Perfected Over 10+ Years, The Best Italian Meatball Recipe…Ever!
Meatballs have a special place in my heart—they were one of the very first things I taught myself to cook back in college! Over the past 10+ years, I’ve tweaked and perfected this recipe, and I can confidently say these are the absolute Best-Ever Italian Meatballs.
If you ask me, serving someone a plate of spaghetti with homemade Italian-style meatballs is the ultimate expression of love. Maybe it’s no coincidence I married someone whose favorite food is meatballs (wink).
10+ years in the making, this is the best Italian meatball recipe—classic comfort food at its finest! Made with beef, pork, and ricotta cheese-soaked breadcrumbs, these ricotta meatballs are rich, flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Baked, broiled, and simmered in a simple tomato sauce, they’re perfect for Sunday suppers, holiday gatherings, or a cozy bowl of pasta.
Chris has enjoyed taste-testing these almost as much as I’ve enjoyed perfecting them. Now, they’re just right on every level—flavor, texture, and ease. My approach to meatballs has evolved a lot since my college days, but I’ve learned the secret to making humble meatballs extra special: it’s all in the small tweaks.
This recipe features fresh aromatics and ricotta-soaked breadcrumbs for meatballs that are light, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth good. After baking and broiling, they finish with a quick simmer in my go-to simple tomato sauce. The result? Perfectly juicy meatballs that are rich, fresh, and full-flavored. They’re so good, it’s kind of crazy!
Perfect on their own, over pasta, in a meatball sub, or as an appetizer—there are so many ways to eat ricotta meatballs at any meal, any day of the week. This Italian meatball recipe is even special enough for holiday dinners!
Easy Ways to Make Your Pasta Dinner Taste As Good as Any Trattoria 🍝
Get 5 days of pasta tips learned from my years in a fine-dining Italian restaurant.
How to Make Homemade Ricotta Meatballs
Learning how to make Italian meatballs is one of those skills that will stick with you for life. While there are a couple of moving parts, the process is pretty straight-forward—you’ll get the hang of it quickly!
Prepare the panade. Much like how traditional Italian meatball recipes call for soaking breadcrumbs in milk, these ricotta meatballs start by mixing together panko breadcrumbs and whole milk ricotta. The breadcrumbs should soak in the ricotta for about 10 minutes.
Soften the aromatics. As the breadcrumbs soak, cook the onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until softened and fragrant. Why? ⇢ Rather than adding them to the meatballs raw, this quick step brings out the aromatic flavor of the onion and garlic.
Mix the meatballs Mix the softened aromatics, eggs, grated parmesan, and fresh herbs into the ricotta-soaked breadcrumb mixture. Add the beef and pork last, carefully mixing with your hands just until everything comes together, but no longer. Why? ⇢ Over-mixing compacts the meat, resulting in tough, chewy Italian meatballs – the opposite of what we’re going for here!
The best meat for meatballs ⇢ I opt for a mix of ground pork and ground beef, which results in beautiful, richly flavored meatballs. Many traditional Italian meatball recipes also call for ground veal, which is a great add-in if it’s readily available to you.
Form 2-inch meatballs, a little larger than the size of a golf ball. Lightly roll the formed ricotta meatballs in your palm to smooth them out a little. Again, treat them without pressing down on them or working them too much—doing so destroys the light, airy texture we’re after!
Bake-Broil-Simmer! These ricotta meatballs cook in 3 different phases to achieve the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth texture. Bake to cook them most of the way through, broil to create a beautiful golden brown crust, then finish with a quick simmer in a simple tomato sauce—more detail on this in a sec!
The Perfect Meatball Sauce: Simple Tomato Sauce
The final touch for these Italian meatballs is my perfect, simple tomato sauce.
This sauce is loaded with smart, flavor-packed ingredients like white wine, fire-roasted tomatoes, and plenty of aromatics. It tastes like it’s been simmering for hours—but comes together in 40 minutes or less! It’s the perfect pairing to prep while your ricotta meatballs bake.
Here’s how to make it:
- Start with aromatics. Sauté onions and garlic in a frying pan to build a rich, flavorful base.
- Add tomato paste and deglaze with white wine. Scrape up all those browned bits at the bottom of the pan for extra depth.
- Add fire-roasted tomatoes. I love using a mix of crushed and diced for the best texture.
- Simmer for 25 minutes. This gives the flavors time to meld and develop beautifully.
Once the ricotta meatballs are baked and broiled, finish them in the tomato sauce. This step is a game changer! The meatballs become even more tender as they soak up the sauce’s rich flavors.
Serving Suggestions
Here’s the deal—there’s no wrong way to eat these meatballs. That’s one of the reasons why this is the we love these meatballs—they’re super versatile!
Some of my favorite ways to serve ricotta meatballs include…
- Spaghetti and Meatballs 2.0 – The perfect pair! Swap out spaghetti with bucatini, a tubular long pasta with the best chewy texture. Serve them together on a bed of ricotta for the easiest, tastiest twist on classic spaghetti and meatballs! Don’t forget a bistro-inspired Mixed Greens Side Salad to round out the meal.
- as an Italian meatball appetizer – Serve the ricotta meatballs in San Marzano Tomato Sauce as a dinner party appetizer to start things off on a delicious note. You could pair them with a little crostini or polenta cake, or just serve them on their own…sometimes things are perfect all on their own!
- Italian meatball sub – Tuck your ricotta meatballs into a fresh sub roll or toasty brioche bun, then finish with some extra sauce and grated parmesan for a cozy, hearty sandwich. Easy enough for lunch and hearty enough for dinner!
I can’t wait for you to try these Best-Ever Ricotta Meatballs! If you do, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about and seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Print
Best-Ever Meatballs: Italian-Style Ricotta Meatballs with Simple Tomato Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Pasta Recipes, Main Dishes
- Method: Baked, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Description
These Italian-style meatballs are seriously rich and flavorful thanks to the perfect combination of ground beef + pork and a generous amount of fresh aromatics, like onion, garlic, and fresh basil. Soaking the breadcrumbs in ricotta cheese creates the best light and meltingly tender texture. The ricotta meatballs bake, broil, and simmer in a simple, delicious tomato sauce, making them both golden-brown and perfectly tender all at once.
Enjoy them over a bowl of fresh pasta, as a holiday appetizer, or tucked in a meatball sub, these ricotta meatballs are endlessly versatile and absolutely perfect every single time. An instant classic!
Ingredients
- ¾ pound 85%-90% lean ground beef (see Recipe Notes)
- ¾ pound ground pork (see Recipe Notes)
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 6 ounces whole milk ricotta (approx. 3/4 cup)
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ounces finely grated parmesan (approx. 3/4 cup)
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- optional: up to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: simple tomato sauce (below), grated parmesan, chopped fresh parsley or basil, crushed red pepper flakes, pasta as desired, etc.
for the simple tomato sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, as needed
- ½ medium yellow onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- optional: up to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 (one) 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (one) 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the top ⅓ of the oven, about 8 inches under the broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy clean up as desired. Spray the prepared baking sheet generously with nonstick cooking spray. Gather and prep all ingredients according to the Ingredients List, above.
- Soften onion and garlic for the meatballs: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the yellow onion. Season with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, 5-6 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer, until fragrant. Transfer softened onion and garlic to a bowl and set aside. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Soak the breadcrumbs: Meanwhile, as the onion and garlic cook, soak the breadcrumbs. Add the ricotta and panko breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine well. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
- Cook aromatics for the simple tomato sauce: Meanwhile, as the breadcrumbs soak, begin cooking the simple tomato sauce. Return the skillet used to soften the onion and garlic for the meatballs in Step 2 over medium heat. If needed, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the yellow onions. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired, and stir to combine. If anything begins to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
- Build and simmer the tomato sauce: Stir the garlic and crushed red pepper flake (if using) into the skillet, cooking until just fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir the tomato paste into the skillet. As it heats, stir to coat the veggies. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until deeply red. Deglaze the skillet with the white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that have formed at the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Once the wine reduces by half, add in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and water. Stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, maintaining a gentle simmer. Simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. If needed, cover to prevent splattering.
- Mix the meatballs: Meanwhile, as the sauce simmers, continue prepping the meatballs. To the large mixing bowl with the soaked breadcrumb mixture from Step 3, add the softened onion and garlic from Step 2, eggs, grated parmesan, chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh basil, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using) to a large mixing bowl. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper, as desired. Use your hands to mix well. Once the breadcrumb mixture is combined, add in the ground pork and ground beef. Using your hands, mix just until combined—take care to avoid over-mixing.
- Form the meatballs: Gently form the mixture into meatballs slightly larger than the size of a golf ball, rolling just until smooth – take care to avoid pressing the meatballs together too compactly. For quickness and ease, I like using a 2-inch spring-loaded scoop. The mixture will yield 16-18 2-inch meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs: Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn on the oven’s broiler and broil for an additional 5-8 minutes, until a golden brown crust forms on the meatballs. Check them every so often as they broil, rotating the sheet pan as needed to broil evenly.
- Simmer the meatballs: Once baked and broiled, add the meatballs to the skillet with the sauce, carefully stirring to coat. Simmer 10 minutes, carefully stirring occasionally. Finish the sauce by carefully stirring in the grated parmesan, parsley, and basil. Simmer 5 minutes more, just to combine.
- Serve the meatballs: Serve the meatballs immediately as desired, with pasta or in a meatball sub, etc. Enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
- Best meat for meatballs: Many traditional meatball recipes call for use of ground veal. While I love the flavor of veal, the combination of ground beef and ground pork is most often available at the grocery stores I frequent. That’s what I opt to use. However, many grocery stores and butcher shops sell a pre-mixed 1:1:1 combination of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal as a “meatball mix” or “meatloaf mix”. If you can find it at your grocery store, feel free to go ahead and use it in this recipe!
- Storage and Freezing Instructions:
- Storage and Reheating: These meatballs store very well—the simple tomato sauce gets even more flavorful as it sits and the flavors continue to develop and marry! Simply transfer the cooled meatballs and tomato sauce to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a splash of water or chicken stock as needed to loosen up the tomato sauce.
- Freezer Instructions: These meatballs are also incredibly freezer-friendly. To freeze, transfer the cooled meatballs and tomato sauce to a freezer container or divide between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions. Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen meatballs in the refrigerator overnight. Easily reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a splash of water or chicken stock as needed to loosen up the tomato sauce.
- 20-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for these meatballs comes from prepping the veggies and forming the meatballs. Take care of some of this in advance and you can jump straight in to cooking during the week:
- Veggie prep: Dice 2 medium yellow onions and finely chop 12 cloves of garlic. Transfer to individual airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (10 minutes active)
- Mix and form the meatballs according to Step 2-3, 6-7 of Recipe Directions, above. You can roll out the meatballs immediately or save the rolling for dinnertime; either way, the mixture will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (about 20 minutes active)
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
Absolutely exquisite. Used chicken in place of beef. Best meatballs ever!
So glad you enjoyed the meatballs, Alyce! We have a new Chicken Meatball recipe, too, if you’d like to try it out! 🙂
So good!
Nice & light, full of flavor.
I didn’t have panko breadcrumbs so I used smashed ritz crackers 🍴
Excellent problem-solving, Lisa!! So happy the meatballs turned out great for you!
These were the best meatballs I have ever made. For the most part I followed the recipe exactly but had to make two adjustments due to what I had on hand. I used all ground chuck and a stale loaf of sourdough to make breadcrumbs. This dish, meatballs and sauce, was truly delicious. It’s a keeper!
Using leftover bread for the breadcrumbs is a great adjustment, Paula! So happy you loved the meatballs as much as we do!
I’m going to make this for a VFW potluck. When instructed to ‘soak the bread crumbs’ what are they soaked in?
Hi Jo, the breadcrumbs are soaked in ricotta (described in step 3 of the instructions). Can’t wait to hear what you think of these meatballs!
Holy smokes!! This is the best recipe for meatballs and spaghetti EVER! My family 100% loved the sauce made with white wine so much better than the one I usually make that calls for red wine. I did not add the Parmesan to the sauce because the meatballs were rich enough imho. Definitely will be making this a regular!
So happy to hear your family loved these meatballs as much as we do, Teresa! 🙂
I tried these for the first time and they are fabulous!
Everyone absolutely loved them!
Do you think I can replace the ricotta with cottage cheese, being I don’t have any on hand right now, and would love to make a batch for dinner??
Hi Jean, cottage cheese would probably work great as a replacement for these meatballs! Make sure to let us know how they turn out if you decide to try! 🙂
These are the most delicious meatballs I’ve ever had. They’re so tender and full of flavor. As usual, Jess knocks another recipe out of the park. Thank you!
So happy you loved them, Ann!! They’re our favorite meatballs, too! 🙂
I have been making meatballs for nearly 50 years, never with ricotta, so I thought I would give it a try. To my surprise, these ARE the best meatballs I have ever made. Followed the recipe exactly and cooking directions are perfect. I will never go back after this!
This is THE highest compliment, thank you so much!! We’re so happy to hear you loved these meatballs as much as we do 🙂
I know I’ll love these. I would like to freeze prior to adding to tomato sauce. Should they be cooked somewhat longer to freeze without sauce or should I just cool and freeze immediately.
Hi Cathie, you can cool and freeze them immediately! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
This is the best most delicious recipe for meatballs. I can’t say enough; easy, authentic, it was like being in the best Italian restaurant for meatballs! They were light, moist inside, crispy outside, and filled w fresh flavors. I used only grass fed chopped meat form whole foods. Thank you!
Hi Kari, thank you so much for your kind feedback!! So glad to hear you love the meatballs!
Great recipe! I love using ricotta when I make meatballs.
Thanks Anthony! We love it too – such a nice light & airy texture, we’re so glad you enjoyed!!
Can I make these and freeze without cooking them?
Hi Connie! You can absolutely freeze these meatballs. For best results, transfer the cooled meatballs & tomato sauce to a freezer container or divide between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions. Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen meatballs in the refrigerator overnight. Easily reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a splash of water or chicken stock as needed to loosen up the tomato sauce. Hope that helps!
came across your Best-ever Meatball recipe while searching for a new recipe this afternoon. Lucky that I had Ricotta cheese on hand. They were really yummy. I have already shared the recipe with family and friends.
Thank you, Sue! So glad you found us & that they were a hit! Again, thank you for leaving a comment, we love hearing how recipes went! 🙂
I am making the meatballs for a party. Of course my husband and I had to sample some, they are delicious. I used organic meat ( beef n turkey) and the beef sometimes can be gamey, so I actually doubled the amount of ricotta. Baking the meatballs is the way to go. Thanks debra
Thanks so much, Debra! So glad to hear that you enjoyed & couldn’t agree more about baking the meatballs – it truly is the way to go! 🙂
These were delicious! I made them a month ago and froze them and just heated them up for dinner tonight. They will absolutely be my go to meatball recipe now
I made this recipe for my in-laws over the holidays and it was a huge hit! I then sent the recipe to my family and my whole family said that these were some of the best meatballs that they had ever made.
You can’t go wrong with this recipe. I recently made a large batch and froze these so that I have delicious meatballs on hand whenever I need a quick meal.
Delicious ! Made these meatballs and made sliders with them using Hawaiian Sweet Rolls..perfect with the leftover soup we had. I was lazy so I used a jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce. Will make pasta for the leftover meatballs & sauce.
This is a “will make again” recipe 👌
So glad you enjoyed – meatball sliders on Hawaiian rolls sounds like PERFECTION. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! xx
These meatballs felt like a labor of love. They were so worth it!! So flavorful, so good! I served them with a side gnocchi. Delicious!
These meatballs are incredible! I normally make meatballs the way my mother taught me (she is born of/from Italy) and I honestly love this recipe more. They have amazing flavor, hold together nicely and don’t dry out. The sauce is great as well. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!
Hi Jennifer! Thanks so much for leaving a comment & for your review! We are so thrilled to hear that you loved these meatballs as much as we do!!