In addition to her famous tomato sauce (recipe found in my cookbook), my Nana would make meatballs every Sunday for, seemingly, her entire life. I now make them for my kids once a week (admittedly not always on Sundays) and they gobble them up. Nana used to make half of them as outlined in this recipe and half with a handful of pine nuts and raisins mixed in, something that you usually see in Southern Italy or Sicily.
Nana’s Meatballs
Makes about 16 meatballs
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium egg
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bottles of Rao’s tomato sauce (my personal fave) or you can use homemade
- Pasta of your choice
- Fresh basil for serving, optional
Directions:
- Gently mix the beef, egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano in a large bowl with your hands until just combined. Do not over mix!
- Form the mixture into 1-inch balls.
- Pour olive oil into a large Dutch oven or pot and carefully place the meatballs down. I scoot them around with a wooden spoon constantly so they don’t get stuck. It’s an art!
- Brown all sides then pour in tomato sauce.
- Cook the meatballs in the tomato sauce on medium-low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until they are cooked through.
- Serve over a bowl of the pasta of your choice. Sprinkle extra Parmesan cheese on top and garnish with basil, if using.
- Enjoy!
