Meatballs and tomatoes from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (page 399) by Marcella Hazan

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

crystal_eiderw on May 13, 2026

Wonderful meatball recipe that works well with many sauces. These are best cooked after preparing instead of freezing raw for later use.
Luckyme on July 12, 2025

Delicious meatball recipe for a tender and flavourful meatball.
laurenlangston on November 09, 2024

These are very, very good. I think I’ll do 1.5x bread in the panade next time, and I added a splash of good chicken stock to the (canned) tomato. Exactly the comfort food we needed today, and the flavor is *spot* on.
TrishaCP on January 11, 2023

I didn’t feel like you needed to gild the lily by adding the butter and onion. I do feel like garlic would have been nice. Also, my meatballs were more flavorful as leftovers.I did like the lightness of the meatballs.
ellwell on December 18, 2022

I wish I had followed the other reviewers and added the butter and onion instead of just using the tomatoes. I guess I had high hopes for this since it was from Marcella Hazan, but the meatballs, while light, were bland. I found myself wishing I had at least added some garlic to them. There are much better meatballs out there if you are trying to serve over spaghetti.
Rachaelsb on October 09, 2022

Really yummy! I had thought about using the amazing Sauce with Butter and Onion as well (see PanNan below!) but got lazy and decided to go with just the tomatoes. Glad I did. Different texture with unusual softness to meatballs that blend so well with tomato.
PanNan on January 27, 2021

I made the meatballs using less oil to brown them. I also made the Sauce with Onion and Butter recipe on page 152 and added that to the meatballs instead of the tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious and loved by the whole family.