These homemade Italian meatballs are a must on Sundays. This is my standard recipe that I make allllll the time. Enjoy!

Looking for more Italian-American recipes? I’ve got you covered:

Italian Meatball Ingredients

Ground beef (or meatball mix): This really depends on what I have on hand. I typically always have some 85/15 ground beef in the freezer, but it’s also common for Italian meatballs to use a 1:1:1 ratio of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal. I find most versions to be perfectly delicious, so you’ll just need a pound of either straight up ground beef, or a combo of the three meats.

Tomato puree: If you only have whole peeled tomatoes, just whizz them up in the blender before.

Breadcrumbs: I’m a strict 4C Seasoned Breadcrumbs girlie.

Whole milk: To moisten the breadcrumbs (and meatballs).

Garlic: For the meatballs.

Onion: For the sauce.

Fresh basil: For the sauce.

Fresh parsley: For the meatballs.

Egg: A binder for the meatballs.

Locatelli: For the meatballs. Can sub freshly grated parm.

Salt and pepper: To taste.

Olive oil: For frying the meatballs.

Red wine: For the sauce.

How to Make Italian Meatballs

Step 1: Moisten the breadcrumbs

Add the milk to the breadcrumbs. It’ll look wet. Don’t worry. Let that sit for a few minutes while you add everything to the meat.

Step 2: Make the meatball mix

Add the ground beef to a clean bowl. Add the grated garlic, chopped parsley, Locatelli, salt, and pepper. Once the breadcrumbs are ready, add them in as well. Mix everything together with clean hands until just combined (you don’t want to overwork the meat or it can get a bit tough). It’ll look like this:

Step 3: Form the meatballs

You can absolutely choose your destiny when it comes to the size of your meatballs. I stick to about a golf ball size, which yields about 20 meatballs from this batch.

Step 4: Fry the meatballs

Add enough light olive oil (not extra virgin) to a pan so that there’s about half an inch of it. Turn the heat to just above medium so the oil heats up but doesn’t smoke. Let that heat for a few minutes, then add the meatballs (they should start sizzling nicely). Cook them in batches, turning them to brown them on both sides. (I don’t worry about browning them ALL OVER, just two sides).

Once they’re ready, move them to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain out most of the oil, leaving just about a tablespoon or two behind.

Step 5: Make the sauce

Add the onion to the same pan that you cooked the meatballs in (with only about a tablespoon or 2 of oil left behind). Add a pinch of salt, and let cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions have softened.

Now add the red wine and let that reduce to about half.

Once reduced, add the can of tomato puree. Now add some water directly to the puree can and swirl it around, and then dump that in also. (I typically fill about ¾ of the can with water, but keep it on hand to add more as the sauce cooks).

Now add a bunch of torn-up basil and stir. Bring to a low boil, then gently add the meatballs back in. Lower to a dancing simmer, and let cook for about 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Also, keep that tomato can on hand to add some water to thin it out if needed.

Once done, taste and season with a touch more salt if needed.

Step 6: Serve and enjoy!

Plate the meatballs along with some pasta. Top with freshly grated Locatelli or parm and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Homemade Italian Meatballs

These homemade Italian meatballs are a must on Sundays. This is my standard recipe that I make allllll the time.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: italian american food, italian american recipes, italian meatballs, italian recipes, meatballs, pasta and meatballs

Servings: 20 meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (85/15) or 1 pound meatball mix (ground beef, ground veal, and ground pork)
⅓ cup 4C Seasoned breadcrumbs
⅓ cup whole milk
2 garlic cloves grated
½ cup freshly grated Locatelli or parm
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for frying

For the sauce

28 oz tomato puree
½ yellow onion finely chopped
½ cup red wine
10 fresh basil leaves torn

Instructions

Add the milk to the breadcrumbs and set aside for a couple of minutes.
Add the ground beef to a clean bowl along with the parsley, egg, Locatelli, salt, pepper, and the moistened breadcrumbs. Using clean hands, mix everything together until just combined, making sure not to work the meat too much (it can become tough).
Form the meatballs into golf ball-sized balls and set aside. You should get about 20 meatballs.
Add enough olive oil to a pot or a non-stick skillet with high sides to be about ½ inch deep. Turn heat to just above medium and let the oil heat up, but not TOO TOO hot. Once ready, add enough meatballs so that they have about ½ inch between them. Brown nicely on one side, then turn and brown on the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon to rest on a paper towel-lined plate. Fry the next batch if needed.
Once the meatballs are browned, remove most of the oil and fat, leaving behind about 1-2 tablespoons. Lower the heat to medium if you haven't already. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion has softened.
Add the red wine and let it reduce to half. Then, add the can of tomato puree and stir. Fill the can about ¾ with water, swirling it around, then pour that into the sauce and stir. Keep the can handy in case you need to add some water later. Add the torn up basil and stir. Bring to a low boil, then gently add in the meatballs and reduce to a dancing simmer.
Let cook for about 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Watch the sauce and add more water if needed. After the 1.5-2 hours, taste as season with more salt if needed.
Serve with pasta, some more basil and plenty of Locatelli.