Weekly Recipe: Prime Beef Meatballs By RPM Italian

Is there ever a night in your life that couldn’t be made better with some hearty, saucy Italian food?

RPM Italian boasts locations in Chicago, Las Vegas and D.C., and the family-owned restaurant brand finds success because of its quality ingredients and attention to detail. One of the cornerstone dishes on its menu are the prime beef meatballs, and executive chef and partner Bob Brosky is so sure of their taste, he’s sharing the recipe with our readers below.

See also: 20 of the Best Italian Restaurants Across America

“The prime beef meatballs are the true embodiment of what we strive to do every day at RPM Italian,” he says. “As a classically minded, modern Italian restaurant, our goal is to serve the very best product that we can source while giving our guests a dish that will not only excite their taste buds, but also give them a sense of comfort and nostalgia. We source our prime beef from the Midwest and gently mix it with slow roasted garlic and pecorino romano, which gives a bright acidic saltiness to the meatball. After roasting the meatballs, we brase them in our signature pomodoro sauce slowly in order to marry the fresh roma tomatoes and roasted beef. As a finishing touch, we put more pecorino romano with a pinch of parmigiano reggiano along with Italian parsley and sweet basil.”

This recipe yields four to six servings and is sure to be a huge hit at your own dinner table. Master these meatballs, and you’ll be hero for a day—and we all know Italian food tastes even better the day after!

Prime Beef Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup pecorino romano, grated
• 1 Tbsp. garlic puree
• 1 cup Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 cup Spanish onions, minced
• 1 cup + 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. fine sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 lbs. ground Angus beef
• 2 cups pomodoro sauce
• 2 cups tomato juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Mince the onions. Place a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the cup of olive oil and sweat the onions until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, add bread crumbs, eggs, onions, milk, cheese, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
4. Add the ground angus beef to the bread crumb mixture. Gently combine with your hands until just mixed (over mixing will toughen meatballs).
5. Scoop up about 1⁄4 cup meat mixture to form balls and smooth each ball by rolling in cupped hands. Arrange meatballs on a lined baking sheet.
6. Chill meatballs in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
7. Once chilled, sear meatballs in a heavy bottomed skillet in olive oil until a crust has formed on all sides, about 4 minutes.
8. Transfer the meatballs into a baking dish and top with the pomodoro and tomato juice.
9. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the meatballs reach 165° F.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of pecorino romano and serve immediately.

Visit RPM Italian in Chicago, Las Vegas, D.C. and online for more delicious dishes and inspiration.