Mom’s Easy Traditional Italian Meatballs, a fast and delicious Italian Recipe. Made with beef, Parmesan cheese and Italian spices in a delicious tomato sauce. These Meatballs are going to be your family’s favorite new recipe.
This is one of my mother’s recipes (her father was Italian, so it still counts), and they are the best I have ever eaten. My mother-in-law makes her pretty much the same way. So authentic Italian they are.
I discovered that in Italy you don’t eat Spaghetti and Meatballs together. Spaghetti is considered a primo piatto (first dish) and Meat is a secondo piatto (second plate).
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Therefore they should not be combined. Personally I think they are missing out on something. My Mom always served them together and I love it.
She would always make them in a delicious tomato sauce and they would be served over Rigatoni or Penne. I like Spaghetti myself. Or if you are looking for something a little different why not use Ground Turkey a make a Pasta Bake.
So you can dish it up the Italian way, and serve it as a secondo piatto, with a nice salad or vegetable of choice.
Meatballs
Or even cook them in a oven save pan shred some firm mozzarella on top and bake them in the oven just until the cheese melts.
So good, you won’t even miss the pasta! Just make sure you have some crusty bread to catch the sauce.
Or your way (our way) with pasta. These Easy Traditional Italian Meatballs are cooked in a sauce, so they can be served over pasta al dente. Buon appetito!
Traditional Italian Meatballs
- 3-4 slices of bread (remove crusts, I use day old Italian and if it is extra thick use 2 slices)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 1/2 cups water
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In a small bowl soak bread in water for 2 or 3 minutes, then squeeze out moisture and tear into small pieces. In a medium bowl combine bread with remaining ingredients (except olive oil and ingredients for the sauce) and mix well. Form into small balls ( I form the meatballs into the size of a golf ball). In a medium frying pan with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, brown meatballs on all sides. While meatballs are browning, in a separate, medium sized, deep pan add all ingredients for the sauce, stirring until well combined. Add browned meatballs. Over medium heat, heat to boiling, then lower heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes (covered), than raise heat to medium, (leave pan slightly uncovered 1/3 uncovered) and cook an additional 20 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Serve immediately, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. Don't forget some crusty Italian bread to soak up the delicious sauce. Enjoy!
Republished from February 14, 2014.
Ernest Contreras says
Your Meatballs I would make this way, they truly look authentic I had a childhood friend we used to walk to his grandmas house and she would make us this dish,I can smell the sauce as I write you now, she also mad us her version of a sloppy Joe, she seem to always have a pot of her sauce on the stove, she would have us sit on the stairs and she would cut a thick slice of crusty Italian bread spread sauce on it and some fresh grated cheese now that is how I recall good Italian eating these meatballs took me back a few days Thanks so much I will make some soon.
Chef Ernesto`
Rosemary says
Hi Ernest, thanks so much, nothing like the amazing smells in an Italian kitchen. I hope you enjoy the meatballs.
Rebecca says
I love this recipe.. The only thing I did a little different was slow cooked the meatballs in the sauce… It was fantastic… I also used fresh ground chuck roast and fresh herbs from my garden… my family DEVOURED this!! They can’t wait to have it again!!! It was the first time I used bread instead of
Store bought breadcrumbs and it was so much better… Thank you for sharing!!!
Rosemary says
Hi Rebecca, thanks so much. So glad you and your family enjoyed it. Have a great weekend.
Davis says
The ingredients say two eggs but the video says one or am I missing something?
Rosemary says
Hi Davis, it is two eggs, the video because of the time length just the one egg was shown. 🙂 Thanks.
Carrie says
I have a non cheese Thinking daughter.what do you recommend to replace the Parmesan with? I generally use the nutritional yeast
Rosemary says
Hi Carrie, I think I would just leave it out, I never used nutritional yeast so I have no idea how it would change the taste. Hope that helps. Let me know what you decided to do. Have a great weekend.
Kimberly says
I made these for my family, and they are delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Rosemary says
Hi Kimberly, thank so glad you liked it.
Sophia says
Good meatballs but the sauce is very thin. I would use 1 cup of water instead, add 1 teaspoon of fennel, and a half cup of onion; seasoning is too light.
Rosemary says
Hi Sophia, you should let it cook longer (or longer uncovered) so the sauce thickens.
sineamaries says
Thank you so much! I’ve wanted a really good, authentic Italian meatball recipe. Now I’ve found it! 🙂
rose says
Thanks, glad I could help, hope you enjoy them. Rosemary