Use these delicious Bolognese meatballs in meatball sliders or subs, or serve them over pasta. The sauce is a classic Bolognese mixture with vegetables and crushed tomatoes.
What is Bolognese sauce?
Bolognese sauce is a rich, savory, meaty sauce that originated from Bologna, Italy. The sauce is traditionally made with ground meat, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, wine, and milk or cream. The slow cooking makes Bolognese a thick and hearty sauce.
PrintItalian Bolognese Meatballs
Meatballs cook to perfection in a classic Bolognese sauce with vegetables and crushed tomatoes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Ground Beef, Meatballs
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
Sauce
Instructions
Meatballs
- Heat the oven to 375 F.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a cooling rack in it; spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 1/4 cup of onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until tender. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, veal, and pork. Mix in the lightly beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, the 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, bread crumbs, 1/3 cup of grated cheese, and milk.
- Add the sauteed the onion and garlic mixture and blend thoroughly.
- Shape the meatballs into uniform 1-inch meatballs (or larger) and arrange them on the greased rack. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
Sauce
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, saute the bacon, onion, celery, and carrot with 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring constantly, until vegetables are just tender. Add the 3 cloves minced garlic and 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley, the crushed and diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender.
- Add the meatballs and heat through. Stir in the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water following the package directions. Drain well.
- Serve the spaghetti with the sauce and meatballs and provide extra Parmesan cheese at the table.
