| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 55 min |
| Yield: | 18 to 20 meatballs |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 55 min |
| Yield: | 18 to 20 meatballs |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 pound diced pancetta
- 2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- Kosher salt
- 4 large garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- Four 28-ounce cans Italian plum San Marzano tomatoes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, 1/4-inch dice
- Salt
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground veal
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup dill pickles, chopped
- 1/2 bunch fresh chives, chopped
- Serving suggestion: fresh ricotta, grilled garlic bread
Instructions
- For the marinara sauce: Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pulse to combine the tomatoes in a food processor. Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
- Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and freezes really well.
- For the meatballs: Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and breadcrumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add 1/2 cup water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn’t it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like ’em big and some people like ’em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! Top with fresh ricotta cheese, garnish with chopped pickles and chives and serve with grilled garlic bread. YUM!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 310 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 55 mg |
| Sodium | 674 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 310 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 55 mg |
| Sodium | 674 mg |
Reviews
For the meatballs, I like Ann’s Excellent meatballs better. Sauce is very good. I sometimes sub 1c of the water for a scant cup of red wine. I put the wine in before the water and tomatoes and cook off a bit. I use the remaining water to rinse out the cans then add that to the sauce.3 to 4 stars for meatballs. The pickles are a strange addition. 5 for the sauce
Every two months or so I make these meatballs and put around six in individual freezer bags and just pull out a bag from the freezer and heat them up in sauce, (usually hers I have bottled). A quick and easy dinner ready at a moments notice, (I save the pickles for hamburgers). Thanks Anne.
So very easy, so incredibly good. My guests, each and every one of them said that they were the best meatballs that they ever had. Wow, thanks Anne, keep the hits coming.
This is absolutely amazing. I’ve made my Grandmother’s meatballs and marina for almost 40 years! I’ve now used this recipe twice and my adult children and neighbors love, love, love it and text and call me for three days after receiving a batch! I skipped the browning prior to baking meatballs last time and they were still delicious and not one person thought they were any different. I omit the dill pickles but use pickle juice. I also add red pepper flakes as we like our food pepped up. I double the recipe so that step saves me much time with so many balls! My good friend is visiting this week and has asked me to show her how to make this recipe. It’s a keeper in this Family!
Best meatballs I’ve EVER made! So moist and flavorful.
This recipe was easy to follow and delicious! My first time making cheese and it was great! Everyone loved it.
Although this recipe was more time consuming than I anticipated, (I made the ricotta to go with it), it was worth all the time it took. Delicious and restaurant quality!
WHY ARE THERE PICKLES?!
Omg… This recipe was so easy to make and delicious my family loved it. Anne Burelle you’re my favorite chef on not only The Food Network but any network. Thank you for doing what you do and doing it so well.
Amazing! You must try it.