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
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!
Date published: 2013-04-08
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Lov2Grill from
WONDERFUL recipe!I made this for the first time Saturday night and it was a huge hit! I took other reviewers advice and doubled the sauce. I will definitely do that again. I also cut back on the semolina flour in the gnocchi, using 1 3/4 c. The finished product was a great consistency. This is a definite do over!
