See You ‘Round Like a Meatball on National Meatball Day!
The Greatest Beef Meatballs
Australian Beef and meatball king Matteo Bruno, of The Meatball & Wine Bar Melbourne, are sharing the secret to what makes the greatest (and tastiest) meatball.
See below Matteo's easy, authentic Italian meatball recipe, perfect for friends and family. Served with a side salad and crusty bread to catch every last drop of that cheesy centre and rich tomato salad, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser. GET IN MY BELLY!
Ingredients
- Meatballs
- Beef mince - 1kg
- Salt and pepper
- White bread - 4 slices
- Milk - 100ml
- Garlic cloves, finely chopped - 4
- Brown onion, finely diced - 1 small
- Parsley, chopped - 1 small bunch
- Red chilli, finely chopped - 1
- Ground nutmeg - 2 teaspoons
- Parmesan cheese, grated - 50g
- Ricotta cheese - 160g
- Eggs, plus an extra 1 yolk - 2
- Mozzarella cheese, cut into 1.5cm cubes - 150g
- Tomato Sauce
- Olive oil
- Small vine ripened tomatoes, sliced in half - 12
- Brown onion, chopped - 1/2
- Garlic cloves, diced - 2
- Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
- Passata (or favourite pasta sauce) - 1.5 litres
- Tin of chopped tomatoes - 1
- Basil leaves, fresh, picked and torn
- To serve
- Green leafy salad
- Crusty bread
Instructions
1. For the meatballs, season the beef mince in a large bowl with two generous pinches of salt and pepper. Soak the bread slices in the milk until fully absorbed, then remove any excess milk by gently squeezing the bread with your hands. Tear into small pieces and add to the mince.
2. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, parsley, nutmeg, Parmesan and ricotta cheese to the mince. Add the eggs and fold everything together with your clean hands.
3. Roll generous size meatballs, then using your thumb, make an imprint into the meatball and place the mozzarella cube inside, making sure to encase the mozzarella completely. This mixture should make around 15 meatballs. Set aside in the fridge until ready to cook.
4. For preparing the tomato sauce, add a generous glug of olive oil to a heavy set saucepan and place on high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Add the tomatoes to the hot oil - they will begin to blister and caramelise, revelling in their natural sweetness.
5. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook stirring constantly for around three minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste.
6. Once the onions are soft and transparent, add the tinned tomatoes and passata sauce. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat and cook for at least one hour on low heat. After an hour, season to taste with salt and pepper and add torn basil leaves.
7. Once the sauce is ready, place the meatballs into the sauce for about 18 minutes on a gentle simmer. Cook until meatballs are tender and starting to fall apart.
8. Serve three to four meatballs per bowl, pour tomato sauce on top and finish with a grating of Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. Serve with salad and bread. Delicious!
Big, small, cheesy, creamy, Italian or Swedish – however you like to eat ’em, it’s time to celebrate them. March 9 marks National Meatball Day and we have a easy peasy meatball recipe to get you off to a rolling good start.
