The Best Italian Style Meatballs

When my younger sister and her fiancé came over for dinner the other night, I knew I wanted to make a yummy, comforting meal. I settled on homemade spaghetti with meatballs. I have only ever made meatballs one other time in my life (I know) and they didn’t turn out that well, in my opinion. Well, never again will that happen with this recipe in my arsenal!

This wonderful recipe from jessicagavin.com is so easy and the meatballs turned out delicious. I was able to make a lot more than what the recipe says it will make, I suppose because I made mine smaller, but they still felt big to me. Either way, they were so good!

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef, 80% to 90% lean meat
2 large eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs, plain or Italian-style
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely minced
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup sliced basil, for garnish

Instructions

In a large bowl, add the ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, minced onion, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic. Use hands to mix thoroughly until combined.
Measure and roll the ground beef mixture into ⅓ cup (3 ounces) rounds, about the size of an egg. Evenly space the pieces on the baking sheet, there should be about 14 to 15 meatballs.
Broil the meatballs until the surface is browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn over and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes to lightly brown the other side.
Transfer the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, simmer on low heat for at least 1 ½ hours, checking and stirring every 20 minutes, or as needed. The meatballs should be fork tender when sliced.
At the end of cooking, adjust the consistency of the sauce with water if needed, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve meatballs with spaghetti topped with sauce, sliced basil, and Parmesan cheese.