Rao's Meatballs

These are excellent. Note the directive to add water slowly--you may not need all of it. I also find that making these the night before or early in the day and refrigerating them allows for moister, smoother texture.

Until very recently, there as not a jarred sauce I would touch. I religiously stuck to my own. Recently someone recommended a jar so heartily I had to try it. They were right, I loved it. Now I will occasionally use it if I don’t have time to make it. Ironically it’s Rao’s brand. Crazy, since you don’t even recommend that one, despite using Rao’s meatballs.

Made as directed just to see. Meh.

Very quick recipe. I lightly fried mine because I’m going to freeze most of them. Delicious!

Nothing particularly distinguished or distinct about this recipe, but it is a classic. And they have the sense to fry them properly (needs to be enough oil so that they'll be half floating for them to stay at all round.

Made these the other night. Turned out better than Rao’s. Didn’t have to cut the breadcrumbs (store bought) and added as much water as it called for. Didn’t turn out mealy! Substituted the veal (unethical for my taste) for ground turkey. Made 28 3” Rao balls - perfect! Also added 6 cloves of garlic. Don’t know who only uses half a small clove of garlic for 28 balls….

Good simple recipe, but it can even be easier - I do not see the need for frying in the pan, just plop them in dutch oven full hot hot red sauce, of course longer cooking time required. Also added half water, half milk instead of just water, no garlic (garlic added to the sauce)

I would eat the onion-spinach-herb-garlic reduction(?) by itself honestly. The smell in the pan. It’s perfect. I gobbled up a 2-lb batch of these delicious meat bombs alone within 48 hours. I’m obsessed! Thank you!https://www.beckandbulow.com

Did really taste as good as expected - don't let salt and pepper come too short, a good amount is needed. People who are not too much into cheese should really watch out as it contributes a lot to the meatballs' taste. Overall a good recipe worthy of getting on the favorites-list.

I followed the recipe precisely and the meatballs were amazing.
This will be added to our regular rotation.
Thanks so much for sharing.

Followed recipe exactly. Needs salt (and more garlic for my Italian palate, probably more flavoring overall). Hope cooking them in sauce jazzes them up! Not much taste.

These are delicious and I made them the 2nd time using the air fryer to cook them...highly recommend as the “balls” were perfectly cooked, browned on all sides and no turning required!:)

These are not Rao’s meatballs and are awful. This recipe calls for 1/6 of the garlic and four times the amount of breadcrumbs as the authentic Rao’s recipe. These were like paste. Horrible, disappointing waste of ingredients. I don’t understand how people are raving about this monstrosity.

I've made these twice now, so good! No complaints from anyone on these meatballs. This time I had some wagyu beef and ground elk that I wanted to try. The only thing that we have done differently is keep cooked batches in the oven on low heat instead of on paper towels.
No need to serve with anything, they are simply delicious by themselves.

I haven't made these, yet, I'm planning to make them tonite using Samin Nosrat's Pomarola sauce. I typically read comments to get tips or other ideas for how to make a great recipe better, or at least more reliable. But this message thread is so full of arguments and strange passive aggressive maneuvers that it wasn't very helpful. So my review is for the message thread: 2 stars.

I thought my meatballs were perfect....I was wrong! THESE are!

I make these about every other month. Today, for the first time, I’m cooking them in the oven, like all the other meatballs I make. Last time that I fried them, I ended up with too many burns, on top of the messy stove. I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure it out.

I have not made these meatballs. I use my family recipe which is similar and equally delicious. But I must say we have been to Raos in Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and the meatballs are absolutely fantastic.

Made these last night. Cooked in oven at 425 convection for 20 minutes instead of frying and they were perfect.

This recipe is badly written and edited. Two pounds of meat plus fillers does not make 28 3-inch wide meatballs, you don't need a full cup of olive oil to sauté them, and one batch of Hazan's tomato sauce will never produce enough to finish cooking this quantity of beef. The meat mixture is good but the directions stink.

This is one of my all-time favorite meatball recipes, and everyone I've ever served them to has RAVED. Honestly, they can be made with the meat that you have, even if it's not the classic Italian beef/pork/veal mix, although it's very good that way. For instance, today, in the middle of quarantine when I'm not going shopping, but rather using what I have, that's ground beef, some ground pork, and some...ground venison. And I will bet that they're still going to be sumptuous, especially served in Marcella Hazan's fabulous tomato-butter-onion sauce (hot tip -- that sauce is easily made in the Instant Pot as a dump-it-and-go recipe, no watching/stirring required, while you make the meatballs). A perfect meal for watching "My Brilliant Friend" for any fans out there.

I don’t understand why these are called Rao’s meatballs when this is NOT Rao’s recipe. Save yourself a mistake and a complete waste of time and go to the Rao’s website instead.

Like most cooks, I did tweak the recipe just a bit by using powdered garlic and onion rather than the fresh garlic in the recipe. Also, I followed the directions that said if using fine store bought bread crumbs, to half the amount of bread crumbs and thus the water. Also, some reviews mentioned that they were a bit bland, so I used seasoned bread crumbs. I hope this is not too much tweaking, as I do not want to insult the chef.
The consistency is what I have been searching forever! Soft and tender, yet firm enough to not fall apart! I 'fried' mine in the oven to save my back from standing there frying and got a wonderful crisp on them.
They will be served in a basil tomato sauce along side my homemade manicotti!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe that I was able to make my own!!!!!!

142 posts to argue about whether to use veal or not? Time for everyone to pull up their big girl/boy pants and move on. Unless you are baking, recipes are a “guideline” not gospel. Adjust to your own tastes. Don’t like veal, substitute equal amounts of the beef and pork then. What is the big deal? Will it be authentic Rao’s? Not quite, but equally excellent! Enjoy the meatballs and then find something else to do. Tell your story walking!! It’s supposed to be “reviews” not all out war!

zoumonkie, What a freaking TROLL. Stop making people feel horrible about themselves because they choose different ethics to live their lives by. Some people eat lamb, some people don't. Some people don't eat pork. So freaking what. Did Rao's cookbook PR team hire you to troll people here? Move on troll. Shoo

I've been doubling this recipe for years and freezing them. They freeze fine, no one would ever know the difference.

zoumonkie, very unhelpful, please do not respond again. Due to the appearance of bread crumbs and water, it makes freezing a rational question which is why I asked. I'm interested in an answer, not your opinion

Do these freeze well?

Veal is essential in a Rao meat ball otherwise it’s a Jayne meatball.

If you like soft meatballs, this is a good recipe for you. For me this was a little too soft, and I wanted to amp up the flavors. Agree with previous comments that the pork is necessary but the veal is not.

I have made this many times. Used to make the fresh breadcrumbs in my Cuisinart, but much easier using fine, dry unseasoned breadcrumbs. However, I never use 2 cups. I fine one cup is plenty. And also never use 2 cups water. Way too much. Just add water 1/2 cup at a time. The water is very important. You have to get it right. This is what makes meatballs so tender. I stopped frying the meatballs and now bake in cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees. No mess all over stove and just as good as frying! Use 4 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes!

Meh. Turned out ok, kind of bland. I'd suggest doubling the sauce recipe. I didn't, and there wasn't nearly enough to soak the meatballs.

Having never made meatballs before could someone clarify what fresh
breadcrumbs are .
Does it mean white bread pinched out as if feeding breadcrumbs to birds . Experienced cooks are laughing but have mercy.

This was delicious and very easy to make! I left out the veal due to availability and ease, and just used a combination of ground beef and ground pork - it works beautifully!

These are delicious!

Your comment is on posts that are over two years old. You're right about the veal Nazi, but she is free to express herself; this is America. If the discussion was simply about meatloaf, changes might be appropriate. It isn't. It's about a specific meatball, Rao's. You'll never know what a Rao's meatball is if you use different ingredients. Exchanging veal with turkey is like exchanging Asian carp with chopped clams in gefilte fish; it isn't kosher.

@Food52, could you maybe clean up these comments? There are few reviews but a lot of unpleasantness about veal. What I like about this site is reviews are usually pretty well curated and not this kind of tripe.

Just use ground turkey instead of the veal for Raos meatballs. Flavors correctly. Textures correctly. Healthier, less expensive, more available than veal.

I have done this. It was pretty easy and fast. Nice!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/dining/18veal.html?_r=0

Children, Children SERIOUSLY.....What the hell type of FOODIES are you....enough with the Veal discussion. I don't eat Veal either....What is the BIG deal? So Mindy changed the recipe.....I have eaten at Rao's.....I doubt very much that the Owner would appreciate this ridiculous banter. Let it go....and for the record.....take a ride up to Columbia Co, NY to beautiful farmland, and when you see these little igloos with calves chained by their necks unable to move.....perhaps you can appreciate another persons point of view.....not just "1" farm practicing this method.....having said that, it is only one's own perception.....respect it

Really great recipe! Very child friendly. Usually meatballs are more or less a miss with our children, but these everyone liked and asked for seconds! Super delicate! Will make them again.

Absolutely brilliant recipe! I made them tonight and they were delicious. This is the first recipe I've tried from the Genius Recipes cookbook; one of many that sound intriguing, and by no means the last one I'll be making.
Personally I think the cheese just makes it and I would never have thought to include it, or to exclude onions. I put some onions in the sauce and it was an outstanding dish. Thanks!

this is my initial review...YES, MY REVIEW...."I don't eat veal, but I have the best grass fed/pasture raised beef and pork that I used and the recipe was totally amazing! Will be making this again and again."

you people are mad about weird things

Mindy, the child is you, to use such language on a food site ...we are discussing food. I'm not using foul language. You have the bug up your buns about veal....I am not going to jump in any more because you have no clue how to review a recipe. Why would you lower yourself by using that language? Enjoy your cooking and have fun! Don't take life so seriously.
You are most probably well meaning. Sorry for your frustration.

why are there so many douchebags like Picholine and CleveChef on here? Seriously...grow the f#ck up!

Yes, I'm going there again...make any version of these meatballs you wish,
Just don't review as Rao's meatballs. Here's why, the recipe is from a very successful NYC restaurant and bastardizing them in any way will not be a true review. That's all!

Oh, geez, if you don't believe in eating veal, then don't use veal in the recipe. I don't eat veal and I don't make stupid comments about on a recipe website.

I made these and they are great, but I substituted Oatmeal for the breadcrumbs (because of it's cholesterol reducing capabilities, and I have trouble digesting beef) and they were still really good. In fact, in the bowl, the quantities of oatmeal to meat appeared about equal by volume. I just let the oatmeal sit in the liquid for a while before incorporating all the ingredients. Light and fluffy results.

Make these balls any way you can and dont be afraid of the water! Just amazing!

Rao's cookbook has many more delicious veal dishes

No hostility. If it was taken that way. I'm sorry. You are right. There is too many mean spirited people in this world for us to make this site and wonderful recipes and products a forum for mean remarks.

Why are people so hostile to my remarks? I said early in the thread that I made this recipe w/ out veal and it was excellent. I don't think people are reading everything I wrote. This recipe works very well without veal. That's all.

Oh dear....yes make the recipe any way you want! Just don't critique this recipe if you change it! I get the info about veal, also have seen the situation with calves. That surely could be another discussion. All I'm saying is if I make this recipe and change it in any way, I will NOT comment on it because it WILL NOT be Rao's meatball recipe.

I disagree about the idea that anyone who makes this MUST use veal. I source my local, pastured, organic beef, pork and lamb for this recipe and it tastes amazing. I believe that animals are worthy of respect and love as they live a decent life while they are on this planet and then give their life for mine. This is what someone wrote about her husband's experience working at a dairy during college...."Do you enjoy eating veal? What do you really know about it? I don’t eat veal because I’ve seen firsthand how these calves are treated. It’s a deplorable practice, and when you see it in person, it has a much more powerful impact than seeing it on some TV documentary.

My ex-husband worked at a dairy when we were both in college, and I saw the veal calves many times. Most veal calves are males born to dairy cows. The females are raised to produce milk, but the males aren’t needed, other than the tiny fraction kept as bulls for breeding purposes, so they end up as veal.

These calves were taken from their mothers just a few hours after birth. They were then chained by the neck in small, dark crates. They were fed only milk or milk replacer. They were never allowed to run, to play, to feel the comfort of their mother beside them, or to even see the sunlight. In fact, they were barely able to move. Why? Because the producer didn’t want the calf to develop any muscle, so that its meat would be extremely tender."

the meatballs ROCK! the water makes them SUPER moist! I personally feel you MUST use the beef, veal + pork for the FLAVOR! i have read repeatedly ground turkey has a ton of fat in it and it's a myth its better for you AND it tastes like cardboard;) ALL the beef veal and ground pork you get these days is SO lean! Live a little! havent u head, a little fat is Good for you!!:) These balls will make you HAPPY.

This Sunday Is Father's day. What a nice surprise It will be for my son who will be making this for his own "papa"!!!!

Rao's recipe! I think I will follow exactly. Why do I need to know how anyone adjusts a well known restuaranteer's recipe! Duh!

Salt and pepper "to taste" isn't so helpful considering raw pork and eggs are in the mix. I did add about 1 tsp of salt and it seems pretty good. It's a very simple recipe, but I like that there are limited spices and flavors as my sauce has onions and basil.

Similar to mine except than I use milk to moisten and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

there is only one reason to use this recipe, it's by Raos. Don't mess with it. You can't improve on Raos,

I don't eat veal, but I have the best grass fed/pasture raised beef and pork that I used and the recipe was totally amazing! Will be making this again and again.

Try using sausage instead of the veal and see what you think or just use beef and sausage. I agree this is too much water overall. You could use half the amount and they will turn out perfectly and they will soak up a better flavor from the sauce when immersed. Mangia!

Like it's kinda a given you'd use Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce.

Used turkey to replace the veal and pork (we don't eat either of these). Still fantastic. This will be my go to recipe from now on.

Almost identical to my Calabrian grandmother's recipe. Only difference: equal parts beef, pork & veal - not beef dominant. And sometimes optional milk instead of water. But not so much 2 cups as by feel. Finally, cooking these in a sauce will MAKE your sauce taste amazing. The longer they're in there, the better. And no matter how good they taste the first day, after a night in the fridge (in the sauce) and then reheated both sauce and meatballs are even more delicious. They're also great cold!

Really loved this recipe! I used a combination of beef and free range pork, commercial breadcrumbs so halved them as per the suggestion and used a bit less water - but still as much as I thought I could get them to hold. Texture is light and elastic, delicious flavour, they hold together beautifully and they're moist. They go beautifully with the tomato, onion, butter sauce too. Delicious! Will definitely make again!

The process is excellent. Used all the water, adding slowly. Best meatballs ever (and I was extremely skeptical). My new go to method. Genius indeed.

Remember 1 thing a Big Resturant will not give you their real method of Recipie since it is trade marked

I wish there was a Like button Todd Mullins.

First off, excellent recipe. I come to Food52 when I want to learn a new *method* of preparing/cooking something, rather than the individual ingredients, because my ingredients are whatever's in my fridge/pantry. Traditionally, I've baked meatballs on a broiling pan and never added water. Your method resulted in perfect meatballs.

Secondly, to the commenters...there are 2100+ likes on this recipe and only 40+ comments, most of which are negative in regards to the *amount* of water. I know it said 2 cups, and I know it said to add it 1C at a time, but you missed the main point: "SLOWLY add water...UNTIL the mixture is quite moist." In other words, you should gradually work in as much water as you can, until you think you won't be able to form them into balls anymore if you add more. Recipes can't be universal (our individual environments, our different stove tops, etc.), but too many people treat them as such.

I also use San Marzano Tomatoes always

That is way too much water , I do this I add to breadcrumbs Milk 1/2 Cup Then eggs then salt and pepper and garlic and meat no Pork and mix well , then fry till brown

I made these today and thought they were delicious. Like others, I can't even imagine adding two cups of water. I added one and wished I'd only added 3/4 of a cup.

I love it when a recipe lives up to the hype. Thanks for posting this - they were easy and delicious. One cup of water was more than enough for my mixture.

Made these while visiting my parents. I added the full two cups of water, which made the meatballs a little too loose. My husband joked that I made delicious sliders instead of meatballs, because they flattened out like patties. Also, I'd highly recommend the use a splatter screen -- given the high water content, the meatballs spatter a lot of grease while frying. The end result was worth the full wipe-down of the range, though! Served with Marcella sauce. So good.

Made these this weekend and they were delicious. I forgot to add the cup of water so some of the meatballs fell apart a little bit when I added them to the sauce to cook, but that was not an issue as I then had lots of meat sauce too!

Rao's @ Caesars Palace La Vegas My FAV..

I remember our Italian neighbour when I was growing up, teaching my mother hoe to make meatballs. She started by soaking French bread in a sink full of water, them mixing into the meat. Same idea as adding water later. It was a little messy as you had to squeeze out the excess water before adding it They were great. Looking forward to trying this recipe

Is it silly of me to task if these are freezable?

I made these last night. They are delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly. I did not have homemade breadcrumbs, so I bought some, but I saw how fine they were and knew that would not be good. I realized I had a baguette that I was about to throw out because it was hard, and that came to the rescue. These meatballs are PERFECT! I served them with Marcella's Tomato, Butter and Onion sauce. Insanely good. Thank you!

Rao's meatballs are by far the "BEST". I have added some sauteed minced shallots and oregano for added boost but you don't have to. I also used lees than half the H2O. You could use a mixture of wine, beef or chicken stock

Caveat Emptor...if anyone has the original printing of Rao's first cookbook copyright 1998 - the meatball recipe on page 106 had a typo...it says "4 cups of water"! I knew instantly that this had to be an error and confirmed it by calling the restaurant.

Wow. I would be so pissed if I ordered meatballs that had veal. This is why I don't trust restaurants.

Has anyone substituted wine for some of the water?

Used beef and pork (no ground veal at the store, and no meat grinder at home). Turned out tender and delicious. But! Pay close attention when you're adding the water: I could have stopped at just over a cup and they would have been perfect, but blindly added the second cup all in one go. As it was (in their over-hydrated state) they were a bit slumped and made slightly less than perfectly round balls, but were excellent nonetheless. Served them with homemade marinara from the last-fresh-tomatoes-of-the-season batch I made two weeks ago, and got rave reviews from my partner.

what a great recipe! I used slightly less water (out of fear) and they were lovely and tender and held together. It looks like a frequent flyer chez nous (with Hazan's brilliant sauce.) Very grateful to have something this good and this easy. thanks

Awesome! I had to grind my own veal...Raleys in CA is no longer allowed to grind veal or any ground meats so next time I'm just using ground pork and ground beef. I used whole whole grain artisan bread to make bread crumbs and ended up using 1 and 1/2 cups water. I added 1/2 c at a time. It did take quite a bit of water. My meatballs held together just fine. Came out really tasty! There are only two of us. After it was mixed I spilt the mixture Into 3 equal parts and froze two in food saver bags. I used an ice cream scoop to make same sized meatballs with the other third and it became outstanding meatballs. Went really well with Marcella Hazen's tomato and onion sauce!

cant wait to make this.....I had them at the restaurant....delish

Used challah out of necessity and turned out great!

These are excellent - this will be my new go-to meatball recipe. I used ground pork in place of the veal because that's what I had on hand, but I'd like to try it with the veal to see if there's a difference in taste. Can't wait to make them again.

Made these for my hubby and his response was, "Excellent!". Made a variation using only GB and did not add the cheese or parsley (not in the frige at the time). Used basil and garlic and pan-fried 'til crispy on exterior - finishing in the oven. I usually just wing my ingredients with whatever is in the fridge but now I have a recipe I can rely on. Cut the recipe in half as he is the only meat eater in our house. Thanks!

For the best meatballs try eating them at Rao's if you can get a table.
Dr. Lew

I made these and the flavor was great, but the meat was very loose after I added the second cup of water. Has anyone tried it with just 1 cup? What did I do wrong? Also, two people mentioned broiling them--is that better than baking, and if so, why? I tried frying them in the oil and it was too messy for my liking, plus they stuck to the bottom. I'm thinking maybe my oil wasn't hot enough when I dropped them in? I did wait a good amount of time, thinking they'd naturally let go of the pan when they were finished browning, but they never came off.

Super and I don't like meatballs as a general rule. Made most standard size, but halved the rest to freeze for later.

I save the ends of ANY kind of bread (except rye or pumpernickel) in the freezer until I have a bunch -- then I grind it up in the food processor and freeze until I need crumbs. The added fiber from wheat or whole grain bread doesn't hurt, and I don't think it changes the flavor -- except perhaps for the good!

Thoughts on how to adapt recipe if I don't use cheese -- I keep kosher (which will mean swapping out the pork, but that's easy enough)

Would it taste different if you used all of the small clove of garlic instead of half of it?

Its just as easy to par broil meat balls no need to use all that oil. Fresh bread crumbs-- stale french bread

I'm no vegetarian but I don't eat veal. Can I substitute ground beef?

Best meatballs ever. Family staple ever since the book came out. I double the recipe, make 2 oz meatballs and sometimes broil (8 minutes) because its faster and cleanup is easier. Freeze them in meal size containers, i.e, 3 per person. Rao's marinara substituting green onions is also the best. This is the best Italian American Cookbook I've come across (would love to know other good ones).

I feel that someone was looking over my shoulder. However, whoever i was missed one ingredient that I use, a tablespoon of ground or a teaspoon of minced fresh basil.

Yum! Can't wait to try this. Can you tell us what you use for your "fresh bread crumbs"?