Meatballs with sauce are one of the most loved second meat dishes by adults and children, a classic recipe of the Italian tradition typically prepared by grandmothers for the whole family. It is one of those dishes that taste like home, the scent of which immediately brings back childhood memories and the cuisine of times gone by: imagine perfectly round, very soft and succulent meatballs, enriched with a tasty and enveloping tomato sauce .

Did we make your mouth water? Then prepare them immediately: every grandmother has her own version that she jealously guards, but today we offer you a recipe for meatballs with sauce which, due to its flavor and consistency, will take you back to the past. To prepare it you will need minced meat, eggs, grated parmesan and bread or bread to soften in fresh milk, as well as a good tomato puree. Choose a mixed ground meat of beef and pork that is not too lean, so that the meatballs are soft, and if you like, add a pinch of nutmeg to the mixture, it will make it super fragrant.

Once formed, the meatballs will first be fried and then cooked gently in the sauce : frying allows them to be “sealed” by retaining the meat juices inside, while slow cooking in the sauce, over a gentle heat, makes them extremely soft to the bite. To ensure that the meatballs keep their shape, the sauce must therefore be dense and full-bodied at the right point, capable of wrapping them perfectly without breaking them.

With our doses you will get around 20 medium-sized meatballs , so if there are six of you at the table you can serve three meatballs per person , or, just like our grandmothers would do, increase the quantities and prepare plenty of them: they are excellent reheated the next day and they can also be frozen.

Also known as Neapolitan meatballs with sauce because they are a typical Sunday lunch dish in the Neapolitan city, they are perfect to serve with a few slices of good homemade bread with which to make the inevitable slipper . The meatball sauce can then be reused to season the pasta , a typical grandmother’s trick: this way you will make first and second courses using a single pan.

Find out how to prepare meatballs with sauce to perfection by following our recipe step by step, and don’t miss the other tasty ways to prepare meatballs, both with sauce and plain: fried , stewed , with lemon or pizzaiola . Also try the meatless variations, from bread meatballs to potato , ricotta and aubergine meatballs .

Ingredients
FOR ABOUT 20 MEATBALLS
MIXED GROUND BEEF AND PORK
400 gr
EGG
2
THERE ARE
4 slices
GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
60 gr
LATTE
1/2 glass
SALE
q.b.
BABY
q.b.
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
TOMATO PUREE
500 gr
SALE
q.b.
How to prepare meatballs with sauce

Step 1
To prepare the meatballs with sauce, start by breaking the crustless bread into a bowl and leave to soften for about ten minutes in the milk: in this way it will blend more easily with the rest of the ingredients. In another bowl, place the minced meat, parmesan and eggs. When it has softened, add the well-squeezed bread
1
, then season with salt and pepper.

Step 2
Mix the ingredients well with a wooden spoon or your hands, until you obtain a soft and compact dough
2
. If it seems too soft, add a spoonful of breadcrumbs.

Step 3
Now form medium-sized meatballs, rolling them in the palms of moistened hands
3
. To have them all the same, take small balls of 30 grams each: this way you will get around 20 meatballs. Then let them rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to compact them well.

Step 4
In the meantime, heat the peanut oil in a pan, then arrange the meatballs well apart, without overlapping them, and cook them on both sides. Once golden brown
4
, drain them on absorbent kitchen paper to eliminate excess oil.

Step 5
At this point, pour the tomato puree into the pan, diluting it with two or three inches of water: put the water directly into the bottle and shake it for a few seconds, so as to recover the puree left on the edges. Then arrange the meatballs
5
and, if necessary, add salt. Cover with the lid and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, making sure the sauce does not come to the boil.

Step 6
Once the cooking time has passed, your meatballs with sauce are ready
6
: bring to the table and serve while still hot, without forgetting the homemade bread for the slipper.

How to use leftover meatball sauce
If there is some sauce left over despite the slipper, the best way to reuse it is to make a tasty condiment for pasta : separate it from the meatballs and sauté it for a few minutes on a high heat together with your favorite pasta shape, drained al dente. You can also add a few meatballs, cutting them if too large, and a sprinkling of grated parmesan.

Advice
For the meatballs you can also choose veal, chicken or turkey, and if you like you can add crumbled sausage to the mixture . For an even tastier dish you can instead replace the parmesan with pecorino .

If you want to obtain a very soft final result, add a boiled and then mashed potato to the rest of the ingredients.

For a lighter version, you can simply brown the meatballs in a pan with a drizzle of oil, then add the tomato puree and continue cooking according to the recipe.

storage
The meatballs with sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days , in an airtight container. If you used fresh ingredients, you can also freeze them both cooked and raw.