Italian Meatballs
Classic Italian meatballs made with ground beef, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan, simmered in a rich tomato sauce. Perfect served over pasta or with crusty bread.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 whole large egg
- 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
Instructions
- 1
Soak breadcrumbs in milk in a small bowl for 2 minutes until softened.
- 2
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, soaked breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined—do not overmix.
- 3
Roll mixture into 16 meatballs, about 1.5 inches in diameter. Place on a plate.
- 4
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown meatballs on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
- 5
In the same skillet, add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar.
- 6
Return meatballs to the skillet, nestling them into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and sauce thickens.
- 7
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve warm over pasta, with crusty bread, or as an appetizer.
Tools you’ll need
- 12-inch stainless steel skillet
- large mixing bowl
- small bowl
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- meat thermometer
- spoon or ice cream scoop
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
