Today, a recipe for a main course: meatballs in tomato sauce
Meatballs in sauce are a traditional Italian dish, prepared everywhere with various recipes. Today, I’m sharing mine. The classic meatballs in sauce as they were made at my house when I was a child. Ground meat, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and a few other small ingredients to make soft and tasty meatballs cooked directly in tomato sauce or browned first. In either case, make sure to have plenty of homemade bread because you’ll want to mop up the delicious sauce with it. Scarpetta is a must!
A unique and unmistakable taste that embodies the flavor of family dinners with mom, dad, my sisters, and brothers—something truly special!
I love making meatballs, whether legume, meat, or fish, I enjoy them in all forms, and my kids love them too. They are very easy to make and always a hit with both adults and children.
Now, let’s see step by step how to prepare this recipe.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 20
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for about 20 meatballs
- 1.3 lbs ground meat
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste breadcrumbs (for breading)
- 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- to taste olive oil
Tools
- 1 Pan
- 1 Bowl
Let’s Prepare Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Together
Wash and dry the parsley, then chop it very finely, and do the same with a clove of garlic. In a bowl, place the ground meat, which can be just veal or a mix, as you prefer. Then add the grated Parmesan, eggs, a scant teaspoon of salt, a grind of pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and finally the chopped garlic and parsley. Mix everything well with your hands. If the mixture is too soft, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
Form the meatballs by taking a portion of the meat mixture of about 40/50 grams (about 1.4 to 1.8 oz), compact it a little with your hands, then form a ball by rolling it between your palms. Place the formed meatballs on a plate and continue until all the mixture is used. You can now proceed in two ways.
In a large container or plate, place plenty of breadcrumbs. Take a meatball, place it in the breadcrumbs, and roll it around to coat it, then place it on a plate. Repeat for all the meatballs.
In a non-stick pan, place a clove of garlic and olive oil, heat it, then add the meatballs. Let them brown on all sides, then remove them from the pan and place them on a plate.
In the same pan, pour the tomato sauce and a few leaves of parsley, add salt, and let cook for a couple of minutes. Then, return the meatballs to the sauce and let them cook for 15/20 minutes over low heat with a lid. If necessary, because the sauce thickens too much, add half a glass of hot water.
In a non-stick pan, pour a generous amount of olive oil and add a clove of garlic, let it fry slightly, then pour the tomato sauce and a few parsley leaves, let it cook for a minute, then add the meatballs and let them cook for about 15 minutes with a lid, turning the meatballs occasionally.
Una Riccia Recommends
If you’re short on time, you can prepare the meatball mixture in advance and then cook them in the sauce when needed. This mixture is also perfect for stuffing vegetables like eggplants, zucchini, peppers, potatoes, or onions.
