Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
This is the American one. Big meatballs, a little bigger than a golf ball, slow cooked in red sauce and piled on spaghetti. It grew up in Italian-American kitchens, and in Italy itself you won't find it on one plate.
Two tricks make this version better than most: a paste of bread and buttermilk that keeps the meat juicy, and a full hour in the oven that turns them from good to falling-apart tender.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
🇮🇹 The original
Its closest Italian ancestor is pallottine from Abruzzo: tiny meatballs with no bread at all, tossed right through square pasta. See the Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs) recipe.
Why it works
The panade
When meat heats up, its proteins squeeze together and push the juice out. Soaked bread gets in between them and stops it.
The hour in the oven
A long, gentle braise is what takes big meatballs from firm to falling-apart tender.
Watch it made
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 450°F. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Step 2
Mash the panko and buttermilk together and let it sit about 10 minutes, until it turns into a smooth paste. This is the panade.
- Step 3
Add the egg, beef, pork, prosciutto, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and the softened gelatin. Mix with your hands, gently, and stop the moment it comes together.
- Step 4
Roll into balls about 2 inches across, a little bigger than a golf ball. You should get around 13.
- Step 5
Roast on the rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned all over. The rack browns them evenly without turning each one.
- Step 6
While they roast, cook the onion in the olive oil in a Dutch oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden at the edges. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and oregano for 30 seconds, then the tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, wine and a little salt. Simmer 15 minutes.
- Step 7
Drop the oven to 300°F. Nestle the meatballs into the sauce, cover, and braise in the oven for about an hour, until falling-apart tender.
- Step 8
Boil the spaghetti in well salted water until al dente. Stir fresh basil and parsley into the sauce, toss the pasta with some of it, top with meatballs and finish with Parmesan.
Italian-American Meatballs
Serves 4 · about 13 meatballs · 2 hr 25 min total
Meatballs
- 3/4 cup panko
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 lb 85% lean ground beef
- 1/3 lb ground pork
- 2 oz prosciutto, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Optional: 1/2 tsp plain gelatin, softened in 1 tbsp cold water
Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- Splash of dry white wine (about 1/4 cup)
- Salt
- Fresh basil and parsley, to finish
To serve
- 1 lb spaghetti
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Mash the panko and buttermilk together and let it sit about 10 minutes, until it turns into a smooth paste. This is the panade.
- Add the egg, beef, pork, prosciutto, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and the softened gelatin. Mix with your hands, gently, and stop the moment it comes together.
- Roll into balls about 2 inches across, a little bigger than a golf ball. You should get around 13.
- Roast on the rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned all over. The rack browns them evenly without turning each one.
- While they roast, cook the onion in the olive oil in a Dutch oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden at the edges. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and oregano for 30 seconds, then the tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, wine and a little salt. Simmer 15 minutes.
- Drop the oven to 300°F. Nestle the meatballs into the sauce, cover, and braise in the oven for about an hour, until falling-apart tender.
- Boil the spaghetti in well salted water until al dente. Stir fresh basil and parsley into the sauce, toss the pasta with some of it, top with meatballs and finish with Parmesan.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's crowd recipe, scaled down to serve four (our scaling). America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Ground beef and pork should reach 160°F in the middle.
- Marinara just means sailor style in Italian.
More meatballs from around the world
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
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