This recipe is very easy, and the meatballs came out crispy on the exterior and moist on the interior. I smoked my meatballs in my Traeger, mainly to avoid heating up the house, and it all came together very well. I’ve done this recipe three times, and each time worked out very well.
I left out the milk and used only 1/2 cup Panko. They came out great.
This recipe has been a lifesaver on days I don’t want to put in a ton of effort but I still want to cook something that feels impressive.
The only change I could really make is adding a pot of pork (I use bacon) in the mixture to add some fat to keep the beef from drying out.
I also recommend grilling the tops of the meatballs at the end if possible so you have a browned exterior.
Just made this recipe without any alteration, and they were fantastic. Love the softness of the meatballs. For sure will make it again. Thanks Bon Appetit and Chris, every recipe I have tried is delicious.
Despite all the comments to the contrary, the high breadcrumb/meat ration is what makes these so spectacular. It’s like a meat-matzoh ball and we love em! Thanks Chris.
I should have read the comments before making this recipe… too much breadcrumbs to meat! I join the consensus in agreement that breadcrumbs amount should be halved. Otherwise very flavorful, and I’m looking forward to trying again with modifications.
I haven’t even made this recipe and I can tell it’s off just because of the Panade. Really, Chris?
Basic formula for a Panade is 1 cup starch (Panko in this recipe) and 1 cup liquid (Milk in this recipe). Combine those and let sit about 10 minutes for liquid to really be absorbed. Discard excess liquid, then use only 1/2 cup of Panade per 1 lb. of meat, along with eggs (for binding-not liquid), spices, oil, etc.
Do that, then add to recipe with other ingredients and you should have super-moist meatballs. Also, if you don’t want the extra dairy you can use milk-substitutes, or stock, or even water.
Do this and you won’t have to guess at how much to decrease breadcrumbs, or adding more expensive parmesan to get the moistness, especially on what is supposed to be a quick, inexpensive weekday meal.
A+ for the baking idea. Browning meatballs on stovetop is a pain.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Great tip to initially mix only a small part of meat with the other ingredients. And yes, great suggestion to bake them in the oven. So much easier and healthier than frying. My one addition is a tsp of Dijon. Now the bad and ugly: Way too much panko. I want meatballs not breadballs. Cut crumbs to 1/2 cup but double the parm. I made 12 balls, and baked in a casserole dish, snuggled close together, instead of a baking sheet. They stay more moist that way. I used half beef and half pork for better flavour and texture.
Actually quite a delicious recipe, but I recommend using less panko and slightly more parmesan, and I rolled them smaller into polpettini, as we didn’t want the giant size 1/8 lb meatballs in the recipe. We found that large size unappealing, I decided to rolled them at about 1″ diam..I also added a little more parmesan -used1-1/2 oz in total , and about 1 c panko which is 1/2c less than the recipe . I knew instinctively that 1-1/2c cups of panko was too much! The ratio should be at most 1 cup panko or even 3/4c to 1 lb of meat. . When smaller, theese brown quite fast, and are light and delicious. Not bready or like matzah balls at all. I served them with penne in a creamy ricotta tomato-red pepper sauce – – outrageously delicious – – and then we had the leftovers as scrumptious meatball heroes in pannini rolls. A big hit with my husband, I’ve made them several times over the last few months. I get about 18 small meatballs out of this recipe the way I do it-and one plate might have 3 or 4 small ones – they are light and fresh tasting. I do recommend trying them as smaller meatballs–easier to eat, nice proportion of cheese to meat flavor and more appetizing than a gigantic meatball you have to break up with your fork .
Use more meat or cut back on the breadcrumbs! I use a whole pack of the organic ground beef from Costco (about 1.3 lb) with the rest of the ingredients staying the same. I think you could even go for 1.5 lb and still get moist meatballs! To make the meal even easier, I use my 1/3c cookie scoop (which is smaller than is recommended here) and get about 12 meatballs from 1.3 lb of meat. I cook for 10 mins on one side and 5 on the other.
I typically love making recipes from BA for my wife. I made this for her birthday dinner, big mistake. Chris Morocco you never let me down before, we love your recipes. Whoever said matzahball in another review could not be more right. Please revise this recipe so others don’t make this same mistake. They tasted like glue covered meat.
The best part of this recipe is where it said to not mix completely as there were small pockets not infiltrated by bread to ruin the meat.
P.s. I only used 2/3 of the recommended panko and it still turned out like this.
Please fix this recipe!
Amazing recipe! Very cheerful, super yummy!
Everyone loved them. I made slight adjustments following other reviews (less panko). Added parsley, fresh garlic, onion and fennel seeds. Was soooo good. Will make again.
So so good! I’ve made a million meatball recipes and this will be my new go-to. I used ground turkey and made more than the recipe said (ie made smaller ones vs bigger) and also used half the bread crumbs based on the other reviews.
AMAZING!!!! This recipe seemed so simple but after ready the reviews, I was curious. They weren’t lying! These meatballs were so moist inside with a crispy exterior. They are delicious on their own with marinara sauce or served in a hoagie topped with cheese. I’ll be making these often!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
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