Our Italian meatballs stand out for their incredibly tender texture, achieved through a few unique techniques and ingredient swaps. Instead of using dry breadcrumbs, we soak a generous amount of fresh bread in buttermilk. This creates a moist and flavorful base that gives the meatballs their signature softness.
We also replace one of the eggs with two egg yolks, which adds richness without making the meatballs too dense. A small portion of the meat mixture—about 25-30%—is beaten with the bread and spices until smooth, then gently folded back in with the rest of the meat. This method helps create a cohesive mixture that’s easy to shape and stays tender when cooked.
These adjustments ensure that every bite of these meatballs is melt-in-your-mouth perfection, making them perfect for serving with marinara sauce, over pasta, or on their own as an appetizer. Enjoy a truly refined take on a classic Italian dish!
Through experimentation, I’ve found that baking the meatballs all the way—or almost all the way—works best. Baking reduces excess fat, prevents undercooking, and helps maintain the meatballs’ perfect shape. This method delivers juicy, tender meatballs with just the right amount of texture. Pair them with marinara sauce, and you have a dish that’s truly irresistible!
Italian Meatballs: The Most Tender Version Yet
Ingredients
2 lbs ground meat (all beef is fine, but the addition of pork (up to half) would make it more flavourful)
3 cups of crustless white bread, torn into pieces (that’s about 75% of a standard bread package with crusts removed)
1/3 cup buttermilk (jut milk is fine)
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 onion chopped (ideally fried in some oil until light golden, but raw is fine also)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 whole head of garlic, pressed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 tsp kosher salt, heaping
1 tsp of each: dried oregano, fennel, Italian herbs
1/2 tsp of each: black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried basil
1 jar of Marinara sauce, or homemade Marinara, recipe can be found here
1 lb Spaghetti
Directions
- Pour buttermilk and soy sauce over the breadcrumbs. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes until soft. If they are not softening up, consider adding another tablespoon or two of buttermilk (or milk.) With your hands or a paddle attachment of a mixer, mix it well until homogenous paste.
- Add onions, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, egg, egg yolks, salt, oregano, fennel, Italian herbs, black pepper, red pepper flakes and dried basil. Add about 25-30% of your meat. Beat using a paddle attachment of your mixer or even using a wooden spoon until homogenous mixture.
- Add the rest of your meat, very gently working it in with a fork or your hands, making sure not to overwork the meat. Mix it in well, but ensure you can still see chunks of meat – this will keep your meatballs nice and juicy. Shape into meatballs. Personally I like larger 1 1/2 – 2 inch meatballs. However, smaller golf ball sized meatballs is easer to work with. Consider refrigerating them for an hour for the flavours to meld, however, if necessary, move on to the next step.
- OPTIONAL STEP: Fry your meatballs in 2 TBSP olive oil for about 5 minutes, rotating them as they cook to brown each side. Do not overcrowd the pan. As such, this will need to be done in 2 batches. Browning meatballs before baking enhances their flavor by creating a caramelized crust through the Maillard reaction, which adds depth and texture to the dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the meatballs we made in step 3 or 4 (depending on whether you seared them or not) on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, turning them half way. You have a choice of cooking them all the way to the safe internal temperature or taking them out until they are just undercooked a bit and finishing cooking them in the sauce.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce in a large skillet and bring it to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add the browned meatballs to the sauce, leaving any excess fat behind. Cover loosely with a lid or foil and let simmer for a minute or two (or longer – about 10 minutes or so, if you undercooked them in the oven), until the flavors meld and the meatballs are fully cooked. Keep warm until ready to serve with pasta.
