Juicy Italian Meatballs

Today we are making the most flavourful, juicy, Italian Meatballs from scratch! Serve these Italian Meatballs over spaghetti with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, stuff them into a sandwich, or enjoy them just as they are with crusty bread to soak up all the sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 cup onion, finely minced

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• ½ lb ground beef, lean is best

• ½ lb ground pork 

• 1 egg, large

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

• ½ cup ricotta cheese

• ½ cup fresh parmesan, grated

• ½ tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

• ½ tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped

• ½ lemon, zested

• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes

• ½ teaspoon salt 

• ½ tsp black pepper, freshly cracked

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• 4 ½ cups tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp tablespoon fresh basil, roughly chopped

Method

1. Start by heating a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, then toss in the finely chopped onions. Sauté until the onions turn translucent, then add the chopped garlic. Continue cooking until both the onions and garlic are nicely caramelized. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, egg, fresh breadcrumbs, the cooled onion and garlic mixture, ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, chopped parsley, basil, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Using your clean hands, mix everything together until well combined.

3. To form the meatballs, scoop out portions of the mixture and roll them between your palms into balls slightly larger than a golf ball. You should end up with about 14–15 meatballs.

4. Heat a wide-bottom, heavy-duty frying pan over medium-low heat. Add a combination of olive oil and vegetable oil, this helps prevent the olive oil from burning. Once the oil is hot, gently place the meatballs in the pan and sear them until they are golden brown on all sides. You’re aiming to cook them about 70% of the way through. Set the browned meatballs aside.

5. Drain the excess oil and in the same pan, heat your homemade or store-bought tomato sauce until it begins to simmer. Add some fresh basil and then carefully place the meatballs into the sauce in a single layer. Give the pot a gentle swirl to coat the meatballs with the sauce, then let them cook for another 10–15 minutes. This final simmer ensures the meatballs are fully cooked and infused with the flavour of the sauce.

6. Remove from the heat and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve the meatballs over spaghetti, tucked into a sandwich, or enjoy them on their own with some crusty bread!