Easy Italian Meatballs With Only 5 Ingredients

Many if not most Italian households preserved the tradition of having a particular dish for Sunday luncheon. In ours, it’s either pizza or these scrumptious tender meatballs that are a hit with the kids! A few years ago, this weekend lunch consisted of a few courses led by Nonno Enzo who has been a great teacher.

Sundays are lazy, and it feels like everything around me; from the closed stores to empty streets seduces me to take it easy and do nothing. Do absolutely nothing except eat and lay on the veranda soaking up the warm sun rays that embrace the south of Italy.

But for Nonno Enzo, that means a towel around his neck to soak up the inevitable drip of sweat as he hurriedly paces the kitchen floor to prepare yet another remarkable luncheon.

Because Sunday is a sacred day in many ways, and it will be celebrated with a second course made with the famous Italian ragu. Which consists of ‘braciole’, which is a mixture of beef and pork fillets pounded flat, layered with garlic, herbs, and pine nuts which are then rolled, browned on a sizzling hot pan, and left to slowly simmer with meatballs in a simple tomato sauce over low heat for hours.

This post will share with you how to make those simple tender meatballs that I can almost guarantee nobody will complain about. As well as give you ideas on what you can pair them with, for different occasions. And what you can do with leftovers.

Meatballs Ingredients and Alternatives

Meat: A mixture of ground beef and pork. Because pork adds extra flavor and moistness.

Milk: I used whole milk, however, I have achieved similar results using skimmed.

Egg: One large egg is used. If you don’t have one, whisk 2 small eggs, then measure 52g of it to mix into the beef mixture.

Old bread: I choose this over breadcrumbs as it is an old tradition that I wish to keep alive. Well, that plus the fact that it is a great way to avoid wastage. Please note: the bread you use will dictate how much milk you need. The bread I used was quite firm.

That said, I suggest measuring the milk (100ml) and pouring half evenly across the diced old bread. Crumbling it between your fingers and then adding the rest as you go- only as much as you need. The result should be crumbed not drenched. I do not use the crust of the bread so cut it off before dicing.

Passata: I use passata, however, if you do not have that you can purée two of your preferred canned tomato and sieve out the seeds then measure the required amount for this recipe. Cooking meatballs in a simmering sauce for a long time makes them more tender.

Cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano is what I used for its intense flavor, however, you can use parmesan if you do not have the latter. I am a big fan of using the rind in slow-cooked recipes so toss that into the tomato sauce if you have it.

How to Prepare the Meatballs

Scroll further down to skip to the recipe and detailed instructions.

First: Always best to prepare all your ingredients. So measure the passata or purée tomatoes if using.

Whisk the eggs and grate the Parmigiano over it, sprinkle in some salt and black pepper.

Finely dice the onions, and do the same for the carrots and celery or grate. For a smoother, less lumpy sauce I suggest you grate the carrots.

And finally, prepare the breadcrumbs by cutting off the crust and then cut into cubes. Finish by evenly pouring milk over the bread then crumble it through your fingers. Mix the breadcrumbs with the egg ‘paste’.

Then: Add the egg & breadcrumb mixture to the meat and roll into 16 balls. I lightly oil the plate to keep the meatballs from sticking to it. You could alternatively line the plate with cling film- anything to reduce the number of dishes I need to wash!

How to Cook Meatballs in Two Ways:

Oven: In the oven preheated to 200°C for 35 minutes, then left to simmer in the sauce.

Deep Fry: Or heat the oil to 190°C / 374°F. If you’re not using a thermometer you could drop a rolled-up breadcrumb into the oil and if it sizzles and quickly floats then the oil is ready.

Finish:

Almost there, just sauté the onions for 1-2 minutes, then add in the carrots and celery for a further 2-3 minutes, and finally pour in the tomato sauce and meatballs.

Cover and leave to simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours stirring every 20-25 minutes. And you’re done.

Frequently Asked Meatballs Questions Answered.

How Long Do I Cook Meatballs in Sauce?

The timing varies from recipe to recipe, with most opting to slowly simmer the meat between 1 1/2 – 2 hours. This will also depend on how tender you want the meatballs to be. As well as how much tomato is used and how much sauce you want left over when the simmering is done.

Why Do You Put Eggs in Meatballs?

The egg holds all the ingredients together acting as a glue.

Why are my meatballs tough?

For tender meatballs, you need to add wet moisture-enriching ingredients like milk and eggs, because when meat is cooked the muscle fibers dry up. It could also be that, there was an imbalance between the ratio of dry to wet ingredients.

Should You Put Onions in Meatballs?

You can add onions (not in this recipe) by either finely grating or dicing them into the meat with the rest of the spices and dry ingredients.

Should I Fry of Bake Meatballs?

You can fry or bake them with both results being delicious. Baking or panfrying instead of deep-frying results in meatballs with fewer calories.

Pairing Ideas

So, you want to make these tender kid-friendly meatballs but aren’t sure what to pair them with? Here are a few ideas:

Oven-roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

Hosting a crowd? Prepare some oven-roasted rosemary potatoes ahead of time to save you the hassle. Alternatively, you could just eat the meatballs with a side of fresh ciabatta if you are having more than one course. Enjoying them with or without a good glass of red wine is heavenly. Simple and delicious.

Simple super dinner: How about a plate of white rice so the meatballs remain the star of the show? Or spaghetti which seems to be a loved combination.

Children: If making these for your little ones do not add black pepper. Serve with boiled herbed potatoes. To make them, boil the bite-size floury potatoes until cooked through but not mushy, take them off the fire, and drain. Drizzle a little olive oil, a pinch of dried herbs (Italian seasoning), and salt over the potatoes, toss to mix, and serve.

You can also cut the meatballs into bite-sized portions, stir through the thick tomato sauce, and toss them with pasta.

Ideas for Leftover Meatballs

If by some miracle you managed to have some leftovers you could:

1. Mince it with the rich tomato sauce to stir through pasta with a sprinkle of Parmigiano for a quick meal. Or add a little more passata to it and make a ‘bolognese pasta bake’ with mozzarella and fresh basil leaves tucked in between.

2. Scrape the sauce off the meatballs, crumble it, and lay on a wrap with mozzarella to make meatball quesadillas.

3. Freeze for later, trust me they will be just as amazing as when you made them.

I hope you make and enjoy this recipe, comment below to let me know. Follow me on Instagram for other simple delicious recipes that are not published on the blog. I call them little Insta-treats hahaha.

Until the next post, happy dining!

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Print Recipe

Easy Italian meatballs

(+15 rating, 3 votes)

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Lunch/Dinner – Italian

By Angela – Serves: Makes 12 meatballs

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 1 hour 40 minutes – Total Time: 2 hours

Easy, tender meatballs made with only 5 simple ingredients: old bread, a splash of milk, egg, and a few sprinkles of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Ingredients

• 480g mixed beef and pork
• 70g old bread
• 100ml whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 40g Parmigiano Reggiano/ parmesan
• 1 small brown onion (approximately 3 tablespoons)
• 25g carrots
• 25g celery
• 580g passata/puréed canned tomatoes (without seeds)
• Salt and black pepper
• Vegetable frying oil
• Parmigiano Reggiano rind (optional)

Instructions

PREPARE

1

Finely dice the onions, carrots, and celery to equal sizes

2

Whisk the egg, and grate the Parmigiano Reggiano into the egg. Add a pinch of salt and finely ground black pepper and mix to form a thick paste

3

Peel the crust of the bread, then dice. Pour milk evenly over the bread and crumble it between your fingers. Add the breadcrumb mixture to the egg 'paste'.

4

Measure the passata.

MEATBALLS

5

Add the egg & breadcrumb mixture to the beef ensuring it's evenly combined

6

Lightly oil a plate with vegetable oil to avoid sticking. Using a tablespoon, scoop the meat and bring it together into a roughly shaped ball, roll it between your palms, and if you can just give it a toss from one hand to the other a few times before setting it onto the plate.

7

Preheat the oven to 200°C and let the meatballs cook for 35 minutes. Alternatively, you could deep fry them.

8

Heat the oil to 190°C / 374°F. If you're not using a thermometer you could drop a rolled-up breadcrumb into the oil and if it sizzles and quickly floats then the oil is ready to use. Deep fry the meatballs for 4 1/2 minutes for each batch. You can do this in two batches if the pan is not enough, avoid overcrowding as you need space to keep turning the meatballs without breaking them. Turn them every 1 1/2 minutes. If frying them in 2 batches, let the oil reheat for at least 1-2 minutes before adding the next batch.

9

Lay the fried meatballs on a kitchen paper towel to drain the excess oil

SAUCE

10

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onions (2 tbsps) until soft and translucent

11

Add the carrots and celery and turning occasionally leave to sauté for 3 minutes. Do not let them brown, (reduce the heat if you need to)

12

pour in the Passata, stir to combine, and, add salt to taste and the Parmigiano rind if using.

COMBINE

13

Put the meatballs into the Passata and stir. Cover and leave to simmer for 1 - 1/2 hours over low heat, ensuring you stir every 20-25 minutes. The sauce can be used after 1 hour of simmering, if you want to use this for Arancini, let the bolognese sauce reduce and thicken further; so let it simmer for 1.5 hours.

14

Serve