Skip to Content
Recipes

Two Types of Meatballs from a Brooklyn Cookbook

The author of an Italian cookbook with Brooklyn Roots shares her recipe for meatballs that has various uses and preparations.

Meatballs frying in the kitchen of Cathy Caluccio Fazzolari. Photo by Daniel Paterna.

Meatballs frying in the kitchen of Cathy Caluccio Fazzolari. Photo by Daniel Paterna.

In our house, Sunday would not be a Sunday without meatballs. My mother usually made two types—fried and simmered in sauce. We always added the uncooked meatballs directly into the cooking sauce.

She always made meatballs in batches of 13, in honor of St. Anthony’s Feast Day.

The mini version of these meatballs is used in my recipe for Chicken Soup with Little Meatballs and available in my cookbook, The Italian Daughter's Cookbook.

Mini meatballs by Cathy Caluccio Fazzolari. Photo by Daniel Paterna.
Mini meatballs by Cathy Coluccio Fazzolari. Photo by Daniel Paterna.
Meatballs

Meatballs

Recipe by Cathy Caluccio Fazzolari
0.0 from 0 votes
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 1 ground meat (beef, pork, veal, or a combination)

  • 2 large 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup 1/2 breadcrumbs

  • 1/4 cup 1/4 fresh parsley, finely chopped, optional

  • 2 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

  • 1/2 cup 1/2 freshly grated cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano)

  • 1/8 teaspoon 1/8 freshly ground black pepper

  • Extra virgin olive oil, for dipping

  • 2 cups 2 pure olive oil, for frying (if frying)

Directions

  • In a large bowl, add the ground meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley and garlic (if using), grated cheese, and pepper.
  • Thoroughly mix all the ingredients with your hands.
  • Place a small amount of oil in a small bowl.
  • Dip your fingers in the oil and then spread the oil in the palm of your other hand.
  • Take a piece of the meat mixture and roll it in the palm of your hands until it is uniformly round (the medium meatballs should each be about the size of a golf ball; the mini meatballs should each be about the size of a shelled hazelnut).
  •  When all the meatballs are formed, they can be added directly to your sauce or fried according to the instructions below.
  • To fry meatballs**
  • In a 10-inch frying pan, add oil (about ½-inch in depth) and heat for 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high heat (to test the oil, place a pinch of the meatball mixture in the oil; if it begins to sizzle, the oil is ready).
  • Add the meatballs in batches and continue to fry on medium heat until brown on all sides.
  • Remove from the pan and place on a paper-towel lined dish to absorb excess oil.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @appetitomagazine on Instagram and hashtag it with #italianfoodanddrink

Like this recipe?

Follow @Appetitomagazine on Pinterest

Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Appetito

Appetito’s Andrew Cotto Receives a 2025 Giambelli Culinary Award

The Italian Language Foundation's 2025 Giambelli Culinary Award winners included Appetito's co-founder Andrew Cotto

July 11, 2025

Sicilian Spirits and Tuscan Sweets Take Over Portrait Milano

Portrait Milano hosted Sicily's Morgana Cocktail Bar alongside a new Sammontana gelato kiosk bringing Tuscan sweetness to Milan all summer.

L’Olivo Introduces Venetian Cicchetti Culture to Calgary

Giuseppe di Gennaro launches L’Olivo, a cicchetti restaurant and lounge redefining Italian dining in Calgary’s Inglewood.

Gene & Georgetti Meats Delivers Chicago’s Steaks

Gene & Georgetti celebrates 85 years as Chicago’s original Italian steakhouse by delivering its signature USDA Prime steaks and Tuscan-inspired flavors to homes nationwide.

The Scotto Restaurant Empire Arrives in Charleston with Pelato

The Scotto family has extended their Italian restaurant presence in the south with the opening of Pelato in Charleston.

July 9, 2025
See all posts