James Kenji Lopez-Alt
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Simple Italian-American Meatballs
🕑 Added 2023-09-25 15:08:05 +0000 UTCThese simple meatballs come together quickly with minimal ingredients. The key is making a moist, flavorful parade with bread crumbs, eggs, buttermilk, and aromatics, along with a bit of gelatin to add some of the velvety richness that veal typically brings to the meatball party.
You can cook the meatballs in a skillet as directed, or you can roast them in a convection oven or air fryer. If using an oven, I’d suggest making larger balls in order to give them plenty of time to brown before they cook through and start drying out.
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30-40 minutes
Makes 16 reasonably-sized balls, 24 small balls, or 8 very large balls
For the Balls:
60g (about 1 cup) panko bread crumbs
1 egg
100ml (a scant cup) buttermilk (or regular milk)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Handful of minced fresh parsley leaves
10g (about 1 tablespoon) powdered gelatin
50g (about 3/4 cup) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
5g salt (about 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
250g (1/2 pound) ground pork
250g (1/2 pound) ground beef
To Cook and Serve:
Neutral oil for frying (such as canola, rice bran, or light olive oil)
A pot of tomato sauce (store bought or homemade) hot and ready on the stovetop
Minced fresh parsley or oregano
Freshly grated parmesan or Romano cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
Cooked spaghetti (optional)
1. Make the panade: Combine bread crumbs, egg, buttermilk, garlic, parsley, gelatin, parmesan, and salt to a large bowl. With clean hands, mix thoroughly until the mixture forms a moist paste.
2. Add the meat to the mixture. Combine with your hands just until the mixture is homogenous. Do not overman.
3. Using clean, lightly dampened hands, form meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
4. Add a 1/8th inch of oil to the bottom of a skillet (I like carbon steel or cast iron for this, but any skillet will do). Heat it over medium-high heat to around 175°C (about 350°F - a pinch of the meat mixture should sizzle immediately upon touch the oil).
5. Carefully add the balls to the oil, working in a clockwise spiral from the outside to the center. Once all the balls are in, cook until the first side is very well browned, four to seven minutes. Using a fork, carefully flip the meatballs, starting with the first one and working your way through the spiral to the center. Continue cooking until second side is browned, a few minutes longer.
6. Transfer meatballs to the pan of sauce and simmer until just cooked through (a few minutes). Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped parsley and parmesan, and drizzled with olive oil. You can eat them as-is, if you wish, or put them on top of a next of cooked spaghetti.
Comments
Shawn Ashe
I make a big batch in the spring (stuffed with mozzerella cubes), and freeze them in bags of 4-6 for use in our summer cottage throughout the summer. Great for quick subs or use a few bags for a family meal.
Laura Barreto
Could these by frozen?? I'm often alone with my kids and I'm trying to streamline making dinner at night...
Mark Sim
Made the recipe today & it was delicious - thanks, Kenji! Just an FYI for others on the gelatin - I can't easily buy it here in Spain, so I used sheet gelatin & it worked just fine. Soaked 1 sheet in cold water for 5 minutes, wrung it out, put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and then mixed it into the buttermilk (added 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to the melted gelatin first, mixed well, then added the rest of the buttermilk).
Mathew Levenson
Thanks Kenji! 🙏🏽 I actually made them last night. Used veal, and left out the parm and milk — just added water to get the panade right. They came out great!Although I made the rookie mistake of not upping the seasoning slightly to make up for lack of parm. 😑 Will try your sub recommends next time. Thanks again!!
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
You can use any non-dairy milk or yogurt. Almond milk yogurt would be great, for isntance. For parm you can also find non-dairy cheese or use something like nutritional yeast.
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
You can use any non-dairy milk or yogurt. Almond milk yogurt would be great, for isntance. For parm you can also find non-dairy cheese or use something like nutritional yeast.
Mathew Levenson
Hello! These look awesome. What would you sub for the dairy? Mostly need to figure out buttermilk - but also curious about parm. Thank you!!
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
I think that's a good idea! I'd recommend fully cooking them first (so brown them, then either finish slowly in the same pan or cook them in the oven until fully cooked). From frozen you can just drop them into sauce and simmer until heated through.
Ken Johnson
Just made a batch and they turned out great! Grocery store by me actually has some veal pretty cheap right now. Do you think these would freeze well? I was thinking of making a few batches and freezing after browning. Maybe make them a bit smaller?
Matt Chagnon
Made this last night, but subbed the egg with a couple spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. (My daughter is allergic to eggs.)
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
I mean, I also love spaghetti-o’s and grew up eating canned ravioli maybe once a week. I have a soft spot for them. (About as soft as the canned pasta)
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
I’ve never had an issue! It hydrates in the panade and incorporates just fine.
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
Oh thank you, I added the salt. I’m glad you liked them!
megarust
Yeah that was delicious. The French loaf I bought was a bit too big so I ate it open face.
megarust
Made these for dinner tonight, will update with the verdict soon. Meatball subs! The written directions missed the salt in step 1 FYI. I did a lousy job frying, but in the end it is smelling and looking glorious regardless.
Ian
Daniel Gritzer’s recipe on SE has been my stand by for years. Interested to try adding powdered gelatin directly to the panade rather than hydrating in another liquid and then mincing it after it solidifies. Any risk of the gelatin not blooming?
Daystew
Making right now. Hopefully now my 5 year old will finally choose something over Chef Boyardees Meatballs and ABCs.
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
Turkey would be much dryer than veal unfortunately. But the gelatin trick works well!
Aidan
I can't get veal readily here in supermarkets either. I wonder if turkey leg mince would be a good sub?
