Homemade Meatballs In Sauce

A pile of homemade meatballs in tomato sauce.

Homemade Meatballs In Sauce

These homemade meatballs in sauce bring all the cozy Sunday dinner vibes, with tender beef, flavorful pork, and that rich “liquid gold” that makes the whole pot something special.

Course dinner, Entree

Cuisine Family, Italian, Sunday Sauce

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings pieces

Calories 128kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

frying pan
large mixing bowl
chefs knife
Box grater
Tongs

Ingredients

Pork:

1 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves smashed
6 country-style pork ribs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper,
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Meatballs:

2 pounds ground beef 80/20
4 large eggs,
1 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1 cup Romano Cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper,
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 small onion roughly chopped
3 Tablespoons water

Liquid Gold:

1 cup water

Instructions

Pork:

Add oil to a large fry pan or skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic to the pan.
Pat pork ribs dry and season well with salt pepper and garlic powder.
Sear pork ribs, turning until golden on all sides. Manage heat and remove garlic if it's getting too dark (don't burn it!). Remove pork to a paper towel-lined plate once golden brown on all sides.

Meatballs:

Gently mix all meatball ingredients except for the chopped onion in a large bowl with clean hands. Add palm-fuls of a warm water until the meat is malleable but not soup.
Make a tiny beef patty and fry it in the oil. Cool and taste. Adjust meatball ingredients based on taste (more cheese for added flavor and texture, more water if they are too hard, more bread crumbs if too soft).
Then roll the meat mixture into meatballs about the size of a golf ball. Use a cookie scoop for uniform sizing.
Add chopped onion to the pan and add meatballs, in a single layer and not touching.
Turn meatballs so they're a deep brown color on each side without burning. Remove the meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove any bits of onion, garlic or other little pieces that can be left on the meatballs.

Liquid gold:

Add 1 cup water or more to the fry pan so that it's filled up to around half and bring it to a boil.
Gently scrape the bottom of the fry pan to get all the little bits off the bottom.
Now take the water and grease that was mixed with bits and pieces from the fry pan and strain it through a mesh sieve.
If you're doing the sauce the next day you'll wrap and refrigerate your liquid gold and your meat to use in the next day's sauce recipe. Or move on to the sauce recipe linked at the beginning of this post.

Video

Notes

Don’t rush the pork. Let it get a nice golden sear before you pull it from the pan.
Trim the pork as much or as little as you like. Leaving a bit of fat adds flavor as it cooks, but more fat to eat around. Use your judgement.
Use 80/20 beef for tender meatballs, but if you go with a leaner mix, add a bit more water when mixing the meatballs.
(more cheese for added flavor and texture, more water if they are too hard, more bread crumbs if too soft).
If the flavor needs a boost, add more Romano cheese before adding extra breadcrumbs.
Keep the sauce smooth by brushing off any browned bits that stick to the meatballs.
Ingredients to prep ahead- Trim the pork, measure the breadcrumbs and cheese, and chop the onion.
Leftovers and storage- Refrigerate 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition