Classic Italian Meatballs

Classic 80/20, melt in your mouth Italian meatballs.

Now these are meatballs. I’m not talking Swedish meatballs, or Greek meatballs (although that recipe can be found HERE). I am talking 80/20 100% beef, melt in your mouth, classic Italian meatballs. You know the type you want to tower on a plate of spaghetti or stuff into a soft hoagie. Warning, if you stumbled upon this recipe hoping this was another one of my 20-30-minute dishes, it’s not. With that said this recipe in no way requires a ton of work, just a little time. Trust me they are worth it.

*This post is sponsored by Hamilton Beach, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!

PILLOWY, SOFT, AND DARE I SAY… MOIST

No one likes a dry meatball. If you have ever had a dry meatball you know they are pretty bad, borderline inedible. Below are a few tips on how to achieve perfect and juicy classic Italian meatballs.

SLOW COOK THEM

The number one thing you can do to ensure a juicy meatball is to cook it low and slow. Sure, you can stick them in a very large Dutch oven and leave the stove on for several hours. Or you can do yourself a favor and put them in a slow cooker. If you don’t own a slow cooker (confession I didn’t either until recently), then you need to check out the Hamilton Beach 10 Quart Slow Cooker. Perfect for cooking for a large crowd or meal prepping for the week, Hamilton Beach is the only brand with a 10-quart slow cooker on the market. With 3 temperature settings, a clip tight sealed lid, and dishwasher safe stoneware crock this slow cooker has everything you need and nothing you don’t.

As someone who has never owned a slow cooker before it couldn’t have been easier to use. Just unpack the appliance, read the instructions, plug it in, and turn it on. The hardest part will be trying to narrow down what you are going to make in it… shall I suggest these meatballs which cooked like a dream. To learn more about this Hamilton Beach 10 Quart Slow Cooker and pick up one yourself check out on Amazon.

GRATE, GRATE, GRATE

It might feel weird to grate onion and garlic, but when looking for a pillowy and soft meatball you want to avoid big chunks. For the onion I opted for a box grater, then gave it a quick pass with a knife. You can use the small grate on the box grater for the garlic, or use a microplane.

DON’T OVER MIX

The best way to manage this is to mix with your hands. I know, ew, but completely necessary. Mix until just combined, if you have a chunk of ground beef floating here and there that is okay.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR ITALIAN MEATBALLS

• Ground Beef – Good old 80/20 (80% meat, 20% fat), which depending on where you are is standard. Yes, you may come across 85/15 or even 90/20, don’t buy this. These meatballs NEED fat to make them juicy. Reducing the fat content will result in some pretty dry balls.
• Italian Breadcrumbs – Unseasoned or plain. These meatballs get plenty of flavor from fresh herbs and cheese. I find seasoned breadcrumbs can leave a weird after taste, and are just unnecessary.
• Ricotta Cheese – Ah the moist maker. Seriously though not only does the ricotta cheese bind these meatballs together it adds so much moisture making them pillowy and soft. Choose whole fat ricotta.
• Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated.
• Onion – Also…grated. Weird as it sounds, you are going to grate the onion, then give it a once pass over with a knife. We are looking for an almost mushy consistency. While I would typically chop onions and put them into my meatballs, we aren’t looking for big or even small chunks of onion. Just the flavor. As stated above you can grate this on a box grater.
• Garlic – Fresh only, grated on a microplane preferably.
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Parsley
• Egg
• Chili Flakes

TOOLS NEEDED

• Slow Cooker – See notes above!

ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI.. ALL COVERED WITH CHEESE

HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Assemble the Balls – In a bowl combine all the meatball ingredients. This includes ground beef, bread crumbs, ricotta, parm, grated garlic and onion, 1 egg, herbs, spices, and salt. Mix with your hand until combined. Do not over mix!

Form the Balls + Cook – Roll out into 10-12 equally sized balls. Quick tip! If you are noticing that they are sticking to your hands, wet your hands in between forming each ball. Assemble the sauce in the slow cooker. Lay the meatballs in the sauce (preferably in a single layer), close the lid and turn the slow cooker on low. Cook for 4 hours.

STORING/REHEATING

These Italian meatballs can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge. If you have a lot of sauce leftover, heat up on the stove in a saucepan. Is not microwave in 30 second intervals. My suggestion if you are going down the microwave route is to cut them in half prior.