Best Italian Meatball & Tomato Sauce Recipe
An easy & delicious recipe for classic Italian-style meatballs and tomato sauce. www.comfortandpeasant.com
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 3 - 794g (28oz) cans whole tomatoes with juice (preferably San Marzano)
- 15 g (1tbsp) medium onion (finely chopped)
- 59 ml (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 45 g (3 tbsp) medium garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 30 g (2 tbsp) salt
- 7.5 g (1/2 tsp) pepper
Meatballs
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 17 g (1/8 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 medium garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 120 g (1 1/2 cups packed) bread (torn into small pieces) (preferably day old)
- 236 ml (1 cup) milk
- 3 large eggs
- 120 g (1 cup) grated Parmigiano Reggiano (packed)
- 15 g (1/8 cup) Italian parsley (finely chopped)
- 15 g (1/8 cup) oregano (finely chopped) (or 2 g (1/2 tsp) dried)
- 7 g (1/2 tbsp) grated lemon zest
- 340 g (3/4 lb) ground pork
- 340 g (3/4 lb) medium ground beef (not lean)
- 340 g (3/4 lb) ground veal
- 8 g (2 tsp) salt
- 3 g (3/4 tsp) pepper
- 118 ml (1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Sauce;
- Pour tomatoes and juice into a large bowl. Using your hands crush the tomatoes until the pieces are quite small.
- Cook onions in the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until just softened (making sure not to brown them).
- Add garlic and cook until softened (do not allow to brown).
- Stir in tomatoes and juice. Add salt and pepper.
- Simmer sauce uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (about 40-45 minutes. Season with extra salt if needed.
Meatballs;
- While sauce simmers, cook onions in olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until onions are softened.
- Add garlic and cook until softened, stirring occasionally (do not allow to brown). Transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool.
- Soak torn bread in a bowl with the milk for about 5 minutes. Firmly squeeze bread to release extra milk and discard the milk.
- In a large bowl mix the meats together with your hands until well incorporated.
- Add the cooled onion mixture, bread, eggs, parmesan, oregano, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper and using your hand mix gently until well combined but not overmixed.
- With water-dampened hands, form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls (will make about 35)
- Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs in 3 or 4 batches making sure not to overcrowd them. Turn meatballs occasionally to brown on all sides. Meatballs do not need to be cooked through as they will continue cooking in the sauce.
- Add meatballs to the sauce and simmer gently, covered, stirring occasionally for about 20-30 minutes.
Notes
Notes; Meatballs can be browned and frozen until ready to use. If not serving with the sauce be sure to fully cook the meatballs before freezing. Meatballs can also be cooked in sauce ahead of time and stored in the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Meatballs and sauce can also be frozen together for up to 3 months.
See the “How To Make This” & “Tips For Success” sections above the recipe for more detailed information on the process.