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    Home » Italian Recipes » Traditional Italian Meatballs With Milk Soaked Bread 

    Published: Jan 3, 2023 · Modified: May 4, 2023 by Helen·

    Traditional Italian Meatballs With Milk Soaked Bread 

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    A serving of Italian Meatballs
    Italian Meatballs
    Italian Meatballs
    Italian Meatballs
    Italian Meatballs
    Italian Meatballs

    Super soft, juicy and oh-so-tasty traditional homemade Italian meatballs without the faff. If this sounds good to you, you've landed in the right place. Made with milk-soaked sandwich bread to get them nice and tender and generously seasoned with herbs and Parmesan so that they are practically bursting with flavour.

    Italian Meatballs

    These super moist meatballs require just 10 core everyday ingredients and are ready in less than 40 minutes. Plus there are instructions for pan-frying, baking or air-frying to ensure your meatballs are cooked to perfection.

    For more speedy and delicious Italian-inspired recipes try my Broccoli Pasta with Sausage, Creamy Tomato Passata Pasta, and Creamy White Wine Pasta Sauce With Butter and Garlic.

    The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!

    Jump to:
    • ✅ 7 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
    • 3 secrets to perfect homemade meatballs
    • 🛒 Recipe Ingredients
    • 🧑‍🍳 Recipe steps
    • 🍝 What to serve with meatballs
    • 👍 Top tips
    • Other meatball recipes to try:
    • 🙋 FAQs
    • ❄️ Freezing instructions:
    • 😋 Other easy and Italian-inspired dinner recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Traditional Homemade Italian Meatballs With Milk Soaked Bread

    ✅ 7 reasons why you'll love this recipe:

    • Super soft and tender - with a panade of milk-soaked sandwich bread
    • Full of flavour - seasoned generously with fresh herbs and Parmesan
    • Quick and easy
    • Uses simple everyday ingredients
    • Versatile
    • Make ahead and freezer friendly
    • Includes stove, oven and air fryer cooking instructions

    3 secrets to perfect homemade meatballs

    After lots of experimentation, I identified 3 key things that make meatballs juicy, tender and tasty.

    1. Sandwich bread panade: some recipes use milk-soaked panko breadcrumbs but the meatballs are noticeably softer and juicier with a humble slice of white bread (without the crusts)
    2. Grated onion: because it blends really nicely with the other ingredients and reduces any risk of finding raw chunks of onion in your meatballs.
    3. Generous seasoning: with lots of herbs and Pecorino/Parmesan cheese as well as garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

    🛒 Recipe Ingredients

    My meatball recipe uses simple ingredients that will be easy to find at your local store.

    Italian Meatballs ingredients

    Ground Meat

    After several attempts, I found that equal amounts of beef and pork is where it's at. All beef works well too, but I really like the savory flavor and juiciness the pork adds.

    Top tip: Avoid lean ground meat. Whether your meatballs are all beef or a mixture of beef and pork, aim for a fat content of around 20% to ensure your meatballs are super soft and succulent. The same goes for my Ground Beef and Red Wine Spaghetti Meat Sauce.

    Milk soaked white bread

    My recipe uses milk, white bread and egg to hold the meatballs together.

    I tested the recipe with breadcrumbs and white bread and found that the meatballs made with bread were a strong winner and significantly softer.

    Seasoning

    Fresh parsley, dried oregano, Parmesan, grated onion and garlic make the meatballs tasty and flavourful. I recommend using fresh parsley, but you can substitute it for dry, just ensure you use a third of the amount so it isn't overpowering.

    🧑‍🍳 Recipe steps

    1. Soak the bread in milk

    Pour milk over the bread and leave it to soak for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Then mash it into a smooth paste using a fork.

    Soaking the bread in milk

    2. Mix

    Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix gently using your hands.

    Mixing the ingredients

    3. Form

    Form the mixture into golf ball-sized balls using your hands, an ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop.

    Forming the meatballs

    4. Cook

    Bake the meatballs at 400°F or 200°C for around 20 minutes, broiling for a couple of minutes to brown them if needed, or pan fry on a medium to high heat for 10-15 minutes.

    Meatballs ready for cooking

    Air fryer instructions:

    I can tell you from experience that air-fried meatballs are just as soft and juicy as oven baked and pan-fried. What's more, it's the quickest way to cook them. Simply spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray, set the air fryer to 400°F or 200°C and cook for 7-10 minutes turning halfway. 

    🍝 What to serve with meatballs

    I love to eat these meatballs with spaghetti and my Tomato and Balsamic Meatball Sauce, but they can also be enjoyed as a meatball sub or with a creamy sauce and mashed potatoes (Swedish style).

    👍 Top tips

    1. Don't use lean meat - fat is needed to make the meatballs moist and juicy. Use meat that is around 20% fat.
    2. Grate the onions - it might seem like a hassle and does create a little more washing up but it's well worth it if you're not a fan of discernable chunks of onion in your meatballs.
    3. Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to form the meatballs - these tools are great for getting perfectly round meatballs, otherwise wet hands also do the job.
    4. Avoid overcooking- a perfectly soft and juicy meatball has an internal temperature of 165˚F or (74°C).

    Other meatball recipes to try:

    • Ground turkey meatballs
    • Mongolian meatballs
    • Swedish meatballs

    🙋 FAQs

    What's the difference between regular meatballs and Traditional Italian meatballs?

    American and Italian meatballs share many of the same ingredients. Italian meatballs are often made with a mixture of ground beef and pork, bread, milk, egg and seasoned with Parmesan and herbs like parsley and oregano.

    Is it better to bake or pan-fry meatballs?

    This depends on the type of meatball. For meatballs made from meat with higher fat content like beef or pork both baked and pan-fried meatballs will be soft and succulent. When it comes to meatballs made with leaner meats like chicken and turkey baking is likely to result in dryer meatballs.

    Is it better to cook meatballs in the sauce or in the oven?

    Although you can cook meatballs in sauce (if you simmer them for long enough). The best method is to brown them first and finish them off in the sauce to get meatballs that have a good texture on the outside that are still soft and juicy on the inside.

    Where do meatballs originate?

    Meatballs (or polpette as they are referred to in Italy) can be traced back to the Roman Empire and are traditionally served with bread. However, you won't find spaghetti meatballs in Italy. These were created by Italian immigrants in New York around 1880 when meat was abundant and spaghetti was cheap.

    Can you prepare meatballs ahead of time?

    Meatballs create tasty leftovers and freeze well so are an ideal candidate for a make-ahead meal and batch cooking. Cooked meatballs will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave.

    ❄️ Freezing instructions:

    Both cooked and raw meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 months.

    Freezing cooked meatballs

    My preference is to freeze the cooked meatballs in marinara sauce and reheat in a saucepan or the microwave. It's worth making a large batch and storing a few portions in the freezer for speedy weeknight dinners.

    To freeze cooked meatballs without sauce, place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put them into the freezer when cool and transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container once frozen.

    Freezing uncooked meatballs

    Form the meatballs, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer for a few hours. Once they are frozen, you can put them into a freezer bag or container.

    A serving of Italian Meatballs

    😋 Other easy and Italian-inspired dinner recipes

    Tasty, nourishing and easy to make, my comfort food recipes are guaranteed to warm your body and soul.

    • a pan of turkey meatballs in tomato sauce
      Skillet Turkey Meatballs (Super Moist)
    • creamy tuna pasta bake on a plate
      Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake (Easy and Creamy)
    • Easy Chicken Alfredo Tortellini Soup
      Chicken Alfredo Tortellini Soup (Easy 20-Minute Recipe)
    • Easy Lasagne Al Pesto
      Pesto Lasagna (Lasagna Al Pesto)

    Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.

    Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!

    📖 Recipe

    Italian Meatballs served

    Traditional Homemade Italian Meatballs With Milk Soaked Bread

    Author: Helen
    Super soft and juicy traditional homeamde Italian meatballs in less than 40 minutes with just 10 core ingredients. Made with milk-soaked sandwich bread to get them nice and tender, generously seasoned and bursting with flavor.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 28 meatballs
    Calories 70 kcal

    Equipment

    • mixing bowl
    • cookie scoop or ice cream scoop (optional)
    • frying pan
    • Garlic and ginger grater
    • Baking tray

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 piece white bread crusts removed (Note 1)
    • 100 ml (⅓ cup) milk
    • 500 g (18 oz) ground beef or half beef half pork (Note 2)
    • 1 onion finely chopped or grated
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 45 g (½ cup) parmesan or pecorino finely grated
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tbsp fresh parsley (Note 3)
    • 2 tsp dried oregano
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • 2 tbsp oil for frying if using pan frying cooking method

    Instructions
     

    • Pour the milk over the bread and leave it to soak in for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
    • Mash the bread and milk together to form a paste.
    • Add the remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly using your hands.
    • Form the mixture into golf-ball sized balls using a cookie scoop, ice cream scoop or wet hands.
    • Cook the meatballs using one of the methods below until the meatballs have an internal temperature of 165°F or 75°C.

    Pan frying

    • Place a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add oil. Add the meatballs when the oil is hot and fry for approximately 10 minutes, turning regularly until brown on all sides. Be careful not to crowd the pan. You might need to do this in two batches.

    Oven baked

    • Bake the meatballs at 400°F or 200°C for around 20 minutes, broiling for a couple of minutes to brown them if needed.

    Air fryer

    • Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil, set the air fryer to 400F or 200C and cook for 7-10 minutes, turning halfway. 

    Notes

    1. Bread: a slice of ordinary white sandwich bread works well. Just ensure you remove the crusts first. It's fine if it's a little stale.
    2. Meat: For best results use ground beef and ground pork. The pork adds flavor and its high fat content helps to make the meatballs more succulent. All beef is fine too.
    3. Parsley: fresh is recommended but can be substituted with 1 third of the amount of dried parsley.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1meatballCalories: 70kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 27IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 0.4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @KnifeandSoulRecipes or tag #knifeandsoulrecipes!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Debra says

      March 04, 2025 at 7:33 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious!

      Reply
      • Helen says

        March 09, 2025 at 8:55 am

        Thanks Debra, so glad you enjoyed the meatballs.

        Reply
    2. Ron says

      February 12, 2023 at 12:49 am

      5 stars
      I added sauteed mushrooms and peppers to meatballs!

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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