It’s impossible to count how many iterations of Italian meatballs I’ve made, always in search of that perfect, tender, bite. The ingredients are simple, the technique something to master. I have scoured through recipes and channelled every Nonna that has ever lived in my quest for the most delectable meatball. Because, really, is there anything more satisfying?

This recipe is an amalgamation of a few methods I have tried over the years, my Great Grandma Porcellino’s included, and this meatball is by far the best I’ve made. I use a blend of ground Italian sausage and ground beef as my meat base. The sausage already has loads of seasoning, which makes for an extra flavorful meatball. Instead of breadcrumbs I’ve opted for milk soaked white bread, which I find lends to a more tender meatball. Plenty of fresh herbs, fennel seed, garlic, and a blend of salty Italian cheeses are what really make this little ball of goodness something special.

The most important thing to remember when making meatballs is to not overwork the meat. To help with this, I mix all the flavoring and binding ingredients together before adding the meat, and use a gentle hand to incorporate. This also applies when rolling the meat into balls. A light amount of pressure is all you need.

Once the meatballs have been formed it’s time to brown them. Sure, it’s an extra step in an already kind of laborious process, and can be super messy, but I promise the results are worth it. I like to brown the meat in the pot I plan on simmering them in, a) because I loathe doing dishes, and most importantly, b) so that the sauce gets all that good stuff that is left on the bottom of the pan after browning. Nothing goes to waste, and every layer contributes to the flavor.

The meatballs, once submerged in their tomato sauce spa bath, go into the oven to finish cooking. This provides more even cooking than on the stovetop, preventing your sauce from burning on the bottom (which I’ve done more times than I can count), and keeps the sauce at a perfect even simmer. It also helps to concentrate the flavor of the sauce in far less time than simmering on the stove. Plus the added bonus of not having to clean up a Dexter-esque tomato sauce splatte crime scene all over your stovetop and surrounding kitchen should be enough to make you into an oven meatball cooking convert.

While this is the best meatball I’ve made to date, my quest for the perfect meatball continues. Because after all, practice really does make perfect.

Classic Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 slices soft white bread

1/2 C whole milk

6 cloves garlic, grated

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 C pecorino cheese, finely grated

1/2 C grana padano cheese, finely grated

1/4 C parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 Tbsp basil, finely chopped

1 egg

1 lb ground sweet Italian sausage

1 lb ground beef, 80/20 fat content

1/4 C olive oil

2-4 C marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauce pan, soak bread in milk over low heat, until the bread is warm and has absorbed all the milk, approximately 2-3 minutes. Place bread in a large mixing bowl, and add garlic, salt, crushed red pepper, fennel seed, cheeses, parsley, basil, and egg. Use a fork to combine all ingredients into a paste. Add Italian sausage and ground beef, and gently mix the meat until everything is well incorporated. Be sure to not over mix.

Form meat mixture into 2” balls. In a large oven safe stock pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-medium high heat. Cook meatballs in batches until browned, but not cooked all the way through. Remove meatballs to a plate as they finish browning.

Add your favorite marinara sauce to the pot, making sure to scrape up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return meatballs to the pot, fully submerging in the sauce. Place pot in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes.

Fine Art Friday

Classic Italian Meatballs