Italian-Style Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
These tender meatballs simmer slowly in a rich tomato sauce until they become juicy, flavorful, and perfectly coated. The meatballs are made with simple ingredients like ground beef, breadcrumbs, garlic, and herbs, then browned and finished in a warm marinara sauce. As they cook, the sauce thickens and soaks into the meat, creating a comforting dish that works beautifully with pasta, bread, or even on their own.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 390
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 1 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups marinara or tomato sauce
- 1 Optional: extra parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and milk.
- 2
Use your hands or a spoon to mix everything together until the ingredients are evenly combined.
- 3
Roll the mixture into small round meatballs, about 1 inch wide.
- 4
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- 5
Place the meatballs into the skillet and cook them for 5–7 minutes, turning them so they brown on all sides.
- 6
Once the meatballs are browned, pour the tomato sauce into the pan.
- 7
Gently stir so the meatballs are covered with sauce.
- 8
Lower the heat and let the meatballs simmer for about 20 minutes so they cook fully and absorb the sauce.
- 9
Stir the meatballs gently once or twice while they cook so the sauce doesn’t stick.
- 10
When the meatballs are fully cooked and tender, remove the pan from the heat.
- 11
Serve the meatballs with the warm tomato sauce and sprinkle extra parmesan cheese on top if you like.
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