The Secret Ingredient for Perfect Meatballs Is Actually Kind of Obvious

You'll never go back to the old way again.

Growing up in New Jersey around so many talented Italian and Italian-American home cooks, I know a thing or two about the beautiful and delicious tradition that is an Italian Sunday dinner. Aside from family and love, a proper Sunday dinner must include, at the very least, red “Sunday” sauce (or gravy—this is a HOT topic around here), pasta, at least one cut of meat simmering in the pot, such as meatballs, braciole, or sausage, a loaf of Italian bread, grated Parmesan cheese, a salad, and wine. Then there’s espresso and dessert, but that’s a different hot topic for another day.

Now, no one is expected to make this meal exactly like someone else’s mother or grandmother, because any Italian knows that no one else’s Sunday dinner will ever taste just like mom’s or grandma’s, and that’s a beautiful thing. However, there are a few things to take into consideration when preparing a quintessential Sunday dinner. Has your sauce been simmering low and slow on the stove for hours? Is your pasta perfectly al dente? You’ll be eating early in the afternoon, so did you reserve pasta water for round two later on? And, when you’re making meatballs, how is the flavor, texture, and consistency? Because there’s more to making quality meatballs than beef alone.

Here’s What You Need For The Best Meatballs

I learned early on that, whether it be for frying, baking, or cooking directly in the simmering sauce, if you want to make top-notch meatballs, a beef, veal, and pork mixture will yield better results than beef alone. The best part is, this ground meat combination is most likely already prepared and packaged up nicely on your supermarket shelves labeled as “meatloaf mix.”

What Is Meatloaf Mix And Why Is It Better?

Meatloaf mix is a 1:1:1 combination of ground beef, veal, and pork. When it comes to making meatballs, each meat brings its own life to the party, giving the final product beautiful complexity and balance. Beef adds strong flavor and a meaty texture; veal adds a rich and slightly sweet flavor and a delicate texture; and pork adds fat, moisture, and a unique earthy and slightly nutty flavor. Meatloaf mix will be a game changer for your meatballs. You’ll end up with more tender, flavorful, and better-textured meatballs every single time.

If You Can’t Find Meatloaf Mix

You can easily make your own meatloaf mix if it’s not available in your grocery store. As stated above, the traditional mix is made using a 1:1:1 ratio, so this will help to determine how much of each ground meat you will need for the amount of meatballs you’re preparing. The benefit of making your own is that you can play around with measurements over time to see what ratio you like best. You can introduce other flavors, like ground lamb, to the mix as well. Sky’s the limit! After all, the most important component of an Italian Sunday dinner is slowing down and enjoying your time in the kitchen. Embrace the creative process with this delicious, comforting, and hearty home-cooked meal.

Read the original article on All Recipes.