Nonna's Italian Meatballs
Nonna's Italian meatballs are my go to meatball recipe. It yields tender, juicy results that are full of amazing flavor. Your family will beg for these with spaghetti or in sandwiches!
Servings: 30 meatballs
Calories: 84kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2-3/4 cup bread crumbs
- scant 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth can substitute milk
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white onion minced
- 2 eggs
- 4 cloves garlic pressed
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Prepare a large baking sheet by covering it in tinfoil. This will make cleanup a breeze. Lightly spray it with non stick cooking spray, and set aside.
- Add the bread crumbs and broth to a small bowl, stir, and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. Just until they've soaked up the liquid.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet, and heat over medium high heat. Add the onions, tossing them to coat, and cook until the onions are soft and have become translucent.
- To a large mixing bowl add the meats, onions (once cool enough to touch), prepared bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and cheese (if using).
- Just like with a meatloaf, use your hands and mix everything up until evenly mixed throughout. This may take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, but make sure everything's evenly incorporated.
- Continue using your hands to form the meat mixture into meatballs, each approximately 1 1/2". Place them evenly out onto the prepared baking sheet until all the meat mixture's been used.
- Bake the meatballs at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until all the meatballs have cooked through and there's no pink left in the center.
Notes
- Add the cooked meatballs to homemade marinara sauce and let them simmer for at least 45 minutes. The longer the cooked meatballs simmer in the sauce- the better the result.
- I make homemade breadcrumbs from loaves of sourdough bread that I cube up and turn into homemade croutons by tossing with olive oil and baking in the oven. Then I pulse the croutons in the food processor to finely crumble them. The result is worth the extra step.
- Want to make a fancier version of this affordable meatball? My Italian father-in-law swears by using ground veal in place of ground beef. They are truly a delicacy and perfect for special occasions.
Nutrition
Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg