Meatball Marinara

About This Recipe

Meatball marinara is the heart of Italian-American comfort cooking, tender, well-seasoned meatballs gently simmered in a robust tomato marinara until they soak up all that garlicky, herby flavor. A blend of beef and pork, bound with breadcrumbs soaked in milk, keeps the meatballs juicy and soft rather than dense. Browning them first builds flavor, then a long, gentle simmer in the sauce finishes the cooking and melds everything together. Serve them over pasta, piled on a hoagie roll for a meatball sub, or with crusty bread to mop up the sauce. This is the kind of dish that fills the kitchen with the aroma of a Sunday family dinner.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 lbground beef
• 0.5 lbground pork
• 0.75 cupbreadcrumbs
• 0.33 cupmilk
• 2 largeeggs
• 0.5 cupgrated Parmesan cheese
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 0.25 cupchopped parsley
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 28 ozcrushed tomatoes
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the breadcrumbs

   Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and let them soak for a few minutes until softened into a paste.

   This panade keeps the meatballs moist and tender.

2. 2

   Mix the meatballs

   Combine the beef, pork, soaked breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmesan, half the garlic, parsley, and salt, mixing gently until just combined.

   Mix lightly, overworking makes the meatballs tough.

3. 3

   Shape

   Roll the mixture into 1.5-inch meatballs.

4. 4

   Brown

   Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides, working in batches; they need not be cooked through.

   Browning builds a deep, savory crust and flavor base.

5. 5

   Start the marinara

   In the same pan, sauté the remaining garlic briefly, then add the crushed tomatoes and oregano, scraping up the browned bits.

6. 6

   Simmer the meatballs

   Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and tender.

   A slow simmer lets the meatballs absorb the sauce.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve over pasta or on a roll, garnished with extra Parmesan and parsley.

Variations

• •

  Make them all beef, or add veal for a classic trio.

• •

  Bake the meatballs instead of frying.

• •

  Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat.

• •

  Serve as a meatball sub with melted provolone.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze meatballs in sauce for 3 months; the flavor improves the next day.

Frequently Asked Questions