The Best Homemade Italian Meatballs
These meatballs check all the boxes: easy, quick, mouthwatering. I got this recipe for the best homemade Italian meatballs I’ve ever tasted from my mother-in-law. My husbands family is Italian/French and my MIL is a phenomenal cook.
These meatballs are super easy to pull together and can be as fancy or as rustic as you want to make them. You can go all in with fresh herbs and freshly shredded cheese, or if you’re short on time you can use dried herbs and pre-shredded cheese from the store. They turn out delicious either way. These meatballs also freeze very well, so its easy to make a double batch and freeze half for later.
First, you will need to gather your ingredients.
You are going to need:
- Meat. I prefer a 50/50 mix of hamburger and sweet Italian sausage.
- Onions. You just gotta have onions in your meatballs.
- Cheese. Any type of shredded Italian cheese or blend will be fine. This time I had an Aged Balsalmic and Cippolini Onion Parmesan that I got from the Chef Store. I had never seen that flavor before and I highly, highly recommend it if you can find it.
- Herbs. Garden fresh herbs are always desirable, but if you don’t have any dried herbs will be fine.
- Eggs.
- Breadcrumbs. You can use plain or herbed breadcrumbs. Whichever you have.
Next, you need to prepare the ingredients.
Shred the cheese, dice the onions and the herbs. If you are using pre-shredded cheese and dried herbs, all you will need to do is dice an onion.
Third, combine all ingredients together in a large bowl.
I use a wooden spoon to roughly combine everything together before mixing with my hands. You want an even ingredient distribution.
Fourth, roll out your meatballs.
You want the balls to be about one inch in diameter, but if you want larger meatballs go bigger. I have found that rolling them out with your hands produces the best results.
Last, fry ’em up.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat with some olive oil. Fry until golden brown on one side, then flip over. Once golden brown on the other side, remove from the pan onto a plate and let rest until the rest are done cooking.
Alright, the moment of truth. Take one that’s cooled down a bit and take a bite. Are these the best homemade Italian meatballs you’ve ever tasted? It’s alright to do a happy dance right there in the kitchen. 😉
If you are planning to freeze part of your batch, wait until they have cooled and place in a gallon sized freezer bag. Use within two months, if you can wait that long.
Until next time,
Ariel
Easy Homemade Italian Meatballs
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- frying pan
- chef knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage – ground or removed from casings
- 1 diced medium onion
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh herbs* – basil, rosemary, oregano or marjoram are great choices
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup shredded italian cheese
- 1 cup bread crumbs – regular, herbed or panko
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to roughly blend, then mix with your hands until you have an even distribution.
- Use your hands to roll into balls 1 inch in diameter or to desired size. You can add directly to the frying pan or set on a sheet pan until all meatballs are formed.
- Add olive oil to a large frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until golden brown, turning as necessary to cook through. Reduce heat to medium if necessary.
- Work in batches until all meatballs are cooked. Once removed from the pan, allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes.
Notes
- If you are using dried herbs, use 1 Tbsp. Italian blend
- This recipe can easily be doubled in order to freeze half the batch. Once cooled place in a gallon size freezer bag and freeze. Use within two months.
