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Traditional Meatballs

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Traditional Meatballs

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.

Traditional Meatballs

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!

Honey Barbecue Bacon Meatballs

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Honey Barbecue Bacon Meatballs

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and these Honey Barbecue Bacon Meatballs are a crowd-pleasing appetizer worthy of bringing to the big game!


Truth: I don’t care about the Super Bowl. I don’t follow football, my husband doesn’t follow football, and well… we just aren’t a sporty family. I GUESS I’m rooting for the Eagles because my Mom is a super fan and I’m close to Philadelphia. 🙂 We usually go to a family friendly party, and I’m strictly there for the food so don’t ask me about the game or even the commercials because I could care less!

My ALL TIME favorite Super Bowl appetizer is Buffalo Chicken Dip. It is addicting, delicious, and expected to be at every party. Wings are also right up there on the list of must haves, but you will always need a few other items to fill in for the folks who aren’t into spicy foods. Shrimp, meatballs, guacamole, pizza… you know all the good stuff!

Honey Barbecue Bacon Meatballs

For these Honey Barbecue Bacon Meatballs, I did make my meatballs from scratch because it is super simple to do! HOWEVER…. if you happen to pick up frozen meatballs to make this recipe, no judgement here! That is what I love about this recipe, it is customizable and can be made in even less time if you are in a hurry. Getting all of my family ready and out the door for a Super Bowl party is stressful enough, so I totally get it. If you are running low on time or just don’t care…. GET THE FROZEN MEATBALLS. 🙂

Homemade Honey Barbecue Sauce over meatballs. Smoky sweet meatballs.

Honey Barbecue Bacon Meatballs Recipe Tips

  1. Again, this recipe is totally customizable. Don’t have time to make meatballs from scratch? Buy frozen! Want your sauce a bit sweeter? Add more honey! Really love ranch dressing? Drizzle some on there like I did!
  2. If you are making meatballs from scratch, the meatball recipe is a basic tried and true recipe. There isn’t anything particularly different about it, because the sauce and the bacon are really making these meatballs.
  3. The sauce is WAY better the next day. I would suggest maybe making it the day before, and letting all of the flavors come together overnight in the refrigerator. Here is the thing about homemade sauces like this…. they need time. Just like the sauce you buy in the grocery store has been sitting for a period of time, it is also good to let your homemade sauce sit and mingle together.
  4. If you’d like to make these as a meal, they are great with a simple side like buttered egg noodles or jasmine rice. We have eaten them as a meal with rice and they were fantastic.
  5. If your party is large, I would suggest making a double batch. If you’d like to stick with a single batch, you can always make them mini-meatballs to stretch them farther.
  6. For the meat… I prefer to use a meatball/meatloaf mix of meats. It includes beef, pork, and veal. I know, I know. But listen, the meat matters! My local grocery stores do sell this already pre-mixed specifically for meatballs and meatloaf. If you can’t find a meatball mix at your grocery store, I would ask the butcher there to make you a mix, or just purchase 1 pound of each and make a large batch and freeze the extras.

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