Authentic Italian Meatballs In A Homemade Tomato Sauce

Did you know that traditional Italian meatballs don’t include oregano? Turns out that adding oregano to a meatball recipe is a North American thing! But fear not! While you won’t find it in the Italian meatball mixture, dry oregano plays a critical role in our tomato sauce recipe. 

Additionally, here’s an interesting tidbit. Italian meatballs aren’t traditionally served with spaghetti or any pasta. Instead, Italians enjoy them with a slice of focaccia bread, accompanied by the tomato sauce used to cook the meatballs.

And, of course, like all Italian meat dishes, these meatballs pair exceptionally well with good red Italian wine. Read on to find out which wines work the best!

Wine Pairing Recommendations

We felt obliged to go classic when wine pairing this authentic Italian meatball dish. And because there’s nothing more classic than super Tuscan, consider a bottle of Chianti Classico or Chianti Sangiovese blend. With their bright cherry notes and hints of herbs, these red wines pair exceptionally well with our  Italian meatballs in a tomato sauce dish. Any of these would make for a truly perfect wine pairing, if we may say so ourselves.

Alternatively, pick a bottle of Barbera. With its lively acidity and soft tannins, it will enhance the richness of the meatballs while also refreshing the palate. 

Any of these three make for a great wine pairing recommendation that we are happy to put our names behind!

Barbera, Chianti

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Recipe at a glance:

Tips and tricks to make this dish a success

• Make sure to stir the tomato sauce regularly, especially towards the end of the cooking process, as it has a tendency to scorch easily.
• Dust meatballs in flour one by one, then gently shake off any excess flour. Hold the meatball in one hand and tap it gently with the palm of your other hand.
• To prevent the meat mixture from sticking to your hands, moisten your palms with a bit of olive oil before you begin shaping meatballs.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. minced pork meat
• 1 lb. minced veal meat
• 1 egg
• 1/6 loaf of French bread
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• Flour for dusting
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 28 oz. (794g) whole tomatoes, peeled and canned
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• ¼ cup olive oil + 2 tbsp.
• 1 tbsp. Oregano, minced
• 1 cup water

Substitutions

• We recommend using whole canned tomatoes for this tomato sauce recipe but any canned tomatoes will do. Preferably look for ones that do not have basil or oregano added to them.
• To make this meatballs recipe we used 1 to 1 mix of pork and veal. This is a traditional Italian meatballs meat composition. However, these meatballs can be made with just pork or a mix of pork and beef.
• Parmesan is a key seasoning in our meatballs recipe. If you don’t have Parmesan, use Asiago as a substitute. Some purists argue that Asiago is even more authentic than Parmesan in the meatballs meat mixture.

Making ahead

We love making homemade meatballs in tomato sauce ahead of time, especially on weekends for the busy week ahead. It’s a lifesaver for those hectic weekdays when you don’t feel like cooking something time-consuming.

1. Meatballs: You can prepare the meat mixture for the meatballs and shape them into balls one day in advance. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to cook. You can also freeze them for longer-term storage. Make sure to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.
2. Tomato Sauce: The tomato sauce can be made entirely ahead of time. Once cooked, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. You can store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it for several months.
3. Cooked Meatballs in Sauce: If you want to go a step further, you can cook the meatballs in the tomato sauce ahead of time. Once cooked, allow the meatballs and sauce to cool, then either keep the meatballs and the sauce in their cooking pot or transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the oven before serving.

This is how we do it

Recipe Card

Italian meatballs and tomato sauce from scratch

Learn how to make authentic Italian meatballs in tomato sauce. Discover the ingredients and techniques that make these meatballs truly special.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1 lb. minced pork meat
• 1 lb. minced veal meat
• 1 egg
• 1/6 loaf of French bread
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup Parmesan grated
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• Flour for dusting
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 28 oz. 794g whole tomatoes, peeled and canned
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic diced
• ¼ cup olive oil + 2 tbsp.
• 1 tbsp. Oregano minced
• 1 cup water

Instructions

Making the tomato sauce:

• Pureé the tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Set aside
• Using a pot large enough to fit all your meatballs, warm ¼ cup olive oil over medium-low heat.
• Add diced onion, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and sweat until the onions and garlic turn translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add pureed tomatoes to the pot. Then add dry oregano
• Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring regularly, for about 1 hour.
• After an hour, stir in a cup of water, allowing the sauce to come to a boil. Once it is boiling, remove from heat and set aside to be used in finishing the meatballs.

Making meatballs:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the minced pork and veal meat.
• In a separate bowl, soak the torn French bread pieces in the whole milk for about 5 minutes until softened.
• Once the bread has softened, add the bread and milk to the bowl with the meat.
• Add the egg, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the meat mixture.
• Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. You can use a fork or your hands for this step.
• Once the mixture is evenly combined, shape it into meatballs of your desired size. We recommend using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each meatball.
• Roll each meatball in flour to lightly coat them, shaking off any excess flour. Once done lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cooking meatballs:

• Heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs to the skillet in a single layer, leaving some space between them. Take great care not to overcrowd the pan when frying meatballs. You may need to fry them in batches.
• Fry the meatballs for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are browned on all sides. You do not need to cook them through just yet.
• Once browned, remove the meatballs from the skillet and place them in a pot with tomato sauce. Cover them with a lid and bring the tomato sauce to a gentle boil.
• Cook the meatballs in tomato sauce for 10 minutes but be sure to check them for doneness before proceeding to plating.

Serving meatballs:

• Once cooked, serve the meatballs with a generous dollop of tomato sauce, ideally with a slice of grilled focaccia on the side.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Italian

Keyword authentic Italian meatballs and tomato sauce, meatballs in tomato sauce, meatballs recipe