d love to hear from you.
What makes our Italian meatballs so delicious
Our recipe for Italian meatballs appeals authentic ingredients and lots of Italian herbs. One exception, however, is that while many authentic Italian recipes use bread as a binder, we use crushed saltine crackers and milk. Saltines add a lightness to the mixture (they do the same thing in our meatloaf recipe). Here’s a closer look at some of our key ingredients:
- Ground beef (85/15) and ground pork: The perfect combination for classic Italian meatballs! The 85/15 ratio of beef keeps them juicy, while the pork adds richness and unbeatable tenderness.
- Onion and Garlic: No Italian dish is complete without these! They add so much flavor to your meatballs.
- Fennel, Italian herbs, parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese delivering great Italian flavors – sweet, spicy and salty. I especially love the fennel in this recipe.
The best homemade tomato sauce
Whip up our simple homemade tomato sauce – it’s perfect with these meatballs and incredibly easy to make. We’ve included the recipe below. I also love this homemade red pasta sauce.
How to make Italian meatballs
This recipe produces incredibly flavorful Italian meatballs with a perfect, tender texture. Here’s what you can expect when you make them:
It starts with saltine crackers soaked in milk – my favorite trick for keeping meatballs tender! Then we add fried onion, garlic, ground fennel, those great Italian herbs and lots of cheese to the beef and pork. A good mix with your hands ensures that all the flavors come together.
This recipe is not about little meatballs! We make four giants out of it – a real winner for the table! Because these meatballs are so large, they remain tender and juicy in the center.
Baking them in the oven ensures that the meatballs get a delicious crust and remain juicy at the same time.
While the meatballs are baking, make our simple but incredibly flavorful tomato sauce. Shallots, garlic, a splash of wine, stock, crushed tomatoes and fresh basil pair beautifully with our meatballs.
To top it all off, nestle the partially fried meatballs directly into the sauce. They will finish cooking while enjoying all those goodies. I finish them in the oven, but simmering gently on the stove also works!
Ways to serve Italian meatballs
- Spaghetti and Meatballs – the classic! After cooking your meatballs, remove them from the pan and toss cooked spaghetti into the sauce before serving.
- Meatball Subs or Sliders
- Serve as an independent dish with bread. I love homemade focaccia or garlic bread.
- Piled high on top of these homemade grits (not traditional, I know, but so delicious).
Italian Meatballs With The Best Sauce
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PREPARATION
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COOK
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TOTAL
Large, juicy Italian meatballs stewed in homemade tomato sauce. Serve these juicy meatballs with spaghetti and turn them into spaghetti and meatballs, or, to make it a bit more authentic, serve the meatballs (called polpette in Italy) as a standalone dish with some bread for dipping.
Makes 4 servings
You will need
Meatballs
8 ounces (225 g) ground beef, use 85/15 or 80/20
225 grams of ground pork
4 tablespoons (25 g) saltine cracker crumbs from 8 crackers
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (135 g) whole milk
1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup (60 g) chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1/4 cup (10 g) chopped parsley
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
tomato sauce
1/2 cup (60 g) chopped shallot
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian herbs
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine
1/3 cup (80 ml) chicken broth
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes, we like canned crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 cup (15 g) chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Meatballs:
1Combine saltine cracker crumbs and milk in a small bowl. Never mind.
2Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and fennel. Cook until tender but before browning, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3In a large bowl, combine ground beef, pork, parsley, cheese, salt, pepper, and the cooked onion mixture. Add the soaked salt mixture and mix well (hands work best!).
4Preheat the oven 425°F (218°C). Lightly grease a baking tray lined with baking paper. Form the meatball mixture into four large meatballs. Place on baking sheet and bake until top is brown, 10 to 12 minutes. At this point the meatballs are partially cooked.
- Tomato sauce:
1Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in the same skillet used previously. Add shallots, garlic and Aleppo pepper. Cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
2Sprinkle Italian herbs over the shallots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3Add the wine and simmer until almost dry. Stir in the stock, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and fresh basil. Bring to a boil over low heat.
- Finishing Meatballs:
1Carefully place the partially fried meatballs into the sauce. Spoon some sauce over each meatball.
2To finish on the stove, cover the skillet and simmer over low heat until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160°F (10 to 15 minutes).
3Or bake the meatballs in the oven (recommended). Fry them in the frying pan. Do not cover the frying pan. Set the oven temperature to 148°C (300°F). Cook the meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Tips from Adam and Joanne
- A mixture of ground beef (85/15 for juiciness) and ground pork is perfect for a classic flavor. But feel free to mix it with minced veal, lamb or Italian sausage.
- Use clean hands to mix the meatball mixture for the best texture and to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Our homemade tomato sauce is easy to make and gives these meatballs an absolute highlight. If you’re short on time, opt for a high-quality store-bought marinara.
- To ensure food safety and great texture, cook meatballs until they reach 160°F with a meat thermometer. Cooking above this temperature can make the meatballs less tender.
- For extra juicy meatballs, choose larger sizes – four per recipe is our favorite.
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts below are estimates. We used the USDA database to calculate estimated values. Sodium will vary depending on how much salt is added to your sauce.
Nutrition per serving
Portion size
1 large meatball (recipe for 4)
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Calories
494
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Total fat
31.4g
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Saturated fat
9.6g
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Cholesterol
86 mg
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Sodium
922 mg
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Carbohydrate
21.4g
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Dietary fiber
4.1g
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Total sugars
7.2g
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Egg white
30.7g
