Chef John's Italian Meatballs Recipe

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Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 06, 2012

I made Chef John's meatloaf a week or so ago and it was quite tasty which made me excited to try his meatball recipe. The bread crumbs I used in this recipe were made from homemade garlic-butter croutons and I cut back on the salt just a bit. To make uniform meat balls, I used my small cookie scoop. After baking my meatballs, I drained the fat off of them and added them to a homemade marinara and let them sit in the sauce for 20 minutes or so before I served them on pasta. The family really thought these were quite good. They held up well (to both cooking in the oven and sitting in the marinara) and had a nice flavor. Next time, I'd double the italian seasoning but that's really just personal to our family.

—Sarah Jo

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 06, 2013

I just took these out of the oven and they were swimming in liquid!! They weren't browned or even close - the flavor of the meat is good but the consistency of the cooked meatballs is wrong - won't make again!

—peggy

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151 Ratings

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Apr 21, 2012

These meatballs were awesome! I added more breadcrumbs than the recipe called for, left out the red pepper, and used beef broth instead of milk. They were a big hit and I even posted a picture! Thanks Chef John!

—marcosheller

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Apr 26, 2012

CJ's Italian Meatballs Haiku: "I can't believe it. These beat 'Meatball Nirvana' And they held up too!" So my biggest praise for these meatballs is that after I made a double-batch, w/o changing the recipe, I froze them into weekly portions, but after thawing a handful of them in sauce last night, I couldn't have been more delighted that they held their meatball shape and didn't fall apart! So I don't know what of CJ's method, or ingredients, resulted in a firm (oh yes, and scrumptious!) meatball, but I think this recipe has replaced AR's 'Meatball Nirvana' in our house from now on.

—Rock_lobster

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Apr 27, 2012

These are FANTASTIC meatballs! I used meatloaf mix, b/c it was cheaper (believe it or not) than buying the beef and pork seperately. I also used seasoned breadcrumbs instead of plain and dried parsley in place of the fresh. Followed the recipe exactly otherwise and would not change a thing next time. I was scared b/c the mixture was so soft (even after refrigeration), but I proceeded on, and I am so glad I didn't add extra breadcrumbs like I wanted to...these held their shape and were so moist, tender, flavorful and delicious...one of the best I've made/eaten! I used my large cookie scoop and got 26 out of this recipe. My family RAVED over these...even my 10 month old twins couldn't get enough, lol. Seriously, these are sooooo good! I will def be using this recipe over and over~YUM! Thanks for sharing. :)

—Christina

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Aug 04, 2012

Wow. This recipe is a keeper. I followed the recipe to a T and I wasn't disappointed. These meatballs were intended for sub sandwiches with marinara, but after tasting them fresh out of the oven, I felt like I was doing an injustice to this fine specimen of meat by slopping marinara over it. Thanks for the great recipe. I will be using this for years.

—dan.wayfare

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Oct 06, 2012

Amazing!! Made these to add to my spaghetti sauce and they were delicious exactly as written! We froze half of them and I can't wait to use them for meatball subs!

—nicolehall711

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Jul 09, 2012

I made these mostly as written though I halved the recipe for my small family. They were the tastiest meatball I've ever tried! I chose to use all ground beef instead of with pork, and used 93% lean for a healthier choice. I loved that this didn't require the pan browning first. We ate these plain without a sauce with herb roasted potatoes and a salad, and it was such a tasty meal. The meatballs were very moist with a perfect texture. I'll make these from now on, and will also add these to my spaghetti sauce!

—IMDEB1963

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Nutrition

Calories
82 kcal
4%

Carbohydrates
1.7 g
< 1%

Cholesterol
34 mg
11%

Fat
5.5 g
8%

Fiber
0.2 g
< 1%

Protein
6.2 g
12%

Sodium
192 mg
8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Chef John's Italian Meatballs

Serving Size: 1/30 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 30
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 82
Calories from Fat: 49

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5.5g 8 %
Saturated Fat 1.9g 9 %
Cholesterol 34mg 11 %
Sodium 192mg 8 %
** Potassium 93mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrates 1.7g < 1 %
Dietary Fiber 0.2g < 1 %
Protein 6.2g 12 %
Sugars 0.5g
** Vitamin A 2 %
** Vitamin C 2 %
** Calcium 2 %
** Iron 6 %
** Thiamin 9 %
** Niacin 18 %
** Vitamin B6 5 %
** Magnesium 3 %
** Folate 3 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.