Gordon Ramsay's Best Italian Meatballs

Q: Why Do You Add Milk to Meatballs?

For moisture and flavor, milk adds flavor to your meatballs, whereas water adds only liquid. While many people think the eggs add moisture, they act as a binding agent to combine the meat, breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs.

Table of Contents

Your search is over if you’re looking for a truly, dummy-proof Italian meatball recipe. These Gordon Ramsay Meatballs are traditional Italian meatballs at their best. A mixture of beef and pork delivers an abundance of aromatics. The added romano makes these meatballs extremely tasty, along with some milk added to assure they’re moist and super tender.

These meatballs are what you crave stacked high on your spaghetti or pasta. You can also use the meatballs can also be used to make a meatball sub sandwich or what my family and I eat all by ourselves on a plate with tomato sauce with sprinkled cheese on top.

Want to Learn More About Cooking?

With the Annual MasterClass Membership, you can become a better chef. Gordon Ramsay, Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Dominique Ansel, Yotam Ottolenghi, Alice Waters, and other world-class chefs teach exclusive video lessons to members.

Equipment You Need To Make Gordon Ramsay Meatball Recipe?

Mixing Bowls – For mixing bread crumbs, ground pork and beef, with chopped garlic, Parmesan, and parsley.
Skillet – For frying meatballs, larger pan not to overcrowd.
Saucepan- As the name suggests, make the sauce in the saucepan.
Knife, Spatula, Spoon, and Ladle – Use the knife for slicing, spatula for stirring, spoon for mixing, and ladle to ladle.
Cutting Board – Chopping, onion, and garlic.

Gordon Ramsay’s Top 15 Kitchen Essentials

I’ve used and recommend both cookware sets, the ScanPan 10-Piece Cookware Set and the All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware; both are well-made pans with a solid, heavy bottom, heat fast, and they get the job done. Visit the ScanPan or All-Clad on Amazon.

What’s The Secret To Good Meatballs?

When pork, beef, or veal are cooked for too long, they become challenging, but adding bread to the meatball mix keeps them from getting tough and rubbery. The secret to a perfect meatball is to add 50 percent meat and 50 percent breadcrumbs ratio. But the true secret is day-old bread soaked in milk or water to give it a light texture.

Why Do You Add Milk to Meatballs?

Milk adds flavor to your meatballs, whereas water adds only liquid for moisture and flavor. While many people think the eggs add moisture, they act as a binding agent to combine the meat, breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs.

How to Make Gordon Ramsay Meatball Recipe

Don’t Overmix the ground beef and pork mixture; it will make meatballs too dense and complex. I suggest whisking the eggs before placing them in the mixing bowl to blend more evenly. It will help you combine all the added ingredients quickly and gently handly from the meatballs. It may not be the most pleasant, but mixing and forming the meatballs with your hands is very important.

Step 1. In a med-sized bowl, add the breadcrumbs, pour in just enough milk to cover, and Place aside to let breadcrumbs soak; preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 2. Start making the sauce by heating the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the chopped shallots, pepper, and garlic for about 2-3 minutes until translucent and soft.

Step 3. add the 2 14oz cans of tomatoes along with the basil, oregano, and some seasoning with a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. Let the tomato sauce slowly simmer for about 10-15 minutes so its sauce can reduce and thicken.

Step 4. As the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs. Place the ground pork and beef into a large-sized mixing bowl, and now the chopped garlic, Parmesan, and parsley. Now, Press the breadcrumbs, take out the excess milk, and add them to the mixing bowl with ground meats. Thoroughly mix, working with your hands, then season meatballs with salt and pepper.

Step 5. Start Shaping the blend into balls the size of a golf ball, and dust them with the flour. Now in a frying pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, start frying the meatballs in batches of 4-5 not to overcrowd; Fry until golden.

Step 6. After Drying the Meatballs, add them to the sauce; after finishing cooking, place the meatballs into a casserole dish. Put the casserole dish in a 350°F preheated oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite pasta as a side dish or a light salad.