Best Meatballs

I have been using this recipe for a long time now, and I never tire of it. It’s a very unique way of cooking the meatballs, and I borrowed some of the ideas from Joe Bastianich, one of my favorite celebrity cooks. It all works perfectly together, and I’m 100% sure you will keep this recipe in your records. I made this batch with ground beef, but you can easily substitute it with turkey or a beef/pork mix. It all works, and your dinner will be a hit.

Screenshot_20181105-111548_Instagram

What you’ll need:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/3 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • salt
  • 1 pound of pasta of your choice



Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine onion, carrot, celery, garlic and parsley in a food processor or blender and process to make a smooth paste. Scrape half of the paste into a large bowl, and save the other half in a small container.

In the large bowl with the paste, add ground beef, egg, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Mix with your hands and form 15 to 18 meatballs. Spray an oven proof pan with cooking spray and place the meatballs in it. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once.

Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package. Retain 3 cups of the water you cooked the pasta in.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the other half of the vegetable paste to it and cook it until it’s dry and starts sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes and 3 cups of the pasta water. Bring to a simmer and add the oregano. Season with salt. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, then add the pasta to the sauce. transfer to a bowl and serve with garlic bread and extra parmesan cheese.

Screenshot_20181105-112250_Instagram

Bon Appétit!

For more info on Joe Bastianich click here

Author: Gotham Foodie

Hello there, fellow foodies! My name is Erica, I was born and raised in Germany, and moved to the US, New York City to be exact, in July of 1987. I have worked most of my time here in the Big Apple as a bartender, but my true love is food. I cook just about every day, I search for good food everywhere, and pretty much always find it. I don't consider myself a food critic, I don't have the culinary background for that kind of expertise. I do however know good food, good chefs and good restaurants. I report back about my culinary adventures, and I choose to leave out my unsatisfactory experiences. We have enough negativity in our daily lives, I don't want to add to that. All the recipes in my FROM MY KITCHEN and DOTW blogs are cooked and prepared by me. All pictures are taken by me. I don't always eat everything you see in my pictures, but you bet your buns, I do try everything. Last but not least, you should know that I am a huge Top Chef fan. I have never missed an episode of the Bravo TV show. I have at this point visited almost 20 restaurants run by Top Chef contestants, and I'm continuously impressed by their skill, drive and passion. So I will continue to seek them out, and I hope you join me in my journey!

Leave a Reply