Best Meatball Recipe
This is the best meatball recipe! Not only are these meatballs tender, juicy, and flavorful, but they’re easy to make too!
I’ve made this juicy meatball recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen a few times now and they always turn out so delicious and I think it’s the best meatball recipe! Normally, I halve the recipe and also adapt it a bit by adding a little minced onion to add just a bit more flavor. This time I made a batch of tomato pomodoro sauce and simmered the meatballs in it after browning them in my cast iron skillet. I served these delicious Italian meatballs with crusty bread and a simple salad. It was a delicious meal that we all enjoyed.
How to Make The Best Meatball Recipe
Prepare the pomodoro sauce, if using. Click here for the recipe. Simmer on low heat in a small saucepan or Dutch oven. Side Note: You can also use a jar of your favorite marinara.
Combine the bread and water in a large bowl; mix to combine so the bread will soak up all the water; set aside until needed. Side Note: Don’t skip this step–soaking the bread helps make these meatballs so juicy!
Add the ground beef, ground pork, parmesan, onion, egg, garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Use your hands to stir the mixture together just until well combined. Don’t overmix.
Portion the mixture into 12 same-size balls, about 2 tablespoons each. Side Note: Cookie scoops work well.
Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs to the skillet, placing them in one at a time and cook in batches to get a good sear. Sauté, turning every 2 minutes (total 5-7 minutes), or until evenly browned.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully move the meatballs into the pot of simmering pomodoro sauce (or jarred marinara) and simmer them on low for 10-15 minutes, to allow the meatballs time to soak in the sauce. Serve topped with fresh parsley along with your favorite pasta or crusty bread and lots of parmesan cheese. Enjoy.
Equipment
- Saucepan or small Dutch oven (for sauce)
Ingredients
- Pomodoro sauce **You can also use a jar of your favorite marinara
- 1½ slices of white bread, crusts removed, cut into small bits
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ lb ground beef, 15% fat
- ½ lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp fresh parmesan, finely grated
- 2 tbsp onion, finely minced
- 1 small egg, well beaten
- 1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced, to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the pomodoro sauce, if using. Click here for the recipe. Simmer on low heat in a small saucepan or Dutch oven. Side Note: You can also use a jar of your favorite marinara.
- Combine the bread and water in a large bowl; mix to combine so the bread will soak up all the water; set aside until needed. Side Note: Don't skip this step--soaking the bread helps make these meatballs so juicy!
- Add the ground beef, ground pork, parmesan, onion, egg, garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Use your hands to stir the mixture together just until well combined. Don't overmix.
- Portion the mixture into 12 same-size balls, about 2 tablespoons each. Side Note: Cookie scoops work well.
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs to the skillet, placing them in one at a time and cook in batches to get a good sear. Sauté, turning every 2 minutes (total 5-7 minutes), or until evenly browned.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully move the meatballs into the pot of simmering pomodoro sauce (or jarred marinara) and simmer them on low for 10-15 minutes, to allow the meatballs time to soak in the sauce.
- Serve topped with fresh parsley along with your favorite pasta or crusty bread and lots of parmesan cheese. Enjoy.
Saucy, tender and so good! My husband eats meatballs very often and this is definitely something he would enjoy too.
We’ve been looking our entire life for the best meatball recipe (which of course is in the eyes of the beholder). We generally put more flavors (herbs, garlic, etc) in ours but we’ll give this one a try, especially to try out the texture. Yours looks very good sitting in the rich sauce sauce.
Larry,
I’ve made these meatballs with fresh basil before as well as with dried Italian seasoning, and they were terrific. This time I stuck with parsley because it’s what I had on hand, but it’s a great base recipe and I think you’ll enjoy how tender and juicy they are.
-Pam
I just received another blog post titled best meatballs.
These are indeed yummy! Very light and flavorful. I ate mine without pasta (so I could put my carbs into bread instead!) I froze some of them as well and plan to defrost/cook when I want to use them. I used a cabernet marinara that was delicious with them. We don’t have “white bread” in our house (ever) so I eyeballed it and used 1/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs. That seemed to be about right. It would be great to provide a measurement amount instead of slice amount for those of us who don’t have such things around! 🙂
Julie,
I’m so happy you enjoyed these meatballs and it’s good to know breadcrumbs work well. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
-Pam