Mema’s Homemade Meatballs

Show your people your love them with these easy, made-from-scratch Italian meatballs.

There is something different about food people. Everyone eats food and has favorite meals, but food people love food.  We love talking about what we’re making for dinner, what new recipes we’ve tried, ingredients in recipes, what ingredients could make a recipe better and on and on and on.  Just in case I haven’t done a great job describing a food person, or if you’re questioning whether you you are in fact a food person, let me give you a real life comparison:

Not Food People:

Ryan and I had been married for a few years and I had been cooking dinner nearly every night for those years. I asked him how his dinner was and he said “It’s good.”  And that was it.  “It’s good?!” I asked, “”It’s good?!  I have been cooking for you for years and you have never said anything besides, it’s good.  What would it take for you to think something is better than good?” 

Food People:

A couple years after I moved to Colorado, my brother moved his family here for a year.  He invited us over for dinner one night and he had made roast beef sandwiches.  We grew up eating the most delicious roast beef sandwiches and he had nailed the recipe, the same way my parents made it.  He described the steps in detail, the cut of meat, the specific way he asked the butcher to slice it, and everything he did to prep dinner. 

We. Are. Food. People.  We are food people, we come from food people.  Food is in my heart and soul.  If you come to my home, and you don’t eat my food, I don’t like you.  I won’t trust you.  This is very serious stuff. 

So Ryan is not a food person, but the first time my mom made meatballs for him, he was over the moon.  She had come to visit us and asked Ryan what he wanted for dinner.  Of course he didn’t know what to say (not a food person), so she started naming things she could make.  He stopped her at meatball sandwiches. 

That was it.  That was all it took for something to be more than “it’s good.”  And now I will share with you the life changing Mema’s Meatballs.

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Mema’s Meatballs

These classic homemade meatballs are a family staple—tender, flavorful, and made with love the way my Mom always has. Simple ingredients, cozy seasoning, and a slow simmer create meatballs that are perfect for pasta night, subs, or sneaking straight from the pan. This is comfort food at its finest.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword italian, meatballs, pasta
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 10

Equipment

  • pot
  • mixing bowl
  • large baking sheet with a lip

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs ground beef
  • 1.5 lbs Italian sausage
  • 1 white onion finely diced
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (1 7 5 °C). Line a large baking sheet (15"x17") with
    parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients. Combine ingredients
    together well, it's easiest to use your hands.
  • Use your hands to roll the mixture into small balls, about the
    size of a golf ball. Place each meatball on the pan.
  • Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 18- 20 minutes . Allow to
    cool. Add to marinara sauce and serve over noodles, or
    freeze.

Notes

Double the recipe to freeze for future dinners.  You’ll thank yourself later.