Get the App

Recipes

Find a Recipe Blue Ribbon Recipes Pinch It!™ Feed Browse All Recipes

Editorial

Food Bites & Articles Videos What is a Blue Ribbon? Meet the Test Kitchen

Community

Member Recipes Groups Sweepstakes Contests Shopping

old time italian meatballs

(5 ratings)
ciaoitalia avatar
Recipe by
Mary Beam
@ciaoitalia
Westbrook, ME

I've been making these ever since I can remember. Probably one of the first things my Mom taught me to make. Since I never really learned measurements for this, I made them today using measuring instruments, so I could post a fairly accurate recipe. They're probably a little bit different each time because I don't measure, but this is a staple recipe in most Italian homes, give or take this or that, according to taste. Manji! Manji!

(5 ratings)
yield 6 serving(s)
prep time 15 Min
cook time 25 Min

Ingredients For old time italian meatballs

  • 1 lb
    ground beef, 80/20 ratio
  • 1 lg
    egg
  • 1/2 c
    grated parmesan, fresh or dry
  • 1/3 c
    milk
  • 1/2 c
    breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp
    garlic powder
  • 1 tsp
    italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp
    seasoning salt
  • 1 tsp
    ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp
    dried minced onion
  • 1/4 c
    italian parsley, chopped, or 2 tbl dry

How To Make old time italian meatballs

  • 1
    Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix together well. Using your hands is the only way to get a good mix, in my opinion, but you could use a food processor.
  • 2
    Shape into golf ball sized balls.
  • 3
    Now here's your choice. Drop the uncooked meatballs right into your sauce and simmer for at least 40 minutes, or longer if you wish. Or, you can do as I usually do and put them on a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. I like them to be browned up and a bit crunchy on the outside. At this point, if you used the oven method, you can put them in your sauce for about 15 minutes, or just serve covered with sauce.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
ADVERTISEMENT