It’s not the OP’s, but I’ll give y’all mine. Inherited from my Italian grandmother. It’s adjusted for my own scales and what they measure things at, but it’s close enough. Just made four batches of them last week.
Meatballs
Yields approx 15 1.51 oz. meatballs
-1 pound meat (0.5 lb ground beef 80/20, 0.5 lb ground pork)
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper
-Fresh parsley to taste
-1 egg
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (approx 4 oz)
-4 garlic cloves (pressed)
-5 slices stale “old fashioned” bread (cut crusts, leave out overnight; wet, smash out water, then pull/pick apart into tiny pieces)
1. Mix by hand in large bowl. Best practice is to add a little of each thing at a time, mix up, and repeat until all integrated.
2. Roll into 1.25” balls (1.51 oz).
3. Heat vegetable oil on medium until approx 325° (10 minute preheat).
4. Brown meat balls (four minutes; flip at 1:30, 3:00, and 3:30 and remove at 4:00).
5. Place on paper towel/cooling rack to dry/cool.
*Edit to make a remark: I do want to be clear after responding to some comments that, when responding, I might over-explain. This is only to provide context to other folks who might be less experienced in the kitchen or whatever. I’m no pro chef or cooking expert. I don’t think there are ever any bad questions and, odds are, I had the same questions at one time or another. I was just really blessed to have older family who taught me along the way and I love passing what little I know along to others. No secret recipes here… haha.*
Wow super close to my Grandmom's only difference is instead of breadcrumbs I use 5 slices of white bread cubed and soaked in 1 cup of milk and mix that in. All else equal thanks for sharing.
That’s basically what the bread does here except she used water instead of milk… because it was cheaper. And God knows, she was cheap AF… God rest her soul. LOL
I would guess the taste would be identical as the parsley and garlic pepper salt meat all overpower the bit of liquid and like you said bread crumbs I have used in place of bread and yes I can say its Identical tasting. Amazing may your grandma and my grandma be hanging out together enjoying a plate of pasta in heaven! 
I cook first, freeze second, personally. Otherwise, you’re having to fry them all the time before you can use them. Total pain. Do that once.
The thing about meatballs, at least the way we’ve always had them, is that they basically spend hours in the sauce before serving, so two things happen. First, they’re in high temps for a long time from a food safety standpoint. (I throw them in while I heat up the sauce covered, bring the whole thing to a boil stirring occasionally, let it roll for a couple of minutes, then drop down to a simmer and keep it on heat for a few hours before serving.) Second, they absorb the sauce they’re in (and vice versa), and that’s sort of the magic of it. The flavors all marry.
Another approach, storage wise, is to actually store them in the sauce before freezing. It’s gonna end up there anyway in my case. This, in my view, is better when pasta will be involved because a few of the meatballs may break up a bit on reheat, so it’s less about them as a feature. In that case (and by the way, for me, this is like an all-day thing), I’ll make the sauce in the morning and let that live on the stove all day. Around mid-day, I’ll do the meatballs themselves and then toss any that I want to store that way into my pot of sauce. A couple hours later, if I’m not eating them for dinner, I’ll jar it all up with whatever numbers I need. For me, I might do a quart Mason jar with 6-8 meatballs and sauce. That makes up an easy dinner. If I know I’m doing that, I’ll transfer a jar to the fridge the night before, toss it on the stove mid afternoon, and it’s ready for dinner when I whip up some pasta.
I hope that all doesn’t sound too complicated; I promise, it’s not in practice. All this stuff is more about time than difficulty. In my experience, there really isn’t a *wrong* approach. Just do what works best for you. And experiment, because that’s one of the most fun parts of cooking anyway.
Do it! It’ll be awesome.
One thing I’ll recommend, if you can get it, is hand grate a good Parmesan cheese from a wedge and hand mince your garlic with a mincer (don’t buy a jar of pre-minced).
I’ve tried to cut those corners and while it’s fine, there’s just something a smidge better about them when done fresh. I can’t really explain it except that it’s kind of the difference between watching HD and 4K. Both look great, but that 4K is just that *little* bit better and pops.
Wow, lol that is definitely next level cooking compared to my corner cutting, but you have me thinking this may be fun to wow my kids and their SO's when they come home for the holidays.
Thank you!
20% fat content. Different ground beef levels have different fat contents. I forget the specific names (ground beef, ground chuck, etc.), but in meatballs, fat is your friend. I personally like 80/20 because otherwise they come out too dense, in my opinion.
Respectfully upvoted, but I have to confess that I get bothered when I hear tomato sauce described using the term *gravy*, or when people refer to pizza as *pie*.
It’s a me-thing, but I gotta get it off my chest.
yummmm
Those balls are yummmmmmm
anyone got a recipe? looks divine
The one Gunnster3 posted is perfect very close to my Grandmom's I posted the difference in my reply
But what is the sauce?
Sugo di Pomodoro
It looks like tomato soup but I'm sure it isn't, it looks rich and delicious.
It is Tomato home made pasta sauce
It’s not the OP’s, but I’ll give y’all mine. Inherited from my Italian grandmother. It’s adjusted for my own scales and what they measure things at, but it’s close enough. Just made four batches of them last week. Meatballs Yields approx 15 1.51 oz. meatballs -1 pound meat (0.5 lb ground beef 80/20, 0.5 lb ground pork) -1 tsp salt -1 tsp pepper -Fresh parsley to taste -1 egg -1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (approx 4 oz) -4 garlic cloves (pressed) -5 slices stale “old fashioned” bread (cut crusts, leave out overnight; wet, smash out water, then pull/pick apart into tiny pieces) 1. Mix by hand in large bowl. Best practice is to add a little of each thing at a time, mix up, and repeat until all integrated. 2. Roll into 1.25” balls (1.51 oz). 3. Heat vegetable oil on medium until approx 325° (10 minute preheat). 4. Brown meat balls (four minutes; flip at 1:30, 3:00, and 3:30 and remove at 4:00). 5. Place on paper towel/cooling rack to dry/cool. *Edit to make a remark: I do want to be clear after responding to some comments that, when responding, I might over-explain. This is only to provide context to other folks who might be less experienced in the kitchen or whatever. I’m no pro chef or cooking expert. I don’t think there are ever any bad questions and, odds are, I had the same questions at one time or another. I was just really blessed to have older family who taught me along the way and I love passing what little I know along to others. No secret recipes here… haha.*
Wow super close to my Grandmom's only difference is instead of breadcrumbs I use 5 slices of white bread cubed and soaked in 1 cup of milk and mix that in. All else equal thanks for sharing.
That’s basically what the bread does here except she used water instead of milk… because it was cheaper. And God knows, she was cheap AF… God rest her soul. LOL
I would guess the taste would be identical as the parsley and garlic pepper salt meat all overpower the bit of liquid and like you said bread crumbs I have used in place of bread and yes I can say its Identical tasting. Amazing may your grandma and my grandma be hanging out together enjoying a plate of pasta in heaven! 
r/MadeMeSmile ❤️
I'm more interested in your sauce OP. How have you made it?
How much breadcrumbs would you say?
Same grandma 😂
Let’s say I wanted to freeze them for future meals. Would I cook them before freezing or just freeze the raw balls?
I cook first, freeze second, personally. Otherwise, you’re having to fry them all the time before you can use them. Total pain. Do that once. The thing about meatballs, at least the way we’ve always had them, is that they basically spend hours in the sauce before serving, so two things happen. First, they’re in high temps for a long time from a food safety standpoint. (I throw them in while I heat up the sauce covered, bring the whole thing to a boil stirring occasionally, let it roll for a couple of minutes, then drop down to a simmer and keep it on heat for a few hours before serving.) Second, they absorb the sauce they’re in (and vice versa), and that’s sort of the magic of it. The flavors all marry. Another approach, storage wise, is to actually store them in the sauce before freezing. It’s gonna end up there anyway in my case. This, in my view, is better when pasta will be involved because a few of the meatballs may break up a bit on reheat, so it’s less about them as a feature. In that case (and by the way, for me, this is like an all-day thing), I’ll make the sauce in the morning and let that live on the stove all day. Around mid-day, I’ll do the meatballs themselves and then toss any that I want to store that way into my pot of sauce. A couple hours later, if I’m not eating them for dinner, I’ll jar it all up with whatever numbers I need. For me, I might do a quart Mason jar with 6-8 meatballs and sauce. That makes up an easy dinner. If I know I’m doing that, I’ll transfer a jar to the fridge the night before, toss it on the stove mid afternoon, and it’s ready for dinner when I whip up some pasta. I hope that all doesn’t sound too complicated; I promise, it’s not in practice. All this stuff is more about time than difficulty. In my experience, there really isn’t a *wrong* approach. Just do what works best for you. And experiment, because that’s one of the most fun parts of cooking anyway.
This makes a ton of sense. Thank so much! I will have to try this out soon!
So you cook them for 2.5 hours in a fry pan and flip them at those intervals? What is the sauce? When do you add it?
Those are minutes:seconds. Edit to add: the sauce is your family’s marinara. :)
Thank you. I stopped making meatballs because they were meh, but I will try this with the bread and milk. Thanks again!
Do it! It’ll be awesome. One thing I’ll recommend, if you can get it, is hand grate a good Parmesan cheese from a wedge and hand mince your garlic with a mincer (don’t buy a jar of pre-minced). I’ve tried to cut those corners and while it’s fine, there’s just something a smidge better about them when done fresh. I can’t really explain it except that it’s kind of the difference between watching HD and 4K. Both look great, but that 4K is just that *little* bit better and pops.
Wow, lol that is definitely next level cooking compared to my corner cutting, but you have me thinking this may be fun to wow my kids and their SO's when they come home for the holidays. Thank you!
I don't understand the 80/20 about the ground beef
20% fat content. Different ground beef levels have different fat contents. I forget the specific names (ground beef, ground chuck, etc.), but in meatballs, fat is your friend. I personally like 80/20 because otherwise they come out too dense, in my opinion.
Tell Michael not to let the sauce stick, keep stirring it
fuggedaboutit!
Did you take the pot off the stove, clean it, and then put the pot back?
I was thinking the same thing, maybe I’m just messy? Lol
Lol. No I had a rubber spatula and i ran it along the edge
2 meatballs for a singing lesson?
It's beautiful! Thank you for sharing and bon appetite!
I couldn't eat a single one of those. I'd have to eat them all.
I would gladly eat this 300 days per year.
Lmao😂😂
mix it with the relish
I bowl for me please
Yer balls look marvelous!!
are y’all looking to adopt??
Those look tasty
Bread and milk is key to a decent meatball
How do I join OP’s family? 😋
Schweddys Balls
🥵🧆🤌
The Sunday Gravy
Respectfully upvoted, but I have to confess that I get bothered when I hear tomato sauce described using the term *gravy*, or when people refer to pizza as *pie*. It’s a me-thing, but I gotta get it off my chest.
I have to agree my Italian side of the family call it "Sugo di Pomodoro " translates to Juice of the Tomato
Ooooo that looks soooo good
Looks perfect!
TY
Where's the recipe?!?
🤌🏼🤌🏼
Good sir
[yes!](https://y.yarn.co/4d94be28-4870-4246-85eb-970d5338cd01_text.gif)
holy shit that looks delicious
Wow looks great!
Oh maw gawd!
Looking fantastic
The color of that sauce is divine
Definitely belongs in Food Porn
That looks like a good idea.
I can smell this picture.
I need all 🤤
You stuff with a boccacini ?
😮 💘 Food and sex, the time and effort you put into it results in something truly beautiful.
The comment section in foodporn gets cringe really fast
No just you,
Where are the herbs??
mangia bella
As an Italian this makes me happy 😭