Classic Italian American Meatballs
Published October 7, 2025
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li.
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS
1 large egg
½ cup whole-milk ricotta
¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra for serving
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and freshly ground black pepper
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
FOR THE SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 (24-ounce) jar passata or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
16 grams carbs; 151 milligrams cholesterol; 599 calories; 25 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 47 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 4 grams fiber; 834 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
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.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the meatballs: In a large bowl, whisk to combine the egg, ricotta, Pecorino Romano, parsley, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper. With your hands or a spatula, mix in the ground beef and pork until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Step 2
Form the meatballs: Using a standard soup spoon, scoop a scant ¼ cup of the meatball mixture into the palm of your hand, and use the spoon to scrape the mixture against your palm and shape it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining mixture to form 12 meatballs.
- Step 3
Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the passata and simmer on low until bubbling, 4 to 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
To cook the meatballs, heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add half the meatballs and sear until golden brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the browned meatballs to the prepared sauce and repeat with the remaining meatballs.
- Step 5
Simmer the seared meatballs in the tomato sauce until they are cooked through and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Step 6
Serve the meatballs with the tomato sauce, more Pecorino and a drizzle of olive oil.
Private Notes
Comments
Instead of frying, roast (400F) the meatballs until rare and finish them in the simmering sauce- don’t forget to add the juices from roasting pan to deepen flavor
My Mamma never fried her meatballs (very similar composition to these) she just let them cook in the sauce, yielding a very tender meatball.
If you have problems with acid, try adding a single, whole carrot to the sauce, and letting it cook for about 20 minutes. You can toss the carrot afterwards, or eat it if you want. It is just there to cut the acid a bit.
Made the meatballs (2x) as written but with panko break crumbs (1/2 cup per lb of meat) and 5x the garlic and they turned out great! For the sauce I made Marcela Hazan’s tomato sauce and then used that sauce to finish the meatballs. The sauce became super reduced and had a ton of flavor. Overall, turned out great and would highly recommend.
This was WAY too salty and missing the panko/ breadcrumbs from the video, which led to tough meatballs.
Made a lot of sauce variations. My husband's bolonagse best. Everyone loved these rich meatballs w simple sauce.