The Best Meatballs

See how to make amazing meatballs with ground beef, veal, and pork. See more

READY IN 30 mins

The Best Meatballs

Read Reviews (631)

"I never knew how to make good meatballs until I found this recipe. I normally make mine with just ground beef and they still taste great. I've used the combination of pork, beef and veal and they are equally good. Definitely use fresh bread crumbs and freshly grate your cheese instead of using the canned variety...it really does make a difference." — Geanine

Directions

Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 10 mins
COOK 20 mins
READY IN 30 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

May 28, 2008

They ARE the best meatballs, even though I use all beef most of the time. I don't fry, b/c I am too impatient, and the meatballs break up more that way. I scoop them out with a spoon, roll them in my hands, and bake on a cake rack in the oven over a foil-lined cookie sheet. This way, they brown nicely, excess fat is drained off, and they can go right into sauce, or, in our family, meatball hoagies, along with sauteed onions and peppers. They also freeze very well when baked this way. When I take these to parties, I always get requests for the recipe.

—PatsyK

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 13, 2009

There is nothing I hate more than to get a mediocre or worse review from people who do not follow the recipe as written, and then judge YOU on it. I followed this to a "T" even though my experience as a chef was telling me not to. Too much cheese. Not enough garlic. And "salt and pepper to taste" is a personal pet peeve. If you are going to post a recipe, include all the measurements, or be prepared to take your lumps. This recipe is good enough to avoid disaster, but DO NOT FRY. They stick to the pan and melt away when you add them to the gravy(tomato sauce). Instead, bake them for about 35 minutes at 350. Then, put them in the gravy for the last hour or two. Replace half the cheese with more breadcrumbs. Less mess, healthier and easier.

—JIMBOLYA

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807 Ratings

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May 28, 2008

This is soooo close to my Nonna's authentic Italian recipe! I am telling you, these meatballs ROCK! Uh oh, the word is out!!! How funny! 3 meats, the breadcrumbs, plus 1 egg. You can also use fresh chopped spinach instead of parsley (or 1 pkg frozen, thawed and all water squeezed out) and pecorino romano cheese instead of parmesan. I make sure I have these on hand almost all the time, I use one lb of EACH meat, and it makes 30-40. Instead of frying, I par bake mine on a cookie sheet at 325 for about 10 minutes, then set the tray (if room allows) into the freezer for an hour or so. Pop them off the tray, into a couple of large freezer bags. Meatballs on demand!! Drop them into a sauce or steam in a glass casserole dish for about 5 minutes, they will be medium-well on the inside. Absolute crowd pleaser if you are making a big Italian dinner!!

—RookieMom

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May 28, 2008

I use beef, pork, and veal, as it is readily available in my supermarket. Also, I bake mine instead of frying them, use parchment paper, 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Then, if I have sauce simmering, I drop them in for the finale, or I freeze them for later use, or to give away to the children.

—delcar

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Dec 08, 2003

Honestly, I was skeptical using water in a meatball recipe, but it was really great! I scaled to 4 servings, used only beef, 85%, 1/2 cup italian style breadcrumbs and Kraft parmesan cheese, as my young children do not yet appreciate the stronger flavor of "real" cheese, and they both said they were the best meatballs ever. Also, I did not fry them, to cut down on fat and clean-up, and they kept their shape just fine. I just put them in the gravy and cooked them on simmer for 30 minutes. The sauce was a simple marinara, just sautee 2 cloves of garlic, add 3 cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 can paste, 3/4 c. water and simmer. Add 1T oregano, 1t. basil, 1t. onion powder, salt and pepper and voila! Geanine and I teamed up to make an awesome dinner! Thanks Geanine!

—Michelle

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Dec 23, 2003

This IS the best Italian Meatball recipe ever. My ex-mother-in-law gave me this recipe more than 25 years ago. We use italian style breadcrumbs and much less liquid (about 1/4 cup milk). What makes it so good is the ratio of meats. You can adjust the flavorings to suit your family's taste. Once browned, the meatballs can finish cooking in the frypan or by baking, or even add them to the sauce. I would recommend this basic recipe to anyone. Excellent addition to Allrecipes.com.

—NANCYALBERICI

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Dec 05, 2003

Thank you Geanine! My husband told me that these were absolutely the best meatballs he had ever tried! I didn't pan fry them in olive oil - I simply dropped them into a crockpot full of homemade spaghetti sauce and let them cook with the sauce all afternoon. Also, I used italian style bread crumbs instead of making my own - just used a third cup less. My husband absconded with the leftovers to take to work this morning, and three people from his office called me today to get the recipe! Will ALWAYS use this recipe for spaghetti and meatballs!

—SurfSkiba

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May 28, 2008

Exactly the way I make them, except I don't use quite as much water and I don't fry them. I drop them in the sauce to cook. Makes the sauce taste awesome.

—Dee

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Nutrition

Calories
613 kcal
31%

Carbohydrates
6.6 g
2%

Cholesterol
155 mg
52%

Fat
53.2 g
82%

Fiber
0.3 g
1%

Protein
26.6 g
53%

Sodium
333 mg
13%

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

Nutritional Information

The Best Meatballs

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 613
Calories from Fat: 479

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 53.2g 82 %
Saturated Fat 15g 75 %
Cholesterol 155mg 52 %
Sodium 333mg 13 %
Potassium 315mg 9 %
Total Carbohydrates 6.6g 2 %
Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1 %
Protein 26.6g 53 %
Sugars 0.3g
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C 2 %
Calcium 24 %
Iron 23 %
Thiamin 24 %
Niacin 83 %
Vitamin B6 21 %
Magnesium 11 %
Folate 20 %

* 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.