Simone’s Famous Italian Meatballs

January 1, 2017

I created these meatballs in the early 1970's & have never changed the original recipe because they've always gotten rave reviews. A bit labor intensive, but actually fun to make & well worth the effort. Once you taste these, mellowed in pasta sauce, you'll think you've gone to Italian heaven!

Yield: approximately 36 meatballs - serves 18 to 36

Ingredients

8 large organic eggs

3 lbs grass fed ground beef, 85 lean/15 fat

3 cups vegetable/canola oil

2 1/2 cups Progresso Italian style bread crumbs

2 cups grated Parmesan or Parmesan/Romano cheese

1/4 cup granulated garlic powder

1/8 cup fresh ground or coarse ground (store-bought) black pepper

3 - gallon sized, plastic, zip-top freezer bags . Label & date.

Directions

1 Remove eggs & beef from frig about 1 hour before making meatballs. This removes the chill for easier handling.

2 Pour oil into a 5.5 quart Dutch oven or pot & set aside.

3 Whisk the eggs in a 4 quart glass bowl.

4 Add beef, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic & black pepper to the bowl of eggs.

5 Firmly squish knead the mixture with your hands for a few minutes & keep turning over till everything is extremely well combined.

6 Break off pieces & use a meatball tool to get even amounts of mixture (see Tip#1). Firmly squish meatball amount in your hands & then roll around in cupped hands till you form a round dense ball about 1 1/2". Place on a large platter.

7 Continue the process till all the mixture is used up. This is a good time to thoroughly wash your hands.

8 Heat oil on med-high till very hot, about 7 minutes. While waiting; line a large platter or baking sheet with 6 layers of paper towels & set aside.

9 Place 9 meatballs into hot oil, one at a time, not touching & be careful not to burn your fingers. Oil should bubble as soon as you put the meat in. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 4 minutes till browning, DO NOT move meatballs around during this time.

10 Using a slotted spoon; carefully scrape under each meatball to release & turn over. Cook another 3 minutes. Stir the meatballs around for a minute till they're completely browned & crusty all around & then remove them to the papered platter.

11 Repeat steps 9 & 10 till all the meatballs are cooked (see Tip# 2). As you cook more batches, they'll take a little less time to cook on each side. Raise & lower heat during cooking, if necessary.

12 Allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you want to eat some now, move onto step# 14.

13 Once cooled place 1/3 of the meatballs, in a single layer, in each plastic bag. Be sure to remove as much air as possible, then freeze.

14 To serve; place 1 cup (per person) of your favorite pasta sauce in an appropriately sized saucepan. Add frozen meatballs (generally 1 to 2 per person). Heat, partially covered, on low/warm heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, till meatballs are fully defrosted & heated all the way through. It's important to cook for a good length of time to allow the sauce to cook into the meatballs & mellow the flavor.

15 Serve over your favorite pasta or Zoodles & sprinkle with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Tips & Suggestions

1 Using a a meatball tool will give you evenly sized meatballs & best cooking results. If you can't find one locally you can order a Norpro Stainless Steel Meat Baller online from Amazon.com.

2 As you cook batches a froth will form & oil will get very bubbly. Using a serving spoon; skim off froth, as you go along & put in a heat resistant cup.










Pin for later!
This Signature Recipe by Foodie Home Chef has been touted & made famous by those who've eaten them (for 40+ years) as the best meatballs to ever grace a plate of pasta! Simmer on low for a couple of hours in your favorite pasta sauce. Serve over your favorite pasta, zoodles or make meatball subs & you'll be in Italian heaven! Meatball Recipes | Meatballs | Italian Meatballs | Homemade Meatballs | Italian Food | Italian Recipes | Dinner Recipes | Comfort Food | #foodiehomechef | @foodiehomechef



Pin for later!
This Signature Recipe by Foodie Home Chef has been touted & made famous by those who've eaten them (for 40+ years) as the best meatballs to ever grace a plate of pasta! Simmer on low for a couple of hours in your favorite pasta sauce. Serve over your favorite pasta, zoodles or make meatball subs & you'll be in Italian heaven! Meatball Recipes | Meatballs | Italian Meatballs | Homemade Meatballs | Italian Food | Italian Recipes | Dinner Recipes | Comfort Food | #foodiehomechef | @foodiehomechef



Pin for later!
One of my Signature Recipes that I've been making for over 40 years to rave reviews. Simmer meatballs, on low heat, for a couple of hours in your favorite pasta sauce. Serve with pasta, zoodles or make meatball subs & you'll be in Italian heaven! By the way... I always eat 1 or 2 right away, it's my treat for making & cooking them! --------- #MeatballRecipes #Meatballs #ItalianMeatballs #HomemadeMeatballs #ItalianFood #ItalianRecipes #Italian #Food #Cooking #Recipes #Recipe #FoodieHomeChef @foodiehomechef



Pin for later!
One of my Signature Recipes that I've been making for over 40 years to rave reviews. Simmer meatballs, on low heat, for a couple of hours in your favorite pasta sauce. Serve with pasta, zoodles or make meatball subs & you'll be in Italian heaven! By the way... I always eat 1 or 2 right away, it's my treat for making & cooking them! --------- #MeatballRecipes #Meatballs #ItalianMeatballs #HomemadeMeatballs #ItalianFood #ItalianRecipes #Italian #Food #Cooking #Recipes #Recipe #FoodieHomeChef @foodiehomechef




One of my Signature Recipes that I've been making for over 40 years to rave reviews. Simmer meatballs, on low heat, for a couple of hours in your favorite pasta sauce. Serve with pasta, zoodles or make meatball subs & you'll be in Italian heaven! By the way... I always eat 1 or 2 right away, it's my treat for making & cooking them! --------- #MeatballRecipes #Meatballs #ItalianMeatballs #HomemadeMeatballs #ItalianFood #ItalianRecipes #Italian #Food #Cooking #Recipes #Recipe #FoodieHomeChef

00:00

9 thoughts on “Simone’s Famous Italian Meatballs

  1. We make vegetarian balls so this procedure is quite similar. Yes, I’ll try these meatballs. 🙂 thanks for sharing.

  2. I never thought to fry my meatballs in oil. I bet the crispy outside makes them the bomb. Way to think outside of the box.

  3. Love meatballs, they make for easy dinners with pasta or salads and kids love them too!! I never used the meatballs tool before and always struggle to get them all looking the same.

  4. These meatballs look and sound delicious. I love how perfectly round they are. I have to get one of those meatball tools!

  5. WOw, I love this recipe and how round yours turns out. I wish I could get them that good looking but they are good tasting!

  6. I am never quite satisfied with my meatballs, and I have never tried a cooking method like yours. Definitely trying this!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *