Made with ground beef, pork and bits of prosciutto, these hearty Roman meatballs are simmered in a tomato sauce and paired with gnocchi. To ensure tender meatballs, don’t overwork the ingredients; mix them gently until just combined.
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
75 minutes
Servings
6 to 8
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
4 oz. finely chopped prosciutto
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
6 Tbs. finely chopped fresh basil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk and let stand for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the prosciutto, ground beef, pork, eggs, cheese, parsley, oregano, 3 Tbs. of the basil, 3 of the minced garlic cloves, the 1 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add the soaked bread crumbs and mix gently until combined. Divide the meat mixture into 1/4-cup portions and roll into balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
In an 11-inch French skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in 2 batches, brown the meatballs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
In the same pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining 3 Tbs. basil.
Add the meatballs to the pan and cook, turning occasionally and basting with the sauce, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately with the gnocchi alla Romana alongside. Serves 6 to 8.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
VicAZ from
I've made these so many times. A family favoriteAbsolutely is a bit labor and ingredients intensive. But, the payout is amazing. My husband LOVES these. We call them "fancy meatballs". They are scrumptious, and if you have leftovers they are even better the second day. I do not use fresh oregano, but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly. The gnocchi I only made once, and we decided while tasty we'd rather just serve over pasta.
Date published: 2025-08-24
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Orla from
Bestever MeatballsI have made these many time before and always a hit with everyone. They do take a little time but I make them ahead of time and brown them.I top mine with homemade Ricotta cheese. Delicious.
Date published: 2022-09-26
Rated 5 out of
5 by
PMendler from
So tasty!First time I made these meatballs were over an extended Thanksgiving weekend. Because of everything going on, I substituted the WS focaccia stuffing for breadcrumbs and halved the beef with veal. Absolutely Amazing! Very flavorful!
Date published: 2020-07-12
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Chefin from
Great tasting!I really enjoyed this dish. I also made the related recipe, which came out great too. It's a bit time consuming in the prep work (i.e. making fresh breadcrumbs) so I used some fresh herbs, some dried. I also used a regular 10-inch frying pan instead of a French skillet. The recipe still came out tasting terrific!
Date published: 2015-08-04
Rated 5 out of
5 by
JillianC from
The other reviews are right - these are delicious!I made these meatballs for a friend's retirement party & they were a big hit! I made the recipe as written for the meatballs & sauce. This was a potluck for about 30 so I doubled the meatball recipe & quadrupled the sauce recipe based on other reviewer's suggestions to double the amount of sauce. These were good tips as it was the perfect amount for a large crowd. I cooked them in advance, refrigerated them separately & then heated them up together in my large slow cooker. They were delicious! The combination of beef, ground pork & prosciutto was rich & flavorful. I usually make turkey meatballs but these were on a different level! I'll make a single batch next time & serve for dinner with pasta. Can't wait!
Date published: 2015-07-07
Rated 5 out of
5 by
RainyDay from
Fantastic!We made these as written, with the exception of adding a bit of rosemary that I had on hand, and they were perfection!
The seasoning and salt are well balanced.
The sauce is very tight and clings to the meatballs. It is not abundant. I loved it as written. If you are looking for a looser sauce that you can pour over the entire dish, you will have to double the sauce portion of the recipe.
I highly recommend these as well as the Gnocchi alla Romana which is on the WS site, as well.
Date published: 2015-01-13
Rated 5 out of
5 by
SAMom from
Outstanding!!!My husband said this was one of the best things I've ever made! I followed the recipe almost exactly, however I used gluten free bread crumbs and it was still great. I took the advice from other reviews and doubled the sauce and I highly recommend it. My only con is that it was extremely labor intensive.
Date published: 2014-08-19
Rated 5 out of
5 by
JaneNJ from
Made this for New Year's Eve!Although this required a lot of time and effort, it was worth it!
