Italian Meatballs with the Best Sauce
- PREP 20min
- COOK 30min
- TOTAL 50min
Big, juicy Italian meatballs simmered in a homemade tomato sauce. Serve these juicy meatballs with spaghetti and make spaghetti and meatballs, or, to be a bit more authentic, serve the meatballs (called polpette in Italy) as a stand-alone dish with some bread for dipping.
You Will Need
Meatballs
8 ounces (225g) ground beef, use 85/15 or 80/20
8 ounces (225g) ground pork
4 tablespoons (25g) saltine cracker crumbs from 8 crackers
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (135g) whole milk
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup (60g) minced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1/4 cup (10g) chopped parsley
6 tablespoons (1.5oz) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup (60g) minced shallot
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup (60ml) dry white wine
1/3 cup (80ml) chicken stock
1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes, we like canned crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 cup (15g) chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Meatballs:
Combine saltine cracker crumbs and milk in a small bowl. Let sit.
Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and fennel. Cook until softened, but before they brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, pork, parsley, cheese, salt, pepper, and the cooked onion mixture. Add the soaked saltine mixture and mix well (hands work best!).
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Lightly oil a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape the meatball mixture into four large meatballs. Place on the baking sheet and bake until browned on top, 10 to 12 minutes. At this point, the meatballs will be partially cooked.
Tomato Sauce:
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in the same skillet used earlier. Add shallots, garlic, and Aleppo pepper. Cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the shallots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add wine and simmer until almost dry. Stir in stock, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and fresh basil. Bring to a low simmer.
Finish Meatballs:
Gently nestle the partially baked meatballs into the sauce. Spoon some sauce over each meatball.
To finish on the stove, cover the skillet and simmer over low heat until meatballs reach 160°F internally (10 to 15 minutes).
Or cook the meatballs in the oven (reccomended). Bake them in the skillet. Do not cover the skillet. Set the oven temperature to 300°F (148°C). Bake the meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- 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 ground veal, lamb, or Italian sausage.
- Use clean hands to mix the meatball mixture for the best texture and to ensure everything is well combined.
- Our homemade tomato sauce is simple to make and absolutely elevates these meatballs. If you’re short on time, opt for a high-quality store-bought marinara.
- To ensure food safety and amazing texture, cook meatballs until they reach 160°F using a meat thermometer. Cooking past this temperature can make the meatballs less tender.
- For extra-juicy meatballs, go for larger sizes – four per recipe is our favorite.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. Sodium will vary depending on how much salt added to your sauce.