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Here’s a great, classic recipe for Italian-Style Meatballs that my husband Jack has really perfected over the years. In fact, we originally shared this recipe here on A Family Feast back in January 2013 – and in addition to updating the photos, Jack made some additional tweaks to the recipe before sharing it again today!
These moist, tender Italian-Style Meatballs are a savory combination of ground beef, ground pork and ground veal, and they are perfectly seasoned with onions, garlic, Parmesan cheese and other herbs and seasonings. (If you can’t find the veal ground, buy veal stew meat and process in a food processor or meat grinder. Veal is an important part of this recipe).
We’re also sharing our trick to making these Italian-Style Meatballs so tender and moist! Slices of white bread soaked in milk are used to help bind the meat together, rather than dry bread crumbs which we’ve seen used in so many other Italian-style meatball recipes.
This recipe makes a generous amount of meatballs so you’ll have lots of options for how to use them – and they freeze quite well! Whether you are making spaghetti and meatballs with your favorite tomato sauce, or a classic Italian Meatball Soup, or eating them as is, this is a great go-to meatball recipe for you to have in your recipe collection.
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Italian-Style Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 ounces (in weight) Italian or French bread, crusts removed
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup finely minced onions
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh garlic finely minced
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork (not sausage meat)
- 1/2 pound ground veal
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Soak bread in milk in a large bowl.
- After the bread soaks for 4-5 minutes, add eggs and beat with the wet bread.
- Add onions, garlic, Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Add the beef, pork and veal and gently work the mixture to combine the ingredients but do not over mix.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out meatballs to about 2 ½ ounces each (would roughly fit into a ¼ cup measuring cup). However you can make them any size you want, just adjust cooking times.
- Wet your hands and roll out the meatballs into a round shape. Place in the refrigerator to firm up if the mixture gets too warm. They will keep their shape better when cooking if not too soft.
- In a large 12”–14” skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Working in two batches, gently place the meatballs in the pan and cook a few minutes on each side (top, bottom, and all sides), using a few soup spoons to roll the meatballs over as they cook. The meatballs will flatten just a bit and not stay exactly round but as you keep turning and browning, they will form back into a round shape. (strain out oil between batches with a slotted spoon to get rid of any burned bits). Total cooking time for each batch should be about 10-12 minutes. Use a probe thermometer and remove from pan at 150 degrees F.
- The meatballs are fully cooked and can be used in a variety of recipes. For spaghetti and meatballs, put the meatballs directly into a pot of your favorite tomato sauce and continue to cook in the sauce for another five to ten minutes. Or place them into hot stock for an Italian Meatball soup.
- These meatballs freeze well. Freeze on a single layer in a dish or pan. Once frozen, place in zip lock bags and place back into the freezer.
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Ray Balchi says
Excellent recipe for meatballs. I used 4 lbs of meat and adjusted the recipe accordingly. Didn’t have ground veal so substituted ground turkey for the veal. I did add some Italian flavored breadcrumbs to the recipe, about 3/4 cup. They were amazing!
Martha says
Thanks Ray!
Joanne says
Just wondering if you think meatballs can be baked in the oven instead of fried.
Jack says
They certainly can. Only drawback is that the shape may flatten out a bit. Other than that, should be good. I’d drizzle some olive oil over them before baking.
Good luck Joanne.
Kathleen says
Can’t wait to try these. How many slices of bread is 3 ounces if I have a loaf of Italian Bread?
Martha says
Hi Kathleen – Loaves of Italian bread vary in size which is why we listed the ounces rather than slices. It could be anywhere from 1 large slice to two or three smaller (without crusts).
Mildred dubrow says
I love these meatballs. I have a batch in the freezer right now.
Martha says
Thanks Mildred! (We do too!) 🙂 So glad you enjoy the recipe and thanks for writing to us today.
Laurie says
What type of beef is best to use for the meatballs? 80/20? 90/10?
Martha says
Hi Laurie – We almost always recommend 80/20 – while the meatballs will give off more fat than that leaner ground beef, we feel the 80/20 also has more flavor. Hope you love the meatball recipe!
Jennifer says
I am planning on making this tonight for supper. I am always on the look out for something new ti introduce to my family of picky eaters. Can I omit the veal and use an extra 1/2 pound of hamburger or pork instead?
Martha says
Yes of course Jennifer! You can adjust the mix to suit your preferences. Enjoy!
Gail Galanty says
Do you chop the bread before soaking?
Martha says
Hi Gail – You can – the bread will basically fall apart as it soaks in the milk but breaking it into pieces will help things along.
Bob reddy says
For Sunday gravy sauce do I just cook the meatballs halfway before adding to the sauce
Martha says
Hi Bob – Apologies for the delay in responding. Yes – the meatballs will finish cooking in the sauce (gravy). Enjoy!
John Glowacki says
I followed this recipe exactly. Actually never made meatballs before. I have never received more positive responses from my family ever! Everyone loved them. I had more people ask me for “my special meatball recipe” and I had to tell the truth and forward them this recipe. Simply amazing. This was months ago and have made them twice since. I am commenting here now because so many family members gathering for Christmas have asked me to make them again. I wanted to review the recipe so I don’t miss a thing. We did buy a ice cream scoop which makes the job much easier. Simply delicious. Don’t change a thing!
Martha says
Thank you for taking the time to write to us John! So glad the meatballs were a hit!
BARBARA CONSOLO says
Please provide me with a recipe for small ” VEAL MEATBALLS FOR WEDDING SOUP ” . Can not find my Sicilian Mothers recipe . They were the best !
Love your site ~ Thank you ~ Barb
Martha says
Thank you Barbara!! We actually don’t have a veal meatball recipes (yet – Jack is adding it to the list!). In the meantime, we thought this recipe looked good and has many 5-star reviews: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spaghetti-veal-meatballs (Hope this helps!)