Making a Mama’s Meatballs Like a True Chef

There’s no joy like taking bites out of well seasoned and juicy Italian meatballs topped with authentic parmesan cheese! Italian style meatballs and spaghetti go together like Sonny Bono and Cher or Bonnie and Clyde. They complete and enhance each other in ways that our palates appreciate and crave. When you add our Lemon Queen signature cocktail to our Mama’s Meatballs recipe, you have a match made in heaven! 

How to Make Mama’s Meatballs Recipe at Home

Whether you’re at the house with the kids or looking to impress a good looking date, making Italian meatballs is always a welcome dish filled with aromas of good home cooking. That’s what we do in our restaurant everyday and sharing our love of Italian food with you is just the marinara on top. We know you can’t always make it to our restaurant but may have a craving for authentic Italian food while sitting at home. Our mama’s meatballs recipe will satisfy this craving and leave your family, friends, and guests wanting more. 

Ingredients: 

• • 2 pounds of beef
  • ⅔ cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons of granulated garlic
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups of Italian white bread
  • 1 cup of whole milk
  • 1-28 ounce can of tomato puree
  • 1-6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • ½ cup of white wine
  • 1 diced white onion
  • ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons of oregano
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • Salt & pepper 
  • Olive oil
  • Pasta 

Preparation: 

• Phase 1: Before you begin mixing, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a large bowl and your hands, combine the ground beef, parmesan cheese, ricotta, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, granulated garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, egg, and italian seasoning. 
• Phase 2: In a separate bowl, tear the Italian bread into small pieces, pour the milk over them, and let them soak for a few minutes until fully absorbed. 
• Phase 3: Once a few minutes have passed, gently squeeze the bread, breaking them further apart and add them to the beef mixture. 
• Phase 4: Using a pan with a rack, form the meat mixture into small golf size meatballs and place them on the rack evenly spaced for a total of about 28. 
• Phase 5: Next, place the pan in the oven for 30 minutes. While the meatballs are baking, you’ll want to make the sauce. 
• Phase 6: Add the diced onion to a large pot over medium heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of garlic, and saute for a couple of minutes. As this is cooking, add the red pepper flakes, oregano and saute for a couple more minutes. 
• Phase 7: Now, add the tomato puree, 1 teaspoon of salt, tomato paste, and cook for a few minutes. After a few minutes, add the sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. 
• Phase 8: After taking a small sip, add the white wine and simmer for 20 minutes. 
• Phase 9: While the sauce is simmering, boil the pasta using the directions provided and reserve 1 ½ cups of pasta water. It’s finally time to remove the meatballs from the oven and check out your masterpiece. While the meatballs are resting, pour ½ cup of pasta water into the sauce and add the meatballs. If the sauce is too thick, feel free to stir more pasta water. 
• Phase 10: Now, grab a plate and dig in!

Mama’s Meatballs are a great recipe to do with the kids! We all know kids love getting their hands dirty and this is a great way to prepare a family weekend meal that everyone will love. For those of you who prefer a more low key, adult friendly dinner, you may want to pair this with a great Cabernet Sauvignon or a Bordeaux Blend. Don’t be afraid to add the garlic bread or go without noodles all together. Maybe you’d prefer to pair your meatballs with mashed potatoes or place them on a warm oven baked bread for a meatball sandwich. There are no limits to what you can do with Mama’s Meatballs and creativity is the ultimate spice of cooking! 

The Secret to Recipes for Mama’s Meatballs 

Are you ready? We’re going to tell you a secret about Mama’s Meatballs. Ok, maybe a few secrets that we just can’t keep to ourselves. 

Bread

If you’re looking for great and delicious Italian style meatballs, the secret is in the milk soaked bread. Some recipes for Mama’s Meatballs may include buttermilk, water, or red wine. The milk soaked bread makes Mama’s Meatballs juicy, while bread crumbs produce a dry and dense meat mess. When in doubt, use milk!

Meat

Another secret to fabulous recipes for Mama’s Meatballs is the meat. Some recipes may play with the meat ratio by adding 50% veal or pork to beef. While there is nothing wrong with doing so, it will affect the texture and springiness of the meatball. If you want a looser mix of meat, a 1:1 ratio of beef to pork will produce a less tight meatball, known as a Swedish meatball. For this recipe, we keep things Italian, simple, and grass fed. 

Seasonings

One of the most favored aspects of Italian cuisine are the seasonings and wonderful aromas they produce when cooked. There is nothing better than ending a hard day of work with the smell of meatballs and marinara sauce. For full flavored, tasty meat goodness, you’ll always want to include minced or diced onion, minced garlic, parsley, dried oregano, and kosher salt. Of course, all Mama’s Meatballs should be topped off with a generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

Moisture

For Mama’s Meatballs that are juicier than you’ve ever thought possible, some recipes will add gelled broth. Yes, broth can come in a gel form and is often used to enhance flavors while adding tenderness. After cutting the gelled broth into small pieces, you can add it to the mixture. As the meatballs are cooking, wonderful flavor pockets of juiciness are formed and cook within the meat. This creates a delicious explosion of flavor in your mouth that you may not recover from. 

Visit Our Restaurant for Mama’s Meatballs

After travelling all over Italy more times than we’d care to admit, it’s hard not to fall in love with the culture, people, and most of all, the food. The feeling of family and tradition gathered around delicious Italian cuisine is what we wanted to duplicate in America by adding our unique twist. Our modern interpretation of Northern and Southern Italian specialties is the culmination of 15 years of restaurant, travel, and chef experience meant to bring you closer to bel paese, also known as the “beautiful country”. 

Miami nights should be spent sipping our signature cocktails and enjoying deserts on our patio with friends and family. We provide plenty of opportunities to do so with our popular daily specials. From our happy hour specials available Monday through Friday to our Wednesday Pasta Nights, there is something for everyone here. If you’re like us, you love pizza and can appreciate our Tuesday Artisanal Pizza Nights where you can enjoy our 11 inch gourmet pizzas. Dine on our Margherita Pizzetta or our Spicy Pepperoni Pizzetta from our stone oven. Pair your favorite pizza with any of our signature cocktails or a great red wine while listening to live music. The choice is yours. 

Visit our website for our full menu and reserve your table today!