Grandma Grace's Meatballs Recipe

Prepare meatball mixture

In a large bowl combine the ground beef and ground pork. Add the grated/finely minced onion, minced garlic, chopped parsley, breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, egg, and milk. Sprinkle in the salt, black pepper, and dried oregano. Using clean hands or a sturdy spoon, mix gently until ingredients are just combined — avoid overmixing to keep meatballs tender (about 20–30 gentle turns).

Form meatballs

Portion the mixture into 40 g meatballs (use a kitchen scale). Roll each portion between your palms to form compact, slightly rounded meatballs. You should get approximately 12–15 meatballs from this batch. Place them on a tray or plate, spacing apart.

Brown meatballs

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, add meatballs without overcrowding and brown on all sides, turning gently with tongs or a spatula, about 6–8 minutes total per batch. They do not need to be fully cooked through — just nicely browned. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate and set aside. Reserve any browned bits in the pan.

Sauté aromatics

In a large saucepan or the skillet used for browning (wipe out or keep browned bits for flavor), heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and soft, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30–45 seconds — do not let it brown.

Build the sauce

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to caramelize slightly. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, dried basil, dried oregano, sugar (if using), salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Simmer with meatballs

Carefully add the browned meatballs into the simmering sauce, nestling them so they are mostly submerged but not crowded. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, turning meatballs once halfway through, until they are cooked through (internal temperature 70–72°C / 160–165°F) and the sauce has thickened and mellowed. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

If serving with pasta, cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving a small ladle of pasta cooking water.

Plate two 40 g meatballs per serving (or two per plate as the menu notes). Spoon tomato sauce over them and finish with a generous sprinkling of coarse grated Pecorino or Parmesan. Add a few fresh basil leaves if using and serve with crusty bread or pasta. If sauce seems very thick, stir in a tablespoon or two of reserved pasta water or stock to loosen.

Serve hot. Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheat gently in a saucepan.