# Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

> Meatballs turn out tough for two reasons: **over-working the mince**, and **leaving out the panade**. A panade is **bread soaked in milk**; it traps the juices and stops the proteins tightening. Shape them **gently, with no compression**.

**Italian Cuisine · 80 min · 6 servings · 420 kcal per serving**

Meatballs in tomato sauce are an Italian-American dish that everyone, young and old, reaches for. The difference between meatballs that melt and ones like rubber is a single ingredient.

## Ingredients

- 700 g — minced beef
- 2 slices — stale bread
- 1/2 cup — milk
- 1 — egg
- 1/2 cup — Parmesan
- 1 — onion, grated
- 4 cloves — garlic
- 1 bunch — parsley
- 1 tsp — oregano
- 800 g — tinned peeled tomatoes
- 1/4 cup — olive oil
- 1 bunch — basil
- 1 1/2 tsp — salt

## Method

1. **The panade** — Tear up the stale bread and soak it in the milk for **10 minutes** until fully absorbed, then mash it to a paste with a fork. **This is what makes them tender** — not the egg.
2. **Mix the meat** — Combine the mince with the panade, egg, Parmesan, grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano and salt, working it **with your fingertips only**.
3. **Mix lightly** — Stop **as soon as the ingredients are distributed** — do not knead. Kneading breaks down the proteins and links them, giving a dense, rubbery texture.
4. **Test one** — Fry **a small piece** and taste it, then adjust the salt and seasoning. This saves you a whole batch seasoned wrongly.
5. **Shape gently** — Wet your hands and shape walnut-sized balls **without squeezing**. Pressure drives out the air and makes them dense and hard.
6. **Brown the surface** — Brown the meatballs in olive oil over medium heat for **4 minutes**, just until coloured on the outside — **not cooked through**. They finish in the sauce.
7. **The sauce** — In the same pot, soften the garlic, add the hand-crushed tomatoes and salt, and simmer **15 minutes** until thickened and releasing oil.
8. **Finish in the sauce** — Return the meatballs and cook over low heat for **25 minutes, covered**. Cooking in liquid lets them absorb flavour and stay juicy.
9. **Basil** — Off the heat, tear the basil in. Serve with pasta, bread or mashed potato.

## Tips

- The panade — bread in milk — is the secret to tenderness, not the egg.
- Mix with your fingertips without kneading, and shape without squeezing.
- Brown the outside only; the sauce does the rest.
- Crush the tinned tomatoes by hand, not in a blender — a blender aerates them and lightens the colour.

## FAQ

### Why are my meatballs tough?
You kneaded the mince or squeezed the balls. Mix with your fingertips only until the ingredients are distributed, shape with wet hands without pressure, and let the panade trap the juices.

### What is a panade?
Stale bread soaked in milk and mashed to a paste. Its starch and fat trap the juices during cooking and stop the meat proteins contracting and squeezing their moisture out — that is the secret to tenderness.

### Can I bake them instead?
Yes: 200°C for 15 minutes to brown, then transfer them to the sauce for 25 minutes. It is lighter in fat and the result is close, though pan-searing gives a deeper crust.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/italian-cuisine/italian-meatballs-tomato-sauce
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-09-22