Kim Severson’s Italian Meatballs Recipe (2024)

I usually put mine on a well-oiled sheet pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350. They set up well and don't fall apart in the pan when I brown them. Then they finish cooking in the sauce!

While you are making fresh bread crumbs, you can mince the torn herbs, sliced garlic and coarsely grated cheese at the same time. I used a mini processor, with two batches. A bit of a time saver.

I do what the people at Rao's Restaurant suggested. I stir small amounts (teaspoonfuls) of tepid water into your mix before you shape the balls. A fantastic trick for the most tender meatballs.

All-beef is boring, so I used 2 pounds of meatloaf mix (one-third each of beef, pork and veal). Otherwise, I followed this recipe to the letter. And they came out excellent! No breakage either, I wonder if not thoroughly browning the bottoms is what went wrong with previous attempts at making meatballs. This recipe is a keeper.

I don't use breadcrumbs. It tends to make a harder texture. I use stale Italian bread soaked in milk. You can squeeze out the extra milk or just use it. This makes for a very tender texture and requires careful handling to prevent them from falling apart.

i find all-beef meatballs a little dull and add some pork sausage - your flavour choice - to replace an equal measure of beef, usually about a third.
i use a 1 3/4" ice cream scoop to make the meatballs - quick and easy - and bake them in a 350 oven for approx 30-40 minutes - it will depend on their size.
another meatball recipe recommended adding marinara sauce for the last 1/2 of the baking time and i will try that in future.

Don't want odor/smoke? Simmer meatballs (use lean beef for less residual fat) in 1/2"+ of pasta sauce for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Store/freeze or use immediately. Ciao!

Works great with ground turkey.

Instead of using bread crumbs, I use salted or unsalted Saltine crackers. I then drop the meatballs into the sauce without browning. This makes a very fluffy meatball which my family loves. However, if you prefer to brown meatballs that's ok too. So good.

Lidia Bastianich rolls them in flour before browning. I've used grated onion (and sauteed onion) in the past and they're good. No panade, huh? I'll try it.

I have made this recipe and baked them in an oven on parchment, 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Turned out great and much less mess.

I cannot say I am smarter than you, but I will try to tell you how I make bread crumbs. I buy some hardy crusty bread, dry it out over night or toast until it is hard. Break it apart into a blender and grind it to crumbs. Others may disagree, but it works for me. Hope this helps.

Good with half ground pork, too.

Cook the sauce in the pan you used to make the meatballs, gives added flavour

we never use breadcrumbs. we soak a loaf of Italian bread. never use basil. and never cayenne pepper. i will try this, just for the fun of it, but i am convinced (like every other Italian), that i make the best meatballs. ; )

Question. Every Italian American I know here in NYC soaks bread crumbs in milk. I’ve made these meatballs a couple of times, and I think they’re great, but my guests eat them and ask why I didn’t soak the bread crumbs in milk. Can someone comment further on this?

This is still my go to after many times. Now I play around with ingredients. I like to do half pork, half beef. If it's in season I use half ground venison/beef. I skip the stove top and follow the directions to bake on parchment for easy cleanup. I put them in at the recommended 350 for ~20min. and continue to check the internal temperature since sometimes I like to make them big. If you have the time to get the perfect internal temp, it's worth the attention.

Absolutely delicious. Baked them for 10 minutes at 350, flipped them over and baked for another 10 minutes, then added to sauce and simmered for an hour.

I never make meatballs with 100% ground beef. instead, 1/3 eat beef, veal and pork makes a lighter meatball, as does adding ricotta cheese. Stale bread soaked in milk vs. dry bread crumbs also makes them more tender. This is my grandmother's ( From Basilicata), recipe.

I usually put mine on a well-oiled sheet pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350. They set up well and don't fall apart in the pan when I brown them. Then they finish cooking in the sauce! I do what the people at Rao's Restaurant suggested. I stir small amounts (teaspoonfuls) of tepid water into your mix before you shape the balls. A fantastic trick for the most tender meatballs.While you are making fresh bread crumbs, you can mince the torn herbs, sliced garlic and coarsely grated cheese too.

Very yummy. I used ground turkey panko, seared the balls in a cast iron skillet until brown, and let it cook / simmer in my tomato sauce for a bit. The heat from cayenne / red pepper is a must. We made this for Valentine’s dinner and it was a hit, my boyfriend had thirds…this serves a lot of people! We had plenty of leftovers for the next day.

Used 1 lb. 80-20 and 1 ib. ground porkWhizzed 3 slices good white bread, basil, parsley, and garlicLightly beat eggs in bowl, added the restUsed larger size scoop to form balls and baked in 350 over for 12 min. before browning

Have used beef substitutes and otherwise made exactly as written. Best "meatballs" I have ever tasted by many-fold.

toasted 1 tsp whole fennel seeds in toaster oven. Then crushed them in a mortar and pestle. Added that to meat mix. Tasted good. made in the pan as directed. Haven't tried oven method yet. 10-12-2021

In place of fresh bread crumbs, I use 1 hot dog bun. I add also add 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 t. worchestershire, and some dried minced onion. Sometimes, I add 1/2 # Bob Evans italian sausage in place of 1/2 # hamburger. So this will sound weird, but my mom used to put the torn up raw beef on waxed paper and sprinkle/scatter all ingredients on top, except for the eggs. Then, put everything into a bowl for a bit more mixing with the eggs, but you don't have to compact things.

“Restaurant quality” per my wife, who spent many years going to Italian restaurants with her law firm in New York City.

My Italian friend always added fresh rosemary to the meatballs. Really makes a difference.

Medium high heat with cast iron skillet was too hot. Outside cooked too quickly. Try lowering heat. Used 50/50 hot Italian sausage/hamburger.

My wife bought 1 lb of ground beef and 1 lb ground lamb and it turned out amazingly! Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and loved it. I will try pork and beef next time. But definitely used a light hand to mix and noticed a difference.

Good! Baked!