Test cook Ashley Moore shows Bridget how to make the easiest-ever Drop Meatballs.
Get the recipe for Drop Meatballs:
Buy our best buy Dutch oven:
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
Related posts
48 Comments
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I made this recipe tonight, and I have one major complaint. My sauce turned out much more watery and thin than any tomato sauce I have ever made in the past. I followed the instructions here to the letter. I didn't have a Dutch oven, as pictured in this video, but I do have an 8 quart stainless steel stockpot which generally does the job very nicely. The only thing I can figure is that the fat from the ground beef must have rendered into my sauce. But it was nearly impossible to remove. This issue doesn't come up in this video when the sauce and meatballs are served over the pasta. Did you guys leave out a crucial detail to the making of this dish? Or did I make a tremendous oversight here? My beef was, as comfort here, 85% lean. After tonight, I'm starting to think that while Browning the meatballs is something of an inconvenience, Perhaps it is worth it if I can render off the fat before they go into the sauce.
I usually love Cooks Country recipes. I made the meatballs last night, followed the instructions exactly and ended up with bland meatballs and a greasy sauce. I would have been better off buying Stouffers.
You need three cans of tomatoes for this recipe, and you have to skim the fat off the top of the sauce. Once you do that, it's good. I like sauteed then pureed onion and chopped parsley in the meatball mix.
I wrote down everything you have done…. Just gonna do it !!! … thanks so much
I've made this recipe 3 times, so obviously I'm a fan. While I understand the emphasis on the meatballs, no one has mentioned the delicious sauce this recipe produces. I usually use three cans of tomatoes and adjust the other ingredients accordingly, so I have extra sauce.
Can I skip the red pepper flakes? I don't like my tomato sauce spicy.
Oh goodness, another winner of a receipt and video! Well done ladies!!!!!
I’ve made these 5-6 times and I can’t imagine a recipe that could be better for our three picky teenage daughters. We all love it!!
Such a delicious recipe. We love it! Thank you
I've been making drop meatballs for decades, but I use the Crock Pot
I've been on Keto for the last 10 weeks… I've dropped 10 pounds just by changing my eating habits… BUT, I'm definitely gonna do THIS !! Thank you.
My mother never browned her meatballs. When your sauce has 40 minutes to an hour left, is whe uou drop your meatballs.You can use the meatball recipe you have, Prior to dropping your meatballs, take the meat cooking in your sauce out. Drop your meatballs. Cook the sauce for another 40 minutes to an hour.. If you stir your sauce, be careful the meatballs are delicate. When the sauce is done. Turn off your sauce and add the other meat back in.
Looks amazing!
Very Good. But I can see that making a decicious meatball sandwich for sure
I make this all the time. So good! I stir the rest of the ingredients into the panade before adding the beef. I feel like it helps evenly distribute everything.
So good, thank you!
I mix my meatball , with toasted chickpea
flour try it .😂😋
I always make my meatballs without browning them. Easy, peasy.
What kind of pesto do I need? There a number of them available. Thanks.
This is a delicious recipe. It turns out perfectly every time. I give it a 5 out of 5!
Can this recipe be made in a crockpot? Instead of Dutch oven?
I’m sorry, but I made these….they went in the garbage the next day . Zero flavor. Zero. And the sauce, well after I doctored it up, it was edible. Give me back my Italian meatballs!
I found these videos about a month ago. LOVE THEM!!! I tried these and decided to season my panade instead of everything all at once. I used oregano, fennel seed, fennel, pepper, salt, nutmeg, red pepper flakes and garlic powder. This way the seasonings are distributed evenly.
I usually make my own Italian sausage using some of those ingredients and ground pork straight from our local whole hog pork dealership her in Raleigh, NC.
I added the parmesan after putting both ground beef and pork into the panade, then mixed by hand. Then I browned a little bit to taste the meat before making meatballs with a scoop server. It turned out fantastic and very tender. I'm freezing half the meatballs as they are so I can just take them out and use them anyway I please later, I will thaw them before browning).
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
We are watching our blood pressure. You have salt in the saltines, added salt to the meat, added salt to the sauce and used tomatoes with salt in them. You could reduce or eliminate salt by using oyster crackers and salt-free canned tomatoes. Of course skip the pure salt put straight into the food. I know from experience that without any salt you would have a delicious sauce which only needs a tiny sprinkle of salt at the table. Salt-free canned tomatoes taste better, too. Thanks for a nice recipe. I'll try this.
i had a delightful diner…..thank you !
Followed this to the letter. It was all too salty and the meatballs were tough
Can you use Ritz crackers in place of Saltines in this recipe??
I saw ya chuckle when she plopped the meat in the bowl, hard not to 😅
Making this for Valentine’s Day dinner!
The saltines wasn’t enough salt?
So good and easy!
Looks delicious! Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
NO Oreano
10 cloves of garlic, dafuq
2 cloves would have been more than enough
we're Italy and there are no fucking vampires here to keep away, no one over here would ever use that amount because it's just silly, try Romania
baffling
Hello Everyone! I made this recipe. and it was Every Bit of DELICIOUS!! Thank You
American-Test Kitchen Cooks! For Sharing this Recipe ❤️❤️❤️
Can't get recipe to the link u gave u have to sing up then pay a membership fee.. can u post recipe in comments..thank u
Meatballs are 50/50 beef/pork. Everyone knows this. Otherwise you got no flavor.
This chick really knows her skettie
I’m going to try this!
I've made the drop meatball recipe several times and love it. Best recipe for meatballs I've ever tried.
Rare meatballs and you forgot the onion!
How long can these stay on the stove before serving? if making in the morning do you have to cool down then refrigerate until ready?
Just made a triple batch today. Best meatballs ever.
I'm wondering about cooking them in a slow cooker.
Browning, no thank you! ((Eddie Murphy faux McDonalds burger!))
Love, love meatballs! Thanks for the simple recipe and I hope to try it one day.I love drop meatballs, usuallyI bake my meatballs then add it to the sauce.
I dislike being challenging but is there a dairy free option?
Hey, so you can't get the recipe unless you pay for it.