Mario Carbone shares famed homemade meatballs recipe
For National Meatball Day, chef and restaurant owner Mario Carbone joined "Good Morning America" to demonstrate his tried and true recipe.
His celebrated, eponymous New York City restaurant -- under Major Food Group -- has expanded to global locations in Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Doha and Riyadh, but chef Carbone's classic Italian fare remains unwavering.
Check out his full recipe for homemade meatballs in tomato sauce below.
Carbone's Homemade Meatballs
Yield: About 5 servings -- 15 meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
2 cups day-old bread, diced (Pugliese, French or Italian bread)
1 cup whole milk
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/4 pounds Italian sausage, casings removed
1 1/4 pounds ground veal (or substitute with more beef or sausage)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup soffritto (see below)
For the soffritto:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the tomato sauce:
Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons basil garlic oil (see below)
For the basil garlic oil:
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, smashed
For frying and garnish:
3 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
5 basil leaves, fried (for garnish)
Directions
Step 1: Make the soffritto
1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add onions and garlic, cooking until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
3. Stir in salt and parsley. Remove from heat and let cool.
Step 2: Prepare the meatball mixture
1. Soak diced bread in milk until fully absorbed (about 10 minutes).
2. In a large bowl, mix together ground meats.
3. Add soaked bread, soffritto, eggs, salt and grated Parmesan. Gently mix until just combined (don't overwork).
4. Roll into 15 meatballs (about 100 grams or 3.5 ounces each).
5. Place on a baking sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Step 3: Make the tomato sauce
1. In a pot, combine crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar and basil garlic oil.
2. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Fry the meatballs
1. Heat vegetable oil in a pan to 350 F.
2. Fry meatballs for about 1 minute until golden brown (don't over-brown).
3. Drain on paper towels.
Step 5: Cook and serve
1. Place fried meatballs in a pot with warm tomato sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Serve in a dish, topped with extra sauce, freshly grated Parmesan, a drizzle of basil garlic oil and crispy fried basil leaves.
