Italian Meatballs

Pinterest Hidden Image

Rule #28: Ice cream scoops are for more than just ice cream.

I love me a good meatball. Swedish. Italian. Asian. Sweet and Spicy. Meatballs of all persuasions are just dandy in my book. This version of Italian Meatballs is a twist on the famous Rao’s Meatballs in East Harlem. I decided to swap out Italian turkey sausage for the pork/veal to keep it on the lighter side, but the flavor is still there in all its Italian glory.

Italian-Meatballs-Recipe-Easy

This recipe will give you about 20 good-sized meatballs, each coming in at 180 calories, 11g fat, and 15g protein. Pair these with some roasted veggies or a salad, and you’re off to a pretty nice, healthy little dinner if I do say so myself.

The combo of breadcrumbs + water keeps these little Jewels of Italian Delight moist throughout the cooking process. I like to brown them (shallow fry) and then finish cooking them off in my favorite marinara sauce. You can also make these ahead of time by baking them off in the oven, storing in the fridge (or freezer), and then reheating in marinara later on when you’re ready to grub.

Italian-Meatballs-with-Sauce

Here are the players for this round of Italian Meatballs Mania:

ground beef + Italian seasoned ground turkey + eggs + Parmesan + parsley + garlic + salt + pepper

Italian-Meatballs-mixture

I like to add a little bit of crushed red pepper as well for a little spice. Feel free to add more or less depending on your desired spice level.

crushed-red-pepper

Like I said before, I swapped Italian seasoned ground turkey for pork. You’re welcome to keep the pork sausage if that’s your jam, too. It’s all good in this one. If you can’t find ground Italian turkey sausage, you can always purchase the links of Italian turkey sausage, cut open the casings, and dump the meat in with the beef.

meatball-mixture

So basically, you mix everything together (beef through breadcrumbs) in a BIGGO bowl. Get in there with the best kitchen tools money can’t buy: your hands.

Once everything is well incorporated, add in your breadcrumbs and mash away again.

breadcrumbs

This is what your mixture should look like before the moisture maker (I mean water).

italian meatballs

Now drizzle on some lukewarm water (hot will cook the meat and cold will make the ingredients difficult to blend).

italian meatballs

Peek-a-boo! My favorite big meatball maker: The Ice Cream Scoop. It keeps the meatballs uniform; otherwise, I’d have some the size of basketballs and some the size of ping pong balls. Uneven meatballs means uneven cooking and ain’t nobody got time for that.

ice-cream-scoop-to-form-meatballs

Okay – so here we go. Scoop, dump, and roll.

Repeat and repeat again until you’ve got about 20 meatballs and used up all of the mixture.

Place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Easy-Italian-Meatball-Recipe

Freezing the meatballs for just a bit (about 25 minutes) keeps them from falling apart when you fry them. I hate it when my meatballs crumble into little pieces when they’re frying. I simply hate it, I tell you!

freeze-meatballs-to-keep-form

Meanwhile, get out two jars of your favorite marinara. My all time favorite is Rao’s Marinara (also available in sensitive formula). Pour it all into a large pot and start warming it over low heat.

Raos-Marinara

So now’s the time for the meatball browning. Pour in some olive oil until you’ve got about 1/4″ in the pan. Heat the EVOO until shimmering over medium-high heat. Add in the meatballs, being careful not to crowd the pan, and brown on all sides (about 1-2 minutes per side). I usually turn mine about 3 times total to get all the different sides.

brown-meatballs

You’re going for golden-brown on the outside. They still won’t be cooked on the inside, but that’s okay. We’re going to finish cooking them off later.

Drain the meatballs on a paper towel-lined plate, and repeat the process with the remaining meatballs.

browned-meatballs

NOW! Here’s where our paths can be divided depending on when you’re cooking these Italian bits of deliciousness.

You can at this point pop the browned meatballs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 until they’re cooked through (about 15 minutes). Then, store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just heat them up in some marinara when you’re ready to eat.

OR you can go ahead and put the browned meatballs into the warmed sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.

cook-meatballs

Flip the meatballs to coat them in the sauce, then simmer another 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. This process of finishing the cooking of the meatballs in the sauce is a way of “poaching” them, and it keeps them oh so sinfully moist!

simmer-meatballs

Voila! Perfect Italian Meatballs.

Italian-Meatballs-Easy-Dinner

We garnish ours with more Parmesan and some chopped basil. Either way… put on your red and white checkered bib and dig in!

These Italian Meatballs are a perfect blend of authentic Italian flavor with busy weeknight flair. A combination of ground sirloin and turkey make these healthy, too! The best part is they can be made ahead of time! Italian Meatball Recipes | Italian Meatballs | Italian Meatball Recipes Authentic | Italian Meatball Recipes Easy | Italian Meatballs and Sauce | Ground Turkey Keto Recipes | Ground Turkey Recipes Healthy | Easy Dinner Recipes | Easy Dinner Recipes Healthy | Freezer Meals Make Ahead

Italian-Meatballs-with-Sauce

Italian Meatballs

These Italian Meatballs are a perfect blend of authentic Italian flavor with busy weeknight flair. A combination of ground sirloin and turkey make these healthy, too! The best part is they can be made ahead of time!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Calories 441 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. ground sirloin 90/10
  • 1 lb. Italian seasoned ground turkey
  • 2 eggs lightly whisked
  • 1 cup Parmesan grated or shredded
  • 1 tbs. Italian parsley minced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
  • tsp. Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch red pepper flakes optional
  • 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • Olive oil for browning
  • 2 24-oz. jars marinara sauce

Instructions
 

  • Combine beef and turkey in a large bowl. Add eggs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, S&P, and red pepper flakes. Mash everything together using your hands until ingredients are evenly distributed. Add in the breadcrumbs and mash into meat mixture. Pour in the water and mash again until combined.
  • Using an ice cream scoop, form balls using your hands. Set meatballs onto a Pyrex dish or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze meatballs for 20-25 minutes or until firm. This will keep them from falling apart when you brown them.
  • Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour in olive oil so that the oil is about 1/4” deep. Heat the oil until shimmering (you want to hear a sizzle as soon as you put a meatball in).
  • Brown the meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook for about 1-2 minutes per side, turning to brown all sides of the meatballs. The middle part of the meatball will still be raw at this point, and that’s okay.*
  • Remove the meatballs from the oil and set to drain on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Heat marinara sauce in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the sauce is warmed, gently drop in the meatballs, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Flip the meatballs to coat them in the sauce, cover, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
  • Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan and basil or parsley.

Notes

*If you’re making the meatballs ahead of time, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 at this point. Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through**. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Warm them in marinara sauce over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes.
**To freeze: Allow meatballs to cool on baking sheet. Store in large Ziploc bag or freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, then warm in sauce as above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 441kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 44gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 1661mgPotassium: 880mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 816IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 278mgIron: 5mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary, and Pineapple House Rules makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Keyword ground beef recipes, ground turkey, Italian Meatballs
Tried this recipe?Let us know your thoughts!
Home | Recipes | dinner | Italian Meatballs

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating