Tender Italian Meatballs In Tomato Sauce (No Breadcrumbs)

4.67 from 21 votes

Delicious authentic Italian meatballs made in a homemade tomato sauce! Perfect for meal prepping and endless weeknight dinner ideas.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Main Courses

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Calories: 497kcal

Place the meat in a large bowl. Then, with your fist, make a little dent in the center of the ground beef.
2 pounds ground beef (80 to 85% lean ground beef)
Add the egg, garlic, parsley, and cheese — season with salt and pepper.
1 egg, 2 to 3 cloves garlic, 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, ½ cup finely chopped Parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, Freshly ground black pepper
Mix the ingredients by kneading with your hands just until they're combined. Don't overwork the meat. Instead, swiftly combine the ingredients for tender meatballs.
Divide the mixture into 10 or 14 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; store it in the fridge, and proceed to make the tomato sauce.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic—Cook and stir for 10 seconds to release their aroma. Do not let the garlic and shallot brown.
6 tablespoons olive oil, 1 shallot or scallion, 1 clove garlic
Add the whole peeled tomatoes and crush them into small chunks with a wooden spoon. Bring to a steady simmer.
2 bottles whole peeled tomatoes
Simmer for 15 minutes, with the pot partially covered. Stir frequently.
Stir in the strained tomatoes, basil, oregano—season to taste with salt and pepper.
1 bottle strained tomatoes, 4 whole leaves fresh Basil, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, Salt and pepper
Cover the pot and bring the sauce again to a steady simmer for a couple of minutes to further break down the tomatoes and allow the flavors to come together.
Taste and see if the sauce needs a little bit more salt. Lower the heat if necessary to bring to a gentle simmer.
Then carefully place the reserved meatballs one by one into the simmering tomato sauce.
Give it one or two gentle stirs enough to divide them into the pot. The meat is still raw and fragile, so don't over stir.
Keep the sauce at a gentle, low simmer with pot half-covered for about 30 to 40 minutes (for pork meatballs) or at least 1 ½ to 2 hours for beef meatballs or a mix containing beef.
15 to 20 minutes in, you can gently stir occasionally or as needed until the meatballs are cooked through and tender.

Tomato sauce: Don't brown the shallot and garlic, as this might give a sour taste to the sauce.
Whole peeled tomatoes have the thinnest consistency and are the best choice for a tomato sauce that simmers beyond 45 minutes. They will slowly break down and thicken without becoming too sweet. But diced tomatoes can also work if you make pork meatballs in tomato sauce or just the sauce with a simmer of 30 to 45 minutes max.
Meatballs: Always leave the meat in the fridge until ready to prepare. If you make the meatballs first, store them in the fridge to keep them cold while making the base of the tomato sauce. Or make them while the tomato sauce is already simmering on the stove, and then immediately add them to the sauce.
Please see all the helpful tips in the post on keeping meatballs from falling apart in the sauce.
Storing in the fridge:
- Allow for the meatballs and the sauce to cool completely.
- Then, divide the sauce and meatballs into portion-sized airtight containers.
- They can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days—the sauce can go even longer, up to 7 days.
- You can also separate the meatballs from the tomato sauce to prep different types of meals.
Storing in the freezer:
- Let the sauce cool completely.
- Store in freezer-safe containers.
- Best to label the containers with a date.
- Freeze and use within 6 months.

Variations:
- - Use a combination of ground pork and ground beef, if preferred.
- - Shallots are my favorite onions, but you can replace them with scallions.
- - Add some red pepper flakes to your pasta sauce for some heat.