Meatball Parmesan
Updated Sept. 29, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3slices white bread (stale is fine)
- ⅓cup milk
- 1pound ground pork or veal
- 1pound ground beef
- ½cup finely chopped onion
- 1¼cups finely grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼cup chopped parsley
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1tablespoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon black pepper
- Olive oil, for frying
- 5cups Simple Tomato Sauce (see recipe)
- ½pound fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
1357 calories; 120 grams fat; 32 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 71 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 50 grams protein; 1687 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 400. Remove crusts from bread slices and discard. Tear remaining bread into small pieces and place in a small bowl. Pour milk over bread and let stand until liquid is almost absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, combine pork or veal, beef, soaked bread, onion, ¼ cup Parmesan, the parsley, the garlic, the salt and the pepper until just combined. Form meat into golf-ball-size rounds. (You should have about 25 meatballs.) Meatballs can be formed up to 24 hours ahead, covered and refrigerated before frying.
- Step 3
Fill a large skillet with ¼-inch oil. Place over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, fry meatballs in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer fried meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Step 4
Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle one-third of the Parmesan over sauce. Scatter half the meatballs over the Parmesan and top with half the mozzarella pieces. Top with half of the remaining sauce, sprinkle with another third of the Parmesan, and repeat layering, ending with a final layer of sauce and Parmesan.
- Step 5
Transfer pan to oven and bake until cheese is golden and casserole is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm really amazed at the 5 star rating for this recipe. There is absolutely nothing special about it. There are so many better meatball recipes out there, including Melissa's.
"Discard crusts." I wish the NYT cooks would be more concerned with food waste. A small thing, but throwing out white bread crusts which are going to be turned to mush is ridiculous.
And frying meatballs which are going to be baked for 40 minutes. I bake meatballs all the time and they turn out great.
Hi Everyojne: Thanks to my dear Mom (born and raised in Italy), I would recommend adding 1 beaten egg per 1 lb. of meat...therefore this recipe would require 2 eggs. Other than that, I could quibble here and there regarding some extra "spicing,." (e.g., a bit of oregano or Italian parsley), but I think it will still taste great "as presented," but, as I mentioned, with the additions of the eggs to the meat mixture.
As the recipe recommended, I had 25 meatballs. Putting half of these--say 13--in the bottom of a 9x13 pan results in an arrangement of very spaced out meatballs, not an actual "layer." I get impression we are supposed to aim for a double-decker casserole, with two distinct meatball "layers." This did not happen for me. All meatballs were on the bottom "layer". Which was fine. Anyone else having trouble with the "layers' concept?
I blindly followed this recipe without adding an egg or two. Big mistake, my balls fell apart when they were frying. I should have trusted my instinct. Not sure how Melissa Clark missed this detail, her recopies are usually spot on.
Made this for the second time and it was even better than the first time! I bumped up the amount of garlic in both the sauce and the meatballs and was careful to season the meat generously with salt while mixing it with the other ingredients and then to sprinkle salt on the raw meatballs. I also added a pat of butter to the olive oil to promote browning during the frying process, and I used pre-grated Parmesan from Trader Joe’s which means I used more Parmesan than recommended. Absolutely delicious! I agree with others that the meatballs are a bit dense but they were also very favorable inside and out.
I didn't make meatballs. Instead I used Gardein brand "ultimate" plantballs. Used them in the rest of the recipe. Very very tasty. Oh, due to unforeseen circumstances I left them in the oven too long. The sauce became deeply dark red and was delicious anyway!