Gordon Ramsay Meatballs Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s meatballs are tender and herby, made with 800g beef mince and 200g pork, fresh thyme, oregano, marjoram and parsley, baked in the oven then braised in a rich tomato sauce for 30-45 minutes. Served with crusty bread, the Italian way. Ready in about an hour.

This recipe comes from Bread Street Kitchen, where Ramsay writes: “The combination of beef and pork mince is typically Italian, as is serving the cooked meatballs with bread rather than pasta. Spaghetti and meatballs is an American invention and our Italian sous chef wouldn’t hear of it.” That’s something no competitor page mentions.

The technique that sets these apart is the two-stage cook. You bake the meatballs at 200C for 10 minutes first to set a crust and hold their shape, then drop them into the simmering tomato sauce to braise. Most recipes either fry them in oil or simmer them raw. Baking gives you a browned outside and a soft centre, and you cook all 40 meatballs at once instead of pan-frying in batches.

Gordon Ramsay Meatballs

Recipe by Sophie LaneCourse: DinnerCuisine: British, ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Calories

520

kcal

Total time

75

minutes

From Bread Street Kitchen: beef and pork meatballs with four fresh herbs, baked then braised in tomato sauce. Makes about 40 walnut-sized meatballs, served with crusty bread the Italian way.

Ingredients

• For the tomato sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 litre passata

• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• For the meatballs:

• 800g (1.75 lb) beef mince, preferably chuck

• 200g (7 oz) pork mince

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 4 tbsp whole milk

• 1 egg

• 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

• 4 oregano sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

• 4 marjoram sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

• 4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

• 100g (3.5 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• To serve:

• Handful of basil leaves, torn

• 25g shaved Parmesan

• Crusty bread

Directions

• Make the tomato sauce: Heat olive oil in a large casserole. Add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Stir in the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Pour in the passata and tinned tomatoes, season and bring to the boil. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Mix the meatballs: Combine the beef, pork, garlic, milk, egg and all four chopped herbs in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs last and mix until just combined. Don’t overwork the mixture.
• Shape: With wet hands, roll into walnut-sized balls, about 30g each. You should get about 40 meatballs. Place on a lined baking tray in a single layer.
• Bake: Preheat oven to 200C (400F/Gas 6). Brush the meatballs all over with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes until browned on the outside.
• Braise: Carefully drop the baked meatballs into the simmering tomato sauce. Cover with a lid and braise over low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring gently a couple of times so you don’t break them.
• Serve: Top with torn basil and shaved Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

FAQs

Why bake the meatballs before braising?

Baking at 200C for 10 minutes sets a crust on the outside so they hold their shape in the sauce. Most recipes either pan-fry (greasy, they fall apart when you turn them) or drop them raw into sauce (no colour, pale and soft).

Baking 40 meatballs at once on a tray is also faster than standing at the hob frying them in batches. Ten minutes, one tray, done.

Why beef and pork together?

Ramsay writes in Bread Street Kitchen that “the combination of beef and pork mince is typically Italian.” Beef gives structure and flavour. Pork adds fat and tenderness. Pure beef meatballs tend to be dry and dense because the meat is too lean.

The 4:1 ratio (800g beef to 200g pork) keeps them meaty but soft enough to melt in the sauce during the braise.

Why serve with bread instead of spaghetti?

Ramsay is blunt about this: “Spaghetti and meatballs is an American invention and our Italian sous chef wouldn’t hear of it.” In Italy, meatballs are served with bread to mop up the sauce, not piled on pasta.

If you do want a pasta dish, try his spaghetti bolognese instead, which is designed as a pasta sauce from the start. But try the bread version first.

Why four herbs instead of just parsley?

Most meatball recipes use parsley alone. The BSK recipe uses thyme, oregano, marjoram and parsley together. Each adds something different: thyme is earthy, oregano is warm, marjoram is sweet and floral, parsley is fresh and clean.

If you can’t get all four fresh, use 1 tsp dried for each instead of 4 sprigs. Fresh herbs hold up better during the long braise though, because dried herbs can turn bitter after 45 minutes in liquid.

Can you freeze these meatballs?

Yes. In the Ultimate Cookery Course, Ramsay says meatballs “freeze really well and are so versatile you can take them in any direction: in a Mexican soup, a pasta bake, a melted cheese sandwich.” Freeze after baking but before braising. Defrost fully, then drop into hot sauce.

A green bean salad on the side works well with both fresh and reheated batches. He covers all his meatball recipes from coconut broth to turkey courgetti using the same base technique with a different sauce each time.