Calabrian Meatballs
Updated Sept. 16, 2022
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 10fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
- 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
- 2(28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (8 cups)
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound ground veal
- ½ pound ground beef (preferably 15-percent fat)
- 1cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
- 1cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup tomato sauce (reserved from recipe above), cooled
- 2large eggs, beaten
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
- 1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce
For the Meatballs
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
252 calories; 17 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 474 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the sauce: Tear 5 basil leaves in half; reserve the rest. Combine the torn basil, olive oil, garlic and red-pepper flakes (if using), in a small saucepan over very low heat for 10 minutes, allowing the basil and garlic to steep in the oil. (Do not let the garlic get beyond medium brown in color.) Remove from the heat, strain the oil, discard the solids and set aside.
- Step 2
In a large pot, combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper with 2 cups water and the infused oil. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Remove ½ cup of the sauce for the meatballs, setting aside to cool.
- Step 3
Partially cover the pot and simmer the sauce, undisturbed, while you prepare the meatballs.
- Step 4
In a large bowl, hand mix all the meatball ingredients (including the reserved ½ cup sauce) until combined. (The mixture will be quite soft.) Wet your hands and pinch off approximately ¼-cup portions and roll them into balls between your palms. (They should each be about 2 ¼-inches wide.) Place each meatball on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining mixture, making about 16 meatballs.
- Step 5
Once all the meatballs have been rolled, carefully drop them into the simmering sauce. If the pot seems too full, shimmy the pot back and forth gently to make more room to simmer the meatballs in an even layer. Do not stir, as the meatballs will break apart.
- Step 6
Cover the pot partially with a lid and gently simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 1 hour (or up to 2 hours) until they are firm and cooked through. Carefully remove the meatballs to a plate, adding spoonfuls of sauce, or transfer the meatballs and sauce to a shallow serving bowl. Chop the remaining basil and sprinkle on top, and garnish with more grated Pecorino.
Private Notes
Comments
This is very much like my Sicilian mother-in-law’s recipe, except she uses fresh breadcrumbs and broils the meatballs before adding them to the sauce. The fresh crumbs makes them tender and the broiling keeps them from breaking up in the sauce.
No need to use veal if you don’t want to - beef and pork 1/2 and 1/2 mix works great
This is very much like Daniele Uditi’s recipe, though I believe he adds calabrian chili paste to his. I do the same, and they are superb! I don’t do Italian breadcrumbs, just panko they’re superior imo. I also add pecorino AND parm.
yum! I cooked the meatballs (only, not in the oven) in the sauce for 1.5 hours or so. Even though I had more meat for the meatballs, and upped the other ingredients appropriately, I still had more sauce than we used. We did use the recommendation to have the meatballs and sauce "on their own" rather than bathed over pasta.
Absolutely my favorite meatball and sauce recipe! The meatballs really don't need to be browned in the oven, or the stovetop to be wonderful. IMHO, they're better cooked as dumplings. To all of the traditionalists that consider this recipe to be an anti-nonna, just remember, everything can be improved.
This recipe SLAPS! I don’t eat pork and the veal near me is sold in larger packages, so I split it 50/50 ground veal/ground beef. Still divine. The sauce is simple and good. The meatballs are simple and good. I like to make the meatballs a bit smaller just out of personal preference. Doesn’t really impact anything other than perhaps cook time, but if the minimum is to have them simmer for an hour, you’ll be good even with big ol’ balls. I serve these with some spaghetti or other long pasta, but I’d absolutely eat them plain, too. I think about these meatballs every couple months and get an itch to make them. PRO GAMER MOVE: Unsure about how seasoned your raw meat is? Put a little nugget of it on a plate and microwave it til it’s cooked through. Safe to taste test! My fiancé says I could even feed these to his half Italian mother. She cooks. This is *very* high praise.
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