I admit, I have had my fair share of meatball recipe fails. From being dry and tasteless to having a weird texture, meatballs can be hard to master. These Traditional Meatballs bring the flavor and tender texture without the hassle.
This Traditional Meatball recipe is SIMPLE. It is minimal. It does not require mincing onions and garlic and buying several different cuts of meat. It is kid friendly, picky eater friendly, and yields a delicious, tender meatball that will swim perfectly in your favorite sauce. I know, I know, there are a million other meatball recipes out there, but just take my word for it, this one is good!
How to Make the Perfect Meatball
- Skip lean cuts of meat. I always use 80/20 when making meatballs. I have tried 90/10 and from my experience this is exactly how to get a dry meatball.
- Soak the breadcrumbs. You will want to give your breadcrumbs a brief soak in the milk and eggs before you add them to the meat. This also ensures your meatballs won’t be dry.
- Do not over mix. I get my hands in there and mix everything quickly instead of using a spoon or fork. You’ll have to get your hands dirty to get all of your ingredients distributed properly, and that’s ok! Give your mix a few good squishes and you should be good to go.
- Season your meatballs properly. The WORST meatballs are bland and tasteless. No amount of sauce or salt afterward will make your meatballs taste better, so you must season as you go. I use a mix of coarse kosher salt, parmesan cheese, Italian breadcrumbs, and a small amount of soy sauce to ensure my meatballs are properly seasoned and taste anything but bland.
- Do not bake the life out of them. I prefer to start my meatballs in the oven at 400 degrees. This will give you that beautiful, brown outside crust that we are looking for. However, overtaking can also yield a dry result. I have found about 20 minutes is plenty of time in the oven, then I put them right in the sauce for simmering.
To finish off my meatballs, I paired them with pappardelle pasta. For the sauce (because I have extremely picky children) I used Simply Ragu Traditional. If you have children who like a very smooth sauce, Simply Ragu Traditional is your best friend. I added a little bit of sugar and salt to the sauce and gave my meatballs a quick simmer and viola!
I also bake off two bone in chicken breasts at the beginning of each week to use in meals and in place of lunchmeat for my 1st grader’s lunch. For this reason I did not include cooking the chicken in the directions, however I simply season them with salt, pepper, and olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. When they cool I pull the meat from the bones and store in the refrigerator until I need the chicken. It is so simple and saves me time throughout the week. If you want to use boneless chicken breasts, you can cut them into small chunks and sauté with the diced peppers and garlic. Alternatively, a half pound of ground beef or a can of black beans would be great in this recipe as well. 
