Italian Meatballs Recipe with the Best Sauce

These are the best Italian meatballs I’ve made (and I’ve made many). Tender, incredibly juicy, and generously sized. This recipe delivers everything you want in a classic meatball.

These homemade Italian meatballs are big, juicy, and tender. One pound of ground meat makes four generous meatballs! You can serve them with pasta like spaghetti, homemade pasta, or on a plate with extra sauce next to some bread like focaccia. I’ve also used the same recipe for our spaghetti and meatballs, which uses the same meatball mixture, but makes much smaller meatballs.

Our recipe guarantees the perfect texture. They are soft, juicy, tender, and not too dense in the middle. They almost melt in your mouth. Not to mention the homemade sauce, which is outrageously delicious! I cannot wait for you to try this recipe!

Key Ingredients

• Ground Beef (85/15) and Ground Pork: I use this perfect combo for classic Italian meatballs! The beef’s 85/15 ratio keeps them juicy, while the pork adds richness and unbeatable tenderness.
• Onion and Garlic: No Italian dish is complete without these! They add so much flavor to your meatballs.
• Saltine Crackers and Milk: While many authentic Italian recipes use bread as a binder, I use crushed saltine crackers and milk. Saltines add a lightness to the mixture (they do the same in our meatloaf recipe).
• Italian Herbs: A combination of fennel, Italian seasoning, and parsley infuse these meatballs with authentic Italian flavor. I especially love the fennel in this recipe.
• Parmesan Cheese: I use salt in the meatball mixture but also love seasoning them with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It adds so much flavor.
• Homemade Tomato Sauce: You can use store-bought sauce, but for a genuinely delicious dish, try my simple, homemade tomato sauce. It’s perfect with these meatballs and incredibly easy to make. We’ve included the recipe below. I also love this homemade red pasta sauce.

How to Make Italian Meatballs

This recipe delivers incredibly flavorful Italian meatballs with a perfect, tender texture. It begins with saltine crackers soaked in milk (my favorite trick for keeping meatballs tender!). Then, we add sautéed onion, garlic, ground fennel, those amazing Italian herbs, and plenty of cheese to ground beef and pork. A good mix with your hands makes sure all the flavors combine.

This recipe isn’t about tiny meatballs! We make four giant ones! Since these meatballs are so large, they stay tender and juicy in the middle. For smaller meatballs, see our spaghetti and meatballs recipe, which uses these Italian meatballs as inspiration.

A quick bake in the oven gives the meatballs a delicious crust while keeping them juicy.

While the meatballs bake, make our simple but incredibly flavorful tomato sauce. It’s made with shallots, garlic, a splash of wine, stock, crushed tomatoes, and fresh basil. It works beautifully with our meatballs.

To finish, nestle those partially baked meatballs right into the sauce. They’ll finish cooking while soaking up all that deliciousness. I finish them in the oven, but gently simmering on the stove works, too!

Ways to Serve Italian Meatballs

• Spaghetti and Meatballs – the classic! After cooking your meatballs, remove them from the skillet, and then toss your cooked spaghetti in the sauce before serving.
• Meatball Subs or Sliders
• Serve as a stand-alone dish with bread. I love homemade focaccia or garlic bread.
• Piled high on top of creamy polenta or homemade grits (not traditional, I know, but so delicious).