Nonna Pia's Delicious Meatballs

Ingredients

• 3 lb ground beef (estimated from visual quantity in video)
• salt (to taste)
• 4 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• 0.5 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• 0.75 cup Romano cheese (grated)
• 4 slice Italian bread (stale or fresh, soaked in water and squeezed dry)
• 6 eggs (large)
• 0.5 cup bread crumbs (store-bought, added to adjust texture)
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
• 4 cup marinara sauce (for simmering)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the ground meat in a large mixing bowl.

2. 2

   Add salt to the meat, being careful not to add too much.

3. 3

   Finely chop the garlic cloves and add them to the bowl.

4. 4

   Chop the fresh parsley and add it to the mixture.

5. 5

   Add the grated Romano cheese to the bowl.

6. 6

   Soak the slices of bread in water for a few moments, then squeeze them thoroughly with your hands to remove excess water. Crumble the wet bread into the meat mixture.

7. 7

   Crack six eggs into the bowl.

8. 8

   Add a small amount of store-bought bread crumbs to help the mixture stick together and prevent it from being too wet.

9. 9

   Mix all the ingredients together by hand until thoroughly combined.

10. 10

    Roll the mixture into uniform, round meatballs.

11. 11

    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.

12. 12

    Fry the meatballs, turning them occasionally until they are browned on all sides.

13. 13

    Transfer the browned meatballs into a pot of simmering marinara sauce.

14. 14

    Let the meatballs cook in the sauce for a few minutes to finish cooking through and absorb the flavor of the sauce.

15. 15

    Serve hot with extra sauce.

Notes

Nonna Pia's secret is using water-soaked bread instead of just dry bread crumbs to ensure the meatballs stay moist and tender. She uses a combination of soaked bread and a little bit of dry bread crumbs to get the perfect consistency.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• meatballs
• Italian
• dinner
• comfort food
• beef
• fried