Secret Ingredient Italian Meatballs

A white bowl with red sauce and Italian meatballs over spaghetti in it. The bowl is sitting on a wooden board with a gray napkin, shredded cheese, and fresh herbs arranged around it.

Secret Ingredient Italian Meatballs

Learn how to make my family's secret ingredient Italian meatballs that are incredibly tender and truly the best! You'll never need another meatball recipe again once you try them. Provided in this recipe are step-by-step instructions and our top tips and tricks for success!

From my family to yours!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Italian meatballs, Ricotta meatballs

Freezer Friendly Yes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 0

Total Time 25

Servings meatballs

Calories 130kcal

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef 85% lean is best
1 lb ground pork or split 1/2 lb pork + 1/2 lb veal
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 small onion or half of a large or medium onion
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon (each) salt & black pepper
3-4 cups marinara

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Prepare baking pan: First, prepare a large pan for baking the meatballs. Brush it with some oil and set it aside for later.
Chop aromatics: use a fine grater or zester to mince the garlic cloves. For the onion, use a cheese grater to grate it into smaller pieces, or use a food processor to chop. However you cut them, you want them to be cut very small so they are evenly distributed throughout the meatballs.
Mix the ingredients: in a very large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, pork, breadcrumbs, parmesan, ricotta, chopped onion and garlic, eggs, parsley and basil, salt & black pepper. Use your hands to mix the ingredients completely together.
Form the balls: Then use your hands to divide the meatballs and roll them into about 2-inch balls. Repeat until all the meat is used, and place the meatballs on your prepared baking dish as you go.
Bake: then bake the meatballs for 18-20 minutes.
Or Pan fry: If you prefer to do the traditional method of browning the meatballs, you can brown them in 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Then add them to your sauce and let simmer for 45-60 minutes to finish cooking.
Note: my relatives always browned the meatballs, but I personally love baking them. You can go with either method!
Warm up the marinara: while the meatballs are baking, add your marinara to a saucepan or large pot and place on a gentle simmer.
Simmer in the sauce: once the meatballs are done in the oven, add them to the pot of marinara and let them simmer in the sauce for 30 minutes before serving!

Video

Notes

Make your own breadcrumbs - I always make my own breadcrumbs for any Italian recipe! They're so easy to make, add perfect texture and flavor, and you can make it healthier by using any bread you like. To learn how to make them, use our homemade breadcrumb recipe!

Make them gluten-free. Use store-bought gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this recipe GF-friendly, or make your own with our homemade breadcrumbs recipe and use your favorite gluten-free bread!

Nutrition