Mama's Meatballs

30 minutes prep 1 hour + 30 minutes active cooking 2 hours total
Makes 3-4 servings

On regular rotation in chef Patrick McKee’s own home...

these meatballs are a deeply satisfying homage to his Kansas City childhood. He has fond memories of his big Italian/Irish family gathering for meals, his mom relying on recipes passed down from her mother, who had emigrated from Italy. Those same recipes–filtered through decades of professional kitchen experience–have been the driving force at Estes, Patrick’s once-a-week pop-up at Portland wine bar Dame named for his grandmother. There, he explores his cultural heritage through the lens of his family’s food, and believe us when we tell you that you can taste Nonna Estes’ love in every bite.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

  • 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 114 grams (about half of a medium yellow onion), diced small
  • 6 grams (1-2 cloves) garlic, minced for the meatballs
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced for the marinara
  • chile flakes to taste
  • 58 grams grana padano (you can use a good quality parmigiano if you don’t have grana)
  • 13 grams parsley, chopped
  • a few basil leaves
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste

From our shop

Out of stock

1  Eggs - Farm Fresh
$8.50– Cloverdale - Oregon
10 grams + more to taste  Fine Kosher Sea Salt
$18.00– Gossen Island - Norway
4 tablespoons, divided  Bettini Organic
$37.00– Umbria - Italy
*We of course prefer olive oil but Patrick uses canola or rice bran oil for frying the meatballs
12 ounces, chopped or blended  Whole Tomatoes
$7.00– Yolo Valley - California
Patrick's recipe calls for san marzano tomatoes but we love Bianco di Napoli tomatoes

Equipment

From the kitchen

  • Scale
  • Blender (optional)
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Stand mixer with paddle attachment (optional)
  • Cast iron skillet
  • Oven proof heavy bottom pot
  • Measuring spoons

What you'll have to do

Step 1 — Combine the beef, pork, 114g of onion, 6g minced garlic, 58g grana padano, 1 egg, 13g parsley, 10g salt and a pinch of chile flakes in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Patrick likes to use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment if possible, because you really want to incorporate all ingredients well. If the mix seems sticky, that’s good, because it means the meatballs will hold together! At his restaurant, Patrick weighs the meatballs into 3 oz, but you can use any size that you prefer.

Step 2 — Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and preheat your oven to 350. When the oil is hot, brown a few meatballs at a time. Work in batches and be sure not to crowd your pan. Once evenly browned on all sides, remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside on a tray lined with a napkin to let drain.

Step 3 — Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium-low heat; add the sliced garlic, a pinch of chile flakes, and gently fry until aromatic, 1 or 2 minutes. Make sure not to brown the garlic, as it will become bitter. Add the blended tomatoes and basil and slowly bring to a simmer. Adjust seasoning, then add your meatballs to the sauce. Transfer the pot of sauce and meatballs to the oven, and cook for another 1 – 1 ½ hrs, depending on the size of your meatballs.

Step 4 — When the meatballs get close to being done, cook whatever pasta you’d like to serve. In Italy, meatballs are traditionally served as a side dish, where in America, they are traditionally served with spaghetti.

Recipe courtesy of Patrick McKee, founder of Estes Pasta

Photo of the finished dish by Alan Weiner Photos

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