Italian-American Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Name: Italian-American Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 60 g (2 slices) stale white bread, crusts off, torn; 120 ml (½ cup) whole milk; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ground beef, 15–20% fat; 250 g (9 oz) ground pork; 2 eggs; 50 g (½ cup) Parmesan or pecorino, finely grated; 3 cloves garlic, grated; 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 tsp dried oregano; 11 g (scant 2 tsp) fine sea salt; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tbsp olive oil, for the tray; 1 l (4 cups) Tomato Sauce, or 2 jars good marinara; 4 basil leaves; grated Parmesan, to serve

Big, tender meatballs simmered gently in marinara

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 1 h 15 min
Level: Easy

These are the Sunday-supper meatballs of Italian-American kitchens: beef and pork with milk-soaked bread, Parmesan and herbs, browned in the oven and then simmered in tomato sauce until soft and juicy. The soaked bread — a panade — is what keeps them tender.

Ingredients

Meatballs

60 gstale white bread, crusts off (2 slices)torn
120 mlwhole milk (½ cup)
500 gground beef (1 lb 2 oz)15–20% fat
250 gground pork (9 oz)
2eggs
50 gParmesan or pecorino (½ cup)finely grated
3 clovesgarlicgrated
3 tbspchopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tspdried oregano
11 gfine sea salt (scant 2 tsp)
½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
1 tbspolive oilfor the tray

Sauce

1 lTomato Sauce (4 cups)or 2 jars good marinara
4basil leaves
grated Parmesanto serve

Allergens: gluten, egg, milk
Origin: United States (Italian-American)

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Oil a sheet pan.
Soak the bread in the milk for 5 minutes, then mash it into a paste with a fork. 5 min
Add the meats, eggs, cheese, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until evenly combined, about 1 minute — don't knead.
Fry a teaspoon of the mixture to taste for seasoning. With wet hands, roll into 16 balls about 5.5 cm across (about 65 g each). Space them on the sheet pan.
Roast until browned on top, 15–18 minutes. They needn't be cooked through. 16 min
Meanwhile, bring the tomato sauce to a gentle simmer in a wide pan. Add the meatballs and any pan juices.
Cover partly and simmer very gently, turning once, until tender and cooked through to 71°C (160°F) in the center, 20–25 minutes. Tear in the basil. 22 min
Serve with spaghetti, in sub rolls, or with bread, with grated cheese.

Why it works

The panade — bread soaked in milk — holds moisture and physically gets between the meat proteins so they can't bind too tightly, which keeps the meatballs soft rather than bouncy. Pork adds fat and sweetness, cheese adds salt and savoriness. Oven-browning is easier than frying and gives a good crust; simmering in sauce finishes them gently and flavors the sauce.

Common mistakes

Overmixing, which makes tight, rubbery meatballs.
Using lean meat; they turn dry. 15–20% fat is right.
Boiling the sauce hard, which toughens them. Keep it at a lazy simmer.

Variations

Chicken or turkey: Use 750 g ground thigh meat and add 1 extra tbsp olive oil; cook to 74°C (165°F).
Ricotta meatballs: Replace the milk-soaked bread with 125 g whole-milk ricotta and 30 g dry breadcrumbs.

Make ahead and storage

Make and roast the meatballs up to 2 days ahead, or freeze them roasted for 3 months; simmer from frozen for 35 minutes. Finished meatballs in sauce keep 3 days.