Mario's Meatballs
Chef Mario’s classic Italian meatball recipe gets topped by our Carbone Mariana sauce to serve as an appetizer or on the perfect meatball sub.
Ingredients
- 1 Marinara
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Plus More for Garnish)
- 2 tablespoons Chopped Garlic
- 1/4 Chopped Parsley
- Yellow Onion, diced-salt to taste
- 2 cups Sturdy White Bread, Crusts Mainly Removed, cut into 1/4" cubes (stale bread is great)
- 1 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 1 Sweet Italian Sausage
- 1 Ground Veal
- Eggs
- 1 1/4 Piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grated (plus more to garnish)
Instructions
Heat the oven to 300° F.
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil. After a minute, sweat the garlic until aromatic and almost softened, around 1 minute. Add the parsley, onions, and a large pinch of salt. Stir well, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Reserve.
Make the panade: Combine the bread and milk in a large bowl and toss. When the bread is completely saturated and softened, mush it together with your hands. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, sausage, veal, eggs, onions, garlic, parmesan, a pinch of salt, and the panade. Mix, using your hands, until evenly combined. Portion into 3 1/2 ounce meatballs.
Heat a wide skillet over high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with the neutral oil, and heat until shimmering. Working in batches, sear the meatballs until deeply brown on all sides, around 3 to 5 minutes per, making sure not to crowd the pan. Reserve the browned meatballs in a roasting pan.
Top the meatballs with Carbone Marinara sauce and slide the pan in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until the meatballs are just cooked through. Reserve, warm, until ready to serve. Serve meatballs three to a plate, garnished with a large spoonful or sauce, a drizzle of oil, and an additional sprinkling of cheese.
There's more to make
Meet the stars of the show
The Reds
The sauces that made Carbone a household name. Classic Italian flavors crafted from hand-picked tomatoes and slow-simmered to perfection. Big flavor, bold energy, and pure red-sauce nostalgia in every jar.
Pizza Sauce
Straight from Thompson Street to your kitchen. Our Pizza Sauce captures the heart of a perfect NYC slice, balancing rich tomato sweetness with a little attitude. Regular or spicy, it’s your shortcut to that iconic Carbone taste.
The Whites
Rich, velvety, and unapologetically indulgent. From the original Alfredo to our newest creamy creations, these sauces prove white can steal the spotlight. Every bite tastes like a night out, even when you’re in.
