The Best Meatballs
I never knew how to make good meatballs until I found this recipe. I normally make mine with just ground beef and they still taste great. I've used the combination of pork, beef and veal and they are equally good. Definitely use fresh bread crumbs and freshly grate your cheese instead of using the canned variety...it really does make a difference.
I never knew how to make good meatballs until I found this recipe. I normally make mine with just ground beef and they still taste great. I've used the combination of pork, beef and veal and they are equally good. Definitely use fresh bread crumbs and freshly grate your cheese instead of using the canned variety...it really does make a difference.
- Carbohydrate 2.3339375 g
- Cholesterol 99.273569375 mg
- Fat 22.7366323772258 g
- Fiber 0.0262499988079071 g
- Protein 26.57980564725 g
- Saturated Fat 8.1482219445876 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (209g)
- Sodium 287.129338450172 mg
- Sugar 2.30768750119209 g
- Trans Fat 2.11733840334541 g
- Calories 326 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)
Standard ingredient lists omit the physical behavior of proteins under heat and how specific hydration levels dictate the final density of ground meat. Combining beef, veal, and pork creates a balanced fat ratio, but the structural outcome depends entirely on how liquid is integrated into the mix.
Dry bread crumbs absorb too much moisture, yielding a dense, rubbery product. Stale Italian bread soaked and crumbled properly introduces pockets of steam during frying, which keeps the interior loose and tender. Incorporating lukewarm water one half-cup at a time allows the panicle structure of the meat proteins to hydrate gradually without breaking down. The resulting raw mixture must feel exceptionally wet while still maintaining form under gentle pressure.
Frying requires precise temperature management in a large skillet. Heat the olive oil until it shimmers before introducing the formed spheres, cooking in small batches to prevent the oil temperature from dropping precipitously. Brown each batch until the exterior develops a crisp crust, draining excess grease on absorbent paper towels. Partially cooked or fully browned batches freeze exceptionally well for up to three months when stored in airtight containers, reheating gently in simmering tomato sauce without losing structural integrity.
