Meatballs With Any Meat Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Deb

I have adapted the Alton Brown way of baking them. Roll in fine bread crumbs, place in greased muffin tin. Forms a nice crust keeping plump and moist.

Peter

Saturate the panko (or other) breadcrumbs in milk to avoid having them dry out the meatballs, build depth, and also help bind.

Rob galiardo

Ok here are some secrets to great meatballs. One, add 1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese per pound of meat. Two, mix ground veal, pork, and beef. And lastly, do not bake, fry, sauté or broil. Roll up the meatballs and allow to cook in a simmering sauce. These meat balls will be melt in your mouth soft and I guarantee the best meatballs you've ever eaten.. The author is correct on ratio.. One egg and half cup breadcrumbs per pound of meat. and 1/4 cups grated Romano. Enjoy!

Justician

I bake my meatballs, using a rack to keep them from getting greasy from melted fat. They brown all over, especially if you use a relatively high temperature--400 degrees or so. Cook your vegies before adding them to the meat mix, unless you like them crunchy. My favorite is a mix of onions and fennel. Timing depends on how big you like your meatballs and how hot your oven is.

Maureen

Baked at 425° about 10 minutes.

Ross

When using ground turkey or chicken breast I will add olive oil to the mix to up the fat content with a healthier fat. The extra fat helps captures the flavor of the spices. The other option with poultry is to use thighs that have a higher fat content to begin with.

Rita

To make the meatballs more evenly sized, I pat the meat into a rectangle and cut into even sized squares. Then roll into balls. You could also use a smallish ice cream scoop, but that involves washing it, which is devilishly difficult to do with all the moving parts.

Mara

For Gluten Free: Polenta/Chickpea Flour or a combination; works very well.

Also, try a Thai twist: add finely chopped fresh Thai/Italian Basil, Cilantro, fresh Chilies, fish sauce, bit of brown sugar. Tastes fantastic! I pop them in a Red Curry with Coconut Milk, served with Steamed (Brown) Basmati Rice or Wasabi Mashed Potatoes: Yumm!

Ccarter830

Americas Test Kitchen uses potato flakes in place of bread crumbs and it works well.

Aviva

I used oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs.

LH

Another thought to add:

I've been making meatballs in the oven for decades as described below – – I'd never go back to frying them.

Baking them at 375° on convection is FAR superior to broiling them. If you have a convection feature, definitely use it for baking/browning meatballs. Broiling meatballs can go wrong in a couple of minutes if you're not careful. It can also result in a charred exterior combined with a semi-raw interior. Convection baking is easy and foolproof.

Ritch

With the black pepper, garlic and parsley options, exactly as I have made them for years, though I add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of finely grated Pecorino Romano, and can't recall when I didn't double the recipe.....the best.

Mica

Baked at 425ºF for ~10 minutes.

Peter

Uncooked and then frozen, they will stick to each other and get misshapen. Cooked and frozen, they will keep their shape, and unstick from each other more easily, and besides, they'll be so easy to use on a weeknight. I am using the micro less and less, so I heat them in a pan with just enough water to steam them a little bit.

Roz

I use panko in my turkey meatballs; it is lighter in texture than regular crumbs. Because turkey doesn't have a lot of taste I add a bit of chipotle ketchup and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce to kick it up, along with minced onion.

venison adm

And 1 small yellow onion diced. Uncooked for nice crunchy texture

sharon

Bake 425 convection 7 minutes and turn for 5-7 minutes

Karen

Adding a little milk to the crumbs made them more moist, as Peter suggested 6 years ago.

Myra

I made these with Impossible plant-based meat and Just Egg. I think broiling works better than baking for Impossible - delicious and my guests didn't know they were plant-based until I said something. No slaughterhouse, no cholesterol, and a fraction of GHG emissions compared with cow or other mammal meat; awesome.

dimac

ground turkeyGround oats 1/2 cAlmond milk-1/3c?Parmesan Kraft 1/2 cupSpicesGood! Very tender maybe a little less oats and turkey

Carole

Really easy, fast and delicious. Panko and milk is key! I turn baking sheet and meatballs 1/2 through cooking time for more even browning and distribution. Learned better to undercook a little than to overcook-- can always cook more (and when reheated may cook more), but once overcooked...well, smother it in a yummy sauce. Great recipe, ENJOY!

Rebecca Brindza

Used two onions and gf bread crumbs, baked in oven and turned out great!

lg

I made it with half beef and half pork. They were great.

Hoda

Cooked on 1/20/24. I’m late to this party. The ricotta was dated, so I subbed milk. The balls were roasted in the convection oven . Addd cumin, garam masala, garlic, s and p, scallion. It tasted like the Kona from home.

Lena

Could you sub tofu?

Amy

I sub impossible burger for my vegetarian wife- works perfectly! I wouldn't try tofu, not a similar texture

Beth

These were so delicious. I made beef meatballs and used cumin and fresh basil. Since I eat GF, I put flaked oats in the food processor and ground them smaller and used them instead of breadcrumbs. They turned out great!

Lee Norris

Suggestions to drop uncooked meatballs into a sauce you are cooking work only if this is the only purpose for the meatballs. When I make meatballs I make a lot and freeze them for future meals. That means baking them (some people fry, but that's way too much work and fat), spreading them out on a baking tray, freezing, then bagging them for longer-term storage.Why would you want to do all the work of making these little balls only to plop them into a sauce meant for one or two meals?

L

Cook at 400 for about 15 minutes. Using rack.Use 1/4 cup parm.Make two pasta dishes to accompany:1. vodka sauce with big macaroni we already have2. marinara rigatoni with cheese and spinach

Tom D

Seared in a pan on medium heat until crispy. Flipped and seared the other side. Then finished in the oven at 375 for several minutes until cooked through.

natalie

Best meatballs I’ve ever made

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Meatballs With Any Meat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making tender meatballs? ›

Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness. Another binder option that people swear by is a panade, which is fresh or dry breadcrumbs that have been soaked in milk. “The soaked breadcrumbs help keep the proteins in the meat from shrinking,” as food writer Tara Holland explained in the Kitchn.

What is the best ground meat to use for meatballs? ›

Most meatballs served in marinara sauce are made with a mixture of beef and another ground protein, like pork sausage or veal—or all three. Pork gives the meatballs extra flavor, and veal helps keep them moist and tender.

What does adding milk to meatballs do? ›

When it comes to adding liquid to meatball mixtures, milk is often used for its versatility, depth of flavor, and richness. Without the use of milk, you may be faced with a plate of dry meatballs. Milk adds a certain level of moisture that helps produce perfectly tender meatballs.

Is it better to use milk or water in meatballs? ›

Milk, definitely. Water doesn't add flavor or fat, so it detracts from the finished meatballs. If I don't have milk, or I'm making them for people who don't eat milk with meat (a significant portion of my family keeps kosher) I use beef or chicken stock. It adds moisture and flavor, which is what you want.

What makes meatballs not fall apart? ›

Bind but don't overwork

Because meat shrinks when cooked, mince proteins are likely to separate and crumble unless bound together. Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart.

How to make meatballs that don t fall apart in sauce? ›

The only way to prevent your meatballs from falling apart is to add some flour in the precooked seasoned ground beef. once you season the ground beef to your taste, you then add some flour, not too much but at least half of a handful.

What makes meatballs more tender? ›

Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked. Parmesan: My secret ingredient for the best meatballs! Parmigiano-Reggiano adds flavor and salt to our mixture.

Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

In an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, these meatballs should be fully cooked through and evenly browned in about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the meatball should read at least 165 degrees F.

Is it better to saute or bake meatballs? ›

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior. Baked meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you'll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make a larger batch at once.

Why do my meatballs fall apart when I cook them? ›

ANSWER: Usually when meatballs fall apart, it's the binder that is the problem. Most meatball recipes call for using bread crumbs and eggs. But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either.

Should I roll my meatballs in flour before baking? ›

A traditional size for this sort of meatball is 2 to 3 inches across, but you can make them any size you want. Once you roll the meatball in your hands, roll it in the flour to give it a good coating. Set each one on a baking sheet as you work.

What makes meatballs stick together better? ›

Most meatball recipes call for a bit of starchy filler, such as dry breadcrumbs, oatmeal, or soaked bread, which is meant to keep the meatballs tender, hold everything together, and help add bulk.

Do meatballs get more tender the longer they cook? ›

Tenderizing the Meat:

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

Why are my meatballs not tender? ›

Don't Over-Mix the Meat

Over-mixing. The more you mix ground meat with seasonings, the tougher, springier, and more compact the finished product will be—we want loose and tender, not tight and sausage-like.

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