Grandma’s Italian meatball recipe is the ultimate comfort food dish to share! Tender and juicy meatballs are simmered in a simple yet rich tomato sauce.
On our wedding day, I made a very special vow to my husband… “I promise to always nurture, listen, comfort, and feed you, making sure to cook your grandmother’s famous meatballs at least once a month.”
It may seem like a silly promise. However, my husband Jason’s love for his Grandma’s Italian meatball recipe always brings him a sense of comfort and happiness. For me to be able to recreate a dish that he loves is really important to me. When he walks through the door at the end of a long day and smells fresh tomato sauce and meatballs broiling in the oven, his big smile is priceless!
I have an inkling that part of the reason Jason chose to marry me is because cooking is my passion, which means he would be well fed!
When we first moved in together, I asked him one evening what he wanted me to cook for dinner, and he said his grandma’s meatballs. We gave Grandma Rose a call for the recipe. Like most Italian recipes there were no specific measurements just a simple list of ingredients and method for the sauce and meatballs, the rest was intuition!
I’ve made meatballs many times over the years. Some turned out great, some not so much to boast about. I never actually wrote a recipe down, so it was different every time especially going by “feel” of the mixture. I was on a mission to get as close to grandma’s Italian meatball recipe with my own spin, with a tough critic to please, the hubby.
To make ground meat like meatballs and meatloaf extra moist and tender, a Panade can be added to the ground meat mixture. A panade is a mixture of starch and liquid; any combination of starch (bread, panko, crackers) and liquids (milk, buttermilk, yogurt, stock, water) can be used. Varying the combination of panade ingredients can add more or less flavor depending on your taste preference.
On this attempt, my husband told me these were the best meatballs I’ve ever made, not too shabby for ten years of experimenting!
The texture is the most critical part of nailing a great meatball recipe. The right ratio of meat-to-breadcrumb and fat for flavor is crucial. If there is too little or too much breadcrumbs, the texture is off (tough or spongy).
I found that a ratio of 1 pound beef, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, and 1 egg is perfect. I prefer using an 80% lean beef to 20% fat for my meat. This ratio gives a nice rich flavor and meaty texture without being too tough, making it easy to cut through and remain fork tender.
The tomato sauce recipe is extremely simple; high quality crushed tomatoes and flavor infused from the meatballs slowly simmered in the sauce. Jason never forgets to remind me that the sauce needs to be thick so that it can cling to the noodles. He also has an uncanny instinct to tell when spaghetti is cooked perfectly! My husband is a meatball and sauce connoisseur, the supreme judge to ensure anything Italian is prepared just right in our kitchen!
How can I prevent my meatballs from shrinking?
When the muscle fibers of meat proteins are ground into smaller pieces, sticky soluble proteins are released when cut and strongly hold the meat together. After the meat is mixed and then cooked, the proteins tighten and contract, causing large amounts of moisture to be squeezed out. This often results in meatballs reducing in size and becoming dry or tough if breadcrumbs or a panade is not added to the mixture.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 120 minutes |
| Servings |
meatballs
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- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onions minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 7 cups crushed canned tomatoes (Cento Brand imported from Italy or San Marzano tomates), 56 ounces
- 6 ounces tomato paste use less if a thinner consistency is desired
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt add more to taste
- 2 pounds ground beef (80% lean meat to 20% fat)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (grandma recommends Italian style, but plain okay)
- fresh basil (for garnish if desired)
- Heat olive oil over medium low heat and sauté onion and garlic until onions are translucent, 3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir well. Add tomatoes and simmer 30 minutes.
- Season tomato sauce with salt to taste.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix using your hand.
- Cook a small test piece, taste for the correct seasoning level, correct seasoning if needed.
- Roll meatballs to the size of a large egg, about 3 ounces in weight.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Evenly space the meatballs on the sheet.
- Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
- Broil the meatballs until browned, about 10 minutes, then turn over. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add meatballs to the tomato sauce. Simmer on low heat for at least 1 ½ hours, checking and stirring every 15 minutes, or as needed.
- Remove the meatballs from the sauce into a separate bowl, cover to keep warm. Mix the sauce; adjust consistency with small amounts of water if too thick. Correct seasoning if needed.
- Garnish meatballs with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.
- You can adapt this recipe for a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the sauce ingredients into the slow cooker and broiled meatballs. Cook on high 3 hours, or 6 hours on low.
This looks fantastic! So if I wanted to incorporate the panade, would I simply soak the breadcrumbs in whole milk beforehand?
Hi Madeline, thank you for checking out the recipe! Yes, soak the bread crumbs in the milk until the liquid has been absorbed. Start by adding a small amount of the panade to your meat mixture, I used the ratio of 1 pound beef, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and 1 egg. However since you are adding more moisture with a panade instead of just dried breadcurmbs, maybe start off with 1/4 cup of panade, adding more if needed to get the right texture. The meat mixture should not stick to your hands when you roll into balls, and you don’t want it to be too mushy. You can always add a little bit of dried bread brumbs if the mixture feels too mushy and won’t hold together. I always do a test piece by pan frying a small teaspoon to tablespoon of the mixture to see if the texture and flavor is how I like it, then adjust with more panade/breadcrumbs/seasonings as needed. Let me know if you have any more questions, I would love to help!
Almost five months later, and I finally tried my hand at meatballs with panade. They turned out wonderfully thanks to all your help and expertise! Growing up, my mom always used dried breadcrumbs in her meatball recipe, and I definitely noticed a difference with using the panade…so THANK YOU for expanding my culinary horizons and sharing this great little tip. The meatballs I made were good, though I think I’ll try your recipe next time as the inclusion of bacon (had to jump on the bandwagon, I guess!) in mine made them just a bit too fatty for my taste.
Thanks again, and I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Yay! I’m so glad that you tried the meatballs and saw that the panade helped! I don’t blame you on adding bacon, I LOVE it, and it’s hard not wanting to add it where ever you can. Please let me know if you have any more questions in the future, I’m here to help!
all this about the panade and your meatball recipe has breadcrumbs and NO liquid????
Thank you for your comment! For this particular recipe, since I use dried breadcrumbs that are dried and very fine, the moisture from the eggs was enough to create a panade like effect. However, you can absolutely substitute 1/4 to 1/2 cup panade (fresh bread soaked in milk) to see if you enjoy the texture better with the fresh vs. dried breaad crumbs.
tHANK YOU FOR THE GREAT RECIPE! do you suggest broiling the meatballs on low or high for 10 minutes? Thanks again!
Hi Justin- I broil on high, but check after 5 minutes. If the tops of the meatballs are a nice golden brown, then I flip them over to cook the other side. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
I thought you used a panade in your meatballs? I was anxious to see your ratio of liquid to bread crumbs because I add water to the bread crumbs but am never sure how much to use.
Hi Frances- For this particular recipe I didn’t soak the breadcrumbs, but if you wanted to I would recommend the following: Soak the bread crumbs in whole milk (add a small amount of milk and stir, adding more as needed until the breadcrumbs are moist). Without the panade I use a ratio of 1 pound beef, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and 1 egg. Since you are adding more moisture with a panade instead of just dried breadcurmbs, start off with 1/4 cup of panade, adding more if needed to get the right texture. The meat mixture should not stick to your hands when you roll into balls, and you don’t want it to be too mushy. You can always add a little bit of dried bread brumbs if the mixture feels too mushy and won’t hold together. I always do a test piece by pan frying a small teaspoon to tablespoon of the mixture to see if the texture and flavor is how I like it, then adjust with more panade/breadcrumbs/seasonings as needed. Let me know if you have any more questions, I would love to help!
These are fantastic. I follow the recipe exactly without the panade (haven’t had the time to experiment with that yet) and they are absolutely delicious! Taste just like my dads. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thank you Amanda for trying the recipe, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing your recipe !!! I am making this for the second time .My husband and children were so excited when they found out what was for supper!! I went exactly by your recipe except added a little more garlic and onion to the meatballs .Meatballs are simmering now and we can hardly wait !!!! Thank you Jessica !!
Yay Mitzi! My family gets super excited too when they smell meatballs cooking in the sauce 🙂 So glad you like the recipe!
Jessica,
Wow! These meatballs were fantastic. Thanks for spending 10 years getting the recipe perfect. My Jim gives it an A+ and says it is a keeper!
Hi Katie! I’m so glad you got to try the recipe and the Jim approves 🙂
Tried it and it was great. I did all about 6oz of whole regatta cheese to the meat balls and they were super moist. Making some more today by request from others that I fed before with this recipe.
Thank’s Jessica
Yay Rick! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipes and will be sharing more with others 🙂
I am cooking dinner for a lactose intolerant family member. Should i sub the cheese for anything? Or if i just don’t do anything in replacement of the cheese do you think they will turn out okay? Thank you, im so excited i stumbled on your recipe!
Hi Sharon- Great question! The cheese adds a more savory flavor and helps to bind the meatball. I have made it without it so you could try a couple of things. Use a diary free parmesan cheese (vegan) as a replacement. Or you could make a small tester after you mix in the other ingredients. Just cook a quarter sized piece of the meat in a hot pan, then taste it. Adjust the seasoning with more salt, garlic salt, or onion powder until you get the right seasoning level.
I’ve been searching for a good meatball recipe and I think I just found it! My grandparents are from Sicily but no longer with us, nor are my parents. I do remember my mom always putting a pork chop in her sauce and letting it simmer with the meatballs. Have you ever tried this? It gives the sauce a fabulous flavor! Thank you for what I’m sure will be a great Sunday dinner! Mangia!!
Yay Jane! Adding a pork chop would undeniably be amazing, I’ll have to give it a try. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Hi, can I place the raw meatballs in the sauce and just cook them that way? If so, how long do you recommend cooking them in the sauce?
Thanks for your advice!
Hi Anne! I would recommend browning the meatballs first since it adds more flavor and structure to the meatballs before they cook in the sauce. You could try to add them in raw, but they may become more mushy in texture. I would check it at the indicated time, and continue to cook as needed until no longer pink in the center.