Great-Grandma’s Italian Meatballs

Name: Great-Grandma's Italian Meatballs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 medium onion, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 large Eggland's Best eggs, lightly beaten; 1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and parsley flakes; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1 pound lean ground turkey; 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean); Hot cooked pasta and pasta sauce, optional

My great-grandmother started this easy meatball recipe with our family. We use ground beef and turkey for these meatballs, and the flavor’s so good, you won’t miss the extra calories. —Audrey Colantino, Winchester, Massachusetts

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large Eggland's Best eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and parsley flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
Hot cooked pasta and pasta sauce, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, seasonings and onion mixture. Add turkey and beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls.
Place meatballs on a rack coated with cooking spray in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, 18-22 minutes. If desired, serve with pasta and pasta sauce.

Test Kitchen Tips

Consider preparing meatballs in bulk to save on prep time. You can make several batches of meatballs, bake them and then freeze until needed. Simply thaw the frozen meatballs in the refrigerator overnight and you’ll be ready to go.

Spaghetti-and-meatball pizza is a fun way to combine two Italian-inspired favorites. If you have leftover cooked spaghetti, toss it with some spaghetti sauce or additional pizza sauce, then layer it on the pizza before the onion and meatballs. Buon appetito!

Check out 37 of our favorite meatball recipes.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 271 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated fat), 125mg cholesterol, 569mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 1g fiber), 27g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1 fat, 1/2 starch.

Originally published as Healthy Italian Meatballs in Taste of Home February/March 2016

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Tony

Feb 11, 2019

Don’t call this your grandmas recipe. Turkey? Turkey.
Nan Mock

Jan 19, 2019

Made these meatballs to go in homemade spaghetti sauce for little meatball sandwiches. The meatballs were good, though next time I will increase the spices to amp up the flavor a little.
Poorgirl

Jun 28, 2018

I seriously doubt great-grandma used olive oil or ground turkey. When recipes such as this group are called "grandma's," then I expect them to be the original recipe used by "grandma," and not made over ones.
rwippel

Jun 24, 2018

These are my go to meatballs. I love that they’re baked so you don’t have to babysit a pan. Also the texture from using turkey and beef makes the meatballs flavorful and tender. I triple the batch and freeze meatballs for quick future dinners.
Nancy

Jun 12, 2018

Just made this for my family. Used ALL ground chuck. It was AMAZING and filling. First time ever making meatballs by hand and it was surprisingly easy. The kids and my husband and I LOVED it!!!! I used the Copper Crisper Pan, it drained off the excess fat and the meatballs were extra moist and yummy!! Like seriously, they were perfect!!
Christopher51

Jan 27, 2018

I seriously doubt that anyone’s great grandmother used “ground turkey.” Where I originally came from, NYC, to use anything but ground beef and pork is considered a sin; and I’d have to go to Confession. As a chef, I have nightmares about what’s actually in ground turkey. These meatballs will not be as moist and juicy as they should be. First off, the fat content is way too low and the bread crumbs way too dry. They should be moistened bread or the bread crumbs moistened with milk. Secondly, the meatballs should be fried or baked until the outside is crisp; then finished off in a covered pot of barely simmering sauce; for an hour or more. I usually cook mine for at least 2 hours. Any leftovers are destined to be reheated and served on a homemade, crusty, semolina, sesame Italian loaf. Then smothered with sauce and topped with mozzarella or provolone; then into the salamander/broiler, just enough to melt the cheese.
muffbear74

Dec 14, 2017

I cut the recipe in half and only used ground beef.
bunnerb

Aug 17, 2017

My Italian grandmother's recipe from the early 1940's (brought over from Italy) was way better than this.
jetluvs2cook

Mar 16, 2017

Very good recipe! I made them in the morning and then transferred to a slow cooker with marinara sauce to keep warm all day! Then I only had to cook some pasta for a quick supper!
Debra Torres

Feb 11, 2016

I liked these but my family didn't so much. They pretty much gave them a six out of ten in ranking. I like that they are made with turkey, but my husband felt they were dry