My meatball recipe was passed down from my mother and grandmother and is as authentic as it gets. It’s also won a few awards! I have vivid childhood memories of my mom teaching me the recipes as I stood on a stool and peeked up at the stove. She taught me that in order to develop flavor, you can’t take short cuts, and you have to be patient.
Sunday dinners are a tradition that I can’t wait to pass down to my son - to teach him the recipe for slow-braised ragu and meatballs, and the importance of bringing the family together.
The key is using fresh, high-quality ingredients. That means:
Fresh whole garlic cloves—never powdered or jarred.
Fresh flat-leaf parsley—not dried.
Real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese—skip the pre-grated tubs (they taste like cardboard!)
Proper cheese for stuffing—if you’re stuffing your meatballs, use something like Galbani shredded Premio, which won’t release excess water
Day-old rustic Italian bread—instead of prepackaged breadcrumbs.
And don’t over-complicate the flavors. People add too many things—like onions or other vegetables—but a meatball is not meatloaf. You also need to be picky about your meat. Meatballs aren’t the place to skimp on quality. While many recipes call for a mix of beef, pork, and veal, what truly matters is the freshness and fat-to-lean ratio of your meat. Go to the butcher and get fresh, hormone-free ground meat. If that’s not an option, opt for an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio for the best texture and flavor.
You also need to make sure you’re mixing long enough. My early attempts never quite matched my mother’s, and I finally realized that was the problem.
Another important point is to gently roll and fry, don’t bake. Frying is key to achieving that beautiful golden-brown crust that locks in juiciness. Roll each meatball the same size for even cooking, and to prevent sticking, dab a little olive oil on your hands before forming the balls. Be gentle—overworking the mixture can make the meatballs dense.
Finally, you never want to skimp on the sauce. You’ve gone through all the effort of making authentic meatballs—don’t ruin them with a subpar sauce, so you want to make a really great ragu to go with it. I start with a base of tomato, celery, and onion, then add sausage and pork ribs for deep, rich flavor that enhances the meatballs.
Donatella's Famous Stuffed Meatballs
10-12
servings30
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 Small 1 loaf Italian-style bread (about 8 thick slices), torn into 2 ½ chunks
2 lbs. 2 80% lean ground beef chuck, broken up
5 5 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup 1/2 Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 Large 1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup 3/4 Galbani Parmesan, grated, plus more for garnish
1-1/2 cups 1-1/2 Galbani Premio Mozzarella, cut into ½" cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Canola oil, for frying
Marinara sauce or ragu sauce
Directions
- Put bread in a bowl and add enough warm water to cover it.
- Let stand for 5 minutes, turning to moisten evenly. Squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible and place in a large bowl.
- Add beef, garlic, parsley, egg, and ¾ cup of Parmesan to the bread and combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Knead mixture with your hands, rinsing your hands occasionally with warm water to keep meat from sticking to them, until it’s uniformly combined and smooth (at least 5 minutes).
- Pinch approximately 2 tablespoons of meat from the mound and shape it into a ball between the palms of your hands.
- Press a cube of Mozzarella into ball of meat, making sure that meat completely surrounds cheese.
- Place on a baking sheet or tray and repeat with remaining meat and cheese (makes approximately 30 meatballs).
- Fill a 10-inch skillet halfway with canola oil and heat over high heat (you will see strands forming along bottom of pan when it’s hot enough).
- Working in batches, gently slide 8 – 10 meatballs into pan without overcrowding (meatballs should be only three-quarters submerged in oil).
- Reduce heat to medium and fry, turning once, until they’re firm and golden.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer meatballs to a bowl.
- Serve with marinara or ragu sauce and top with Parmesan.
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