Veal, Beef and Pork Meatballs

I enjoyed my all-time favorite order of spaghetti and meatballs at Al Forno in Providence, Rhode Island. Al Forno, located in a historic stable near the river, has veal meatballs that are simply amazing. They are the moistest, most tender and flavorful meatballs I’ve ever had the joy of experiencing. I have worked hard to get my meatballs close to those of Al Forno. I am still unclear as to the Al Forno meat combo.  However, I have re-worked my meatballs for a while now, and hopefully am getting closer to a delicious meatball that is distinctly my own. My veal, beef and pork meatballs also contain buttermilk, a secret ingredient to making the meatballs super moist!

If you are looking for a less decadent meatball, try my tastefully trimmed meatballs here. 

See more of my favorite recipes here.

Veal, Beef and Pork Meatballs

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• Author: Victoria
• Total Time: 50 minutes

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Description

Veal, Beef and Pork Meatballs that are perfect with spaghetti for a traditional meal of Spaghetti and Meatballs. 

**** I add a lot of salt to my meatballs. When I think I’ve put in enough, I add some more! ( I use at least a tsp. on just salting the meat alone.)

****If frying the meatballs seems too messy or too much work for you, simply bake them at 330 Degrees for 18 minutes. I just think searing the meatballs amps up the flavor a bit. 

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Ingredients

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• 1/3 lb ground premium angus chuck (85 % lean) 
• 1/3 lb ground veal 
• 1/3 lb ground pork 
• 1–2 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 Vidalia onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 1/2 cup buttermilk 
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano (or parmesan, whichever you prefer)
• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley 
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
• Tomato Sauce (See my favorite basic tomato sauce here.)
• Barilla Dry Spaghetti 

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 330 degrees 
2. Place veal and pork in large bowl. (Chuck goes in at the end). 
3. Liberally salt and pepper the meat. 
4. Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to large pan and cook onions on low heat until soft and translucent. 
5. Meanwhile, place bread in large shallow bowl, and pour buttermilk over it. Let sit. 
6. Add garlic to onion mixture, cook until fragrant. Salt and pepper. Let mixture cool. 
7. When onion/garlic mixture has cooled, add bread and buttermilk, pecorino, parsley, egg, and salt and pepper to veal and pork mixture. Mix with hands. 
8. Mix in ground chuck. (Ground chuck gets tougher much more quickly when worked. Thus, it is important to lightly mix it near the end.)
9. Form the  meatballs, roughly 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter. 
10. Heat vegetable oil in large sided pan on medium high-high heat. 
11. Working in small batches, brown the meatballs on both sides. 
12. Place meatballs on foil-lined baking tray, and bake for about 5-10 minutes at 330 degrees. It is not necessary to cook them for long. 
13. My trick for not having dry meatballs is to keep cutting sample meatballs open before they are done, ensuring they are just past med. rare. Otherwise, they loose their juices and become dry. The low temperature of the oven also ensures this moisture retention. (I usually take the meatballs out when they are not quite done. They continue to cook when cooling). 
14. Take them out of the oven. Let cool for a minute. 
15. Add to sauce, serve with spaghetti, and Enjoy! (Make sure the sauce isn’t too hot. You don’t want the meatballs to cook further.) See my Tomato Sauce recipe here. 

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes