How to Make Meatballs Like a Professional Chef

These pro tips will teach you how to make meatballs as easily and deliciously as if you'd ordered them in your favorite Italian takeout. You'll thank us later.

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Unless you grew up rolling meatballs in your nonna’s kitchen, forget everything you think you know about how to make meatballs. The recipe looks simple, but if you’re wondering how to make meatballs worthy of a spot atop a mound of spaghetti, there are a few extra steps you may want to take.

Celebrity chef Donatella Arpaia, a regular judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America, knows a thing or two about rolling the perfect, classic Italian meatball. Not only is her recipe based off what her mother and grandmother used (you can’t get more authentic than that!), her balls are award-winning and a favorite dish at her restaurant, Prova Pizzabar in New York City.

Ingredients

  • Two pounds of fresh ground meat
  • A small loaf of day-old Italian bread soaked in water or milk
  • 1 1/2 cups of real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 1 – 2 eggs
  • 5 whole garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
  • Salt
  • Cracked black pepper

Directions

  1. Use your hands to mix everything together for three to five minutes. “It’s a long time but it helps everything be totally integrated together,” Arpaia says.
  2. Using the palms of your hands, form the meatballs
  3. Pour a couple inches of oil into a pan and turn the burner on medium-to-high heat (the ball should sizzle when you drop it in)
  4. Fry for three to four minutes on each side until golden brown. Flip once and place on a sheet pan.

It’s all about the ingredients

If you’ve ever wondered why your meatballs don’t stack up to the ones at your favorite red sauce joint, check and see if you’re using all fresh ingredients. “First and foremost, use the freshest, quality ingredients,” says Arpaia. That means fresh whole garlic cloves instead of powdered or jarred, fresh flat leaf parsley instead of dried, real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (not the pre-grated tubs that taste like cardboard), and day-old bread instead of prepackaged bread crumbs (“Bread versus bread crumbs makes a huge difference in the lightness and fluffiness of a meatball!”) And don’t overdo the flavors. “People put too many things [like onions or other vegetables] in their meatball. It’s not meatloaf, it’s a meatball,” she says.

Be picky about your meat

Meatballs aren’t the time to cash in on your supermarket’s discount meat. While many recipes call for a mix of beef, pork, and veal, the quality of the meat is what matters most and Arpaia actually uses only veal. “There’s a difference between good and bad quality meat. Go to the butcher and get fresh ground meat that’s hormone-free,” she says. Not sure how to get the best cut? Try using these tips from butchers.

Mix them with love

Mixing is the secret to how to make meatballs like a pro.“Mine never used to come out as good as my mother’s and I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong,” says Arpaia. “Turns out, I wasn’t mixing long enough.” Once you have your ingredients, it’s time to get dirty and mix for several minutes.  “It’s a long time but it helps everything be totally integrated together,” she says.

Gently roll and fry, don’t bake

“Frying gives you that beautiful golden brown crust that seals in the juiciness of the meat,” says Arpaia. It’s important to roll each meatball the same size for even cooking. Arpaia’s pro tip is to dab a little olive oil on the palms of your hands so the meat doesn’t stick, then gently form the balls, being careful not to overwork the meat mixture. “Don’t overcrowd the pan and don’t use paper towels to soak up the oil. I think the extra oil is good for the sauce,” she says.

Don’t skimp on the sauce

If you’ve gone through all the effort of crafting an authentic meatball, don’t ruin it with a subpar sauce. “Make a really great ragu to go along with it,” says Arpaia. “I make a meat ragu with a base of tomato, celery, onion, then add sausage and pork ribs. That really flavors the sauce and enhances the taste of the meatball.”