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66 Comments
Becky
February 18, 2016
I followed recipe but the meatballs were a little to soft or mushy? Would using 1 cup of milk instead of the water help this problem? And, I found the meatballs a little bland, any suggestions for how they could be made more flavorful? Thank so much!
Marie F.
December 29, 2019
I add oragano ( I use the ground kind) and a few flakes of hot pepper ( pepperoncini) Kosher salt and I soak the bread or breadcrumbs in milk in a cup. This adds moisture and flavor. Use 1/2 cup grated cheese for 1 1/2 lbs of. Meats.
Lara
June 21, 2015
I followed the recipe to a T, made homemade breadcrumbs, meatballs had great flavor, but the texture was a little weird-too "soft", any thoughts?
Christina
November 15, 2015
The same thing happened to me. The mixture was so soft, the balls flattened into patties when I fried them. Now that I'm rereading this recipe, however, I realize that I didn't use stale bread or dried out bread. I used fresh bread and turned it into crumbs in my food processor. But this recipe mentions how the water rehydrates the bread, so now I'm wondering if my 'fresh' bread crumbs weren't dry enough.
JessieV
June 18, 2015
These are the best meatballs I've ever made. They were incredible! Keeping this recipe on the fridge. :)
Kylee
March 13, 2014
Rao's is a wonderful dining experience! I was inspired to make these meatballs for my grandson's first birthday. I made them smaller and served them as sliders to rave reviews. They didn't last long. So good!
Kylee
March 13, 2014
One more note: I baked the meatballs instead of frying them. They came out really good and I didn't have to deal with the frying mess!
ginger B.
March 12, 2014
Aren't these just the best?!!! Split open a baguette, stuff in a couple of meatballs, slather on your favorite marinara sauce. And Rao's -- what an experience,and I'm not talking about the food.
Eileen
January 15, 2014
I've had the pleasure of eating at Rao's twice, many years ago. The small intimate restaurant in the midst of Harlem on the river. It had a 2-3 month reservation wait list. I now own the cook book. 5 STARS......your mouth will explode with an orgasm of flavor.
Teresa
December 11, 2013
I have owned this cookbook for many years; one of my favorites!! These meatballs are soooo delicious!! If you haven't, try making the lasagna. Use ground Bison meat in place of the ground beef in the marinara sauce....you won't be disappointed
Dave S.
June 15, 2013
Ever since I was a kid my mom has always made her meatballs with crushed Ritz crackers (instead of bread crumbs), plenty of water, and some instant mashed potato flakes. Her meatballs are also incredibly light, tasty and tender!
jgjensen
June 12, 2013
You're sooooooo right. I make a vegetarian version, eggs, cheddar, chopped walnuts, minced onion and bread crumbs and bake about 20 min. Tonight I added about 1/2 cup water--so much better. Added to pasta sauce with linguini--fab!
Auntie M.
June 12, 2013
When I saw Genius meatball recipe, I knew it was Rao's! I gave the cookbook to my husband many years ago, and he has been making the meatballs and lemon chicken religiously. Both recipes are genius! Feel honored that Food52 agrees with us.
Amanda S.
June 12, 2013
We usually don't use any breadcrumbs in our meatballs, but I have been craving meatballs and these popped up on my newsfeed so I made them tonight. My only problem is that they have totally broken apart since moving from the frying pan to the sauce! It's turning into a meat sauce... Perhaps they weren't done enough inside before I moved them to the sauce?
Kristen M.
June 13, 2013
Amanda S, I'm sorry to hear that. The meatballs don't need to be completely cooked before going into the sauce, but they should be nicely browned on the outsides. Did you increase the amounts of the other meats to make up for the pork? Hope it still tasted good!
wendy W.
June 12, 2013
your recipe is nothing new. the secret was always to soak the bread in water or milk. however, it is nice to see someone making a rather authentic meatball.
Kenzi W.
June 12, 2013
New recipes aren't so much the point of this column. Kristen uncovers a lot of old gems, too -- and these meatballs are a great example of that!
wendy W.
June 12, 2013
i would not have known that. it is the first time i read it. thank you. i will keep it in mind.
jslade
June 12, 2013
This is the first recipe for meatballs that I have read that is exactly the way my mother used to make. Wow! Thanks!
ShannonJ
June 12, 2013
I make them the way my grandmother (who made THE BEST meatballs in the world) did, by cooking them right in the sauce. Always soft and perfectly round. Always delicious. I also think cooking the meat in the sauce gives the sauce a richer flavor. Yum.
ChrisVeros
June 17, 2013
I am also a proponent of 100% braising the balls. The frying is messy, oily, and it gives them flat sides. I have never found them wanting for a fried coating after cooking them in the sauce.
Karen A.
June 12, 2013
I knew about this trick because my Taiwanese hubby's family has always used water in their dumpling meet. Works!
celine
June 12, 2013
do we think there is magic to the water, or would any liquid do? milk, like MeatballsandMilkshakes suggested, or other? I know, I know, we're supposed to get over the weirdness of adding water to meatballs and just try it, but I am scared!
nutcakes
June 12, 2013
Nothing to be scared about, this is a tried and true method from a well known restaurant and cookbook, and others use this method too. Rocco di Spirito used to have Rocco's Mama's meatballs on his website and his mother uses chicken stock which is also genius and I've made those many times. You can google to find that recipe reprinted on the food.com site.
ChrisVeros
June 17, 2013
Milk works. In my recipe I use actual staled Italian bread and soak it in milk.
Henry L.
June 12, 2013
Any suggestion for a substitution for the pork? Can't have any in our house... Thanks.
pierino
June 12, 2013
I will second Amanda S on that. Just keep the meat ratio the same but increase the amounts of beef and veal. I would also use a "hamburger grind" of 80/20 which means 80% meat to 20% fat.
DeniseP
June 12, 2013
Do any of you have a suggestion for something to use as a binder in lieu of egg? We have an egg allergy in the family. THANKS!
pierino
June 12, 2013
That's an interesting challenge. I would like to think about that further. My first thoughts/impulses would probably turn your meatballs into cement bombs. I still have some ideas...
AntoniaJames
June 12, 2013
Here's an interesting Hotline thread on that topic . . .http://food52.com/hotline/3846-i-don-t-have-an-egg-for-meatloaf-what-can-i-use
Also, vegans use ground flaxseed with water to replace eggs. The usual ratio is 3 tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed = 1 egg. I might add a bit more water in this case. I'd probably try that first.
If you end up making these, please let us know how they turn out! ;o)
Also, vegans use ground flaxseed with water to replace eggs. The usual ratio is 3 tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed = 1 egg. I might add a bit more water in this case. I'd probably try that first.
If you end up making these, please let us know how they turn out! ;o)
sabina
June 12, 2013
Whey is a great binder used in a lot of non-egg cooking. You could strain some plain whole milk yogurt and try that--perhaps along with a little flax meal.
nutcakes
June 12, 2013
My egg allergy friend uses a product called Ener-G egg re placer which comes out reasonably well for this task. I have heard of using flax but not tried it. Also Chia seed, also pureed tofu. And the strained yogurt sounds like a great idea for this use.
sabina
June 12, 2013
Beyond "gluten-free" we have to go grain-free in our house...any suggestions for a modification? perhaps 1/2 the h20 since there is nothing to rehydrate? I'll mess around and post my findings in case anyone else needs a lower-carb, gluten-free solution.
marcella F.
June 12, 2013
try mashed potatoes and no liquid at all, except maybe for a little milk to further soften the mix, should you find it necessary (let your hands be the judge :)
marcella F.
June 12, 2013
well, not really, as boiled potatoes contain around 17 g of carbs per 100 g against an average of 60 g from bread.
sabina
June 12, 2013
perhaps by normal standards, but not by our situation...i'm experimenting with using 1/2 cultured whey and 1/2 water along with the eggs...and we'll see what happens. but thank you marcella!
sabina
June 13, 2013
Well, the end product was a big hit! but I'm sure not as delectable as when you add crumbs. They were very light, and large, and I think the whey added to their buoyancy. I added 1 1/2 cups of whey as the liquid replacement for h2o. I would consider adding a teaspoon or tablespoon of coconut flour next time, and see if it needed all 2 cups. I used all pasture raised meats-beef, pork and lamb, and added extra garlic and basil because I could! Baked entirely in the oven as I had to run out and put them on a timer. They wept a little, but I just mixed the drippings back into the sauce-which is the last of last summer's dry farm tomato and red pepper sauce--over zucchini spaghetti. Not classic at all, but it made us happy. Thank you Kristen!
Joseph F.
June 12, 2013
I have been making meatballs (Polpetta) this way since my mother taught me 35 years ago. it is by far the best flavor and texture. I am so happy to see the world exposed to this method
thomas F.
June 12, 2013
I've been making meatballs for 20 years. I just this year purchased the Marc Vetri cookbook, Rustic Italian Food, within which is the single most amazing meatball recipe i have ever made. They are so delicious that i have had friends go speechless over them. I would highly recommend you try them.
thomas
thomas
CarlaK
June 12, 2013
I have been making these meatballs for years now since the recipe was on some TV station and they are fabulous! Yu can't believe they will actually hold together with all that water but they do and the result is unbelievably tender and delicious. And, yes, to SeasonallyRaw, I always bake them and they do great. I do let them sit in the sauce though before serving.
Karie E.
June 12, 2013
I saw these earlier this morning on Facebook and nearly licked the screen. Delicious!
ElaineStLouis
June 12, 2013
I always bake meatballs in a hot oven (425) until nicely browned. This takes a fraction of the time and work if you put them in a jelly roll pan and spray with a good quality spray fat (to aid browning)
ElaineStLouis
June 12, 2013
Depends on the size of your meatball, distance from the heat source, whether you have convection, and the altitude. It takes 20 to 30 minutes in my oven to brown them. Finishing them in the sauce for the 15 minutes assures you'll have cooked meatballs.
SeasonallyRaw
June 12, 2013
The healthy eater in me wants to transform this recipe so that it isn't fried and doesn't have (wheat) breadcrumbs. Do you think it would work if the meatballs were baked, and with a substitution of GF breadcrumbs or almond flour?
glutenfreegirl
June 12, 2013
I'm going to make these gluten-free this evening! Just grind up some slices of gluten-free bread for the breadcrumbs. We were just in Italy, where the olive oil board completed a big study showing that foods fried in olive oil are healthy. Consider the source but I'm willing to make them occasionally!
marcella F.
June 12, 2013
as I wrote earlier in a comment above, you could try substitute mashed potatoes for the breadcrumbs, and vary the amount of liquid accordingly (I'd go for some milk should the mix need a bit more moisture)
KPeters
July 1, 2013
I'm Italian and learned how to make meatballs at my Nonna's knee. She used day-old Italian bread, soaked in water and with excess squeezed out, and fried them before putting them in the sauce. Although I still use her recipe for special occasions, I've modified the recipe for my family's regular meals to be somewhat healthier. I use ground turkey (not ground turkey breast - you need the fat from the dark meat) and quick oats instead of bread. I DO add water like the above recipe states - very important! I cook them right in the sauce and they come out very moist and light.
Kateq
September 26, 2013
I've been making these for years and always bake them on a cooling rack on a sheet pan instead of frying them--they're always delicious.
Mr_Vittles
June 12, 2013
So their more like sausages? I have seen water be an ingredient in many traditional sausages recipes. Personally, I think a classical panade is the way to go.
Kristen M.
June 13, 2013
Not really -- just a very tender, light meatball (unless you use fine, processed breadcrumbs, which I warned against).
Meatballs&Milkshakes
June 12, 2013
It's also traditional to soak the breadcrumbs in milk instead of water, for the same effect.
louanne
June 12, 2013
Very similar to my Sicilian grandmother's recipe, although she added fresh basil along with the parsley. When garlic was growing in her little garden, she used it fresh, and her meatballs went from terrific to sublime.
pierino
June 12, 2013
Another thing to think about; grind not just your own breadcrumbs but your own meat. It's much safer than the packaged stuff in the supermarket counter. And yes very true, the really fine boxed bread crumbs don't make a good match for this recipe. I like doing riffs on meatballs and other "polpette".
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