Recipe: Make Samin Nosrat’s Fluffy Pork Meatballs, and Hold the Spaghetti

Forget spaghetti and meatballs – the classic combo you know and love isn’t even Italian. Samin Nosrat knows better. The chef and author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat spent two years mastering her craft in Italy, training under culinary legends Benedetta Vitali and Dario Cecchini.

“The very last place a meatball belongs [is on spaghetti],” Nosrat writes in her new book Good Things. Instead, she piles these juicy meatballs over garlic-rubbed, olive oil-fried bread, then tops them with rich sugo and a generous shower of Parmesan.

The key here is a light touch. Avoid overmixing your meatballs, and test small patties along the way to perfect the seasoning. The result is a comforting, more satisfying dish than its pasta -laden counterpart.

Below the meatball recipe, you’ll also find a recipe for Nosrat’s simple tomato sauce, which you can use here, and then use for pastas, braises and beyond.

Fluffy pork meatballs by Samin Nosrat

Makes 16–18 meatballs
Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20–30 minutes

Ingredients

120g panko breadcrumbs
180ml full-fat milk
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
450g pork shoulder mince
1 medium egg
45g finely grated parmesan, plus more for serving
20g minced parsley
2 tsp (6g) kosher salt
1½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1½ tsp chilli flakes
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1kg simple tomato sauce (recipe included below)
240–360ml water

Method

In a medium bowl, combine the panko and milk. Use your hands to massage the liquid into the crumbs, but do not overwork. Set aside to soak until completely absorbed.

Set a frying pan over low heat and add the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and gently cook, stirring regularly, until soft but without colour, 10–12 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, but don’t let it take on any colour, about 30 seconds. Scrape everything into a large bowl and allow it to cool.

Once the onion has cooled, add the pork, egg, parmesan, parsley, salt, fennel seeds, chilli flakes, and black pepper. Use your hands to combine the mixture well. Add the panko and milk to the pork mixture and gently mix to combine. Avoid overworking or overcompressing the mixture, which can result in gummy or dense meatballs.

Make a small test patty to test the seasoning. Set a small frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Add the patty and cook until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through, 2–3 minutes per side. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, fennel, and chilli flakes as needed. Repeat with another test patty until the mixture is just right. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Coat a baking tray with oil. Use wet hands to gently form the mixture into 16 to 18 meatballs, about 60g each, avoiding the urge to overcompress! Place the meatballs on the baking tray, making sure to leave space between them for browning to occur. Chill the formed meatballs for 30 minutes to 1 hour to help them keep their shape.

Preheat the grill.

In a large casserole, combine the tomato sauce and 240ml water and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low.

Meanwhile, set the baking tray in the oven so that the meatballs are 5cm to 10cm from the heat source and grill until browned on top, about 8 minutes. (Browning times will vary considerably depending on grill strength, so keep a close eye on your meatballs the first time you brown them.)

Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer them to the simmering sauce. If needed, add another 120ml water to ensure all the meatballs are partially submerged. Simmer, stirring gently as needed, until the meatballs are cooked through, 6–10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and leave the meatballs in the warm sauce until ready to serve.

Serve with olive-oil-fried bread lightly swiped with a garlic clove, and abundant grated parmesan.

Cool, cover, and store leftovers in remaining sauce. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to a boil before using.

Simple tomato sauce by Samin Nosrat

Makes about 1 kg
Preparation time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking time: 25–30 minutes

Ingredients

2 × 400g tins whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
120ml water
70g extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato puree
Handful of basil leaves or stalks (optional)
Chilli flakes (optional)
Kosher salt, to taste
Sugar (optional)

Method

Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and use your hands to thoroughly crush them (have some fun!). Pour the water into the tins and swirl to rinse any remaining juice off the sides.

Add the water to the crushed tomatoes and set aside.

Set a nonreactive medium casserole over medium heat and add 3 tbsp of the oil and the garlic. Cook gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until aromatic but not at all beginning to colour, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the tomato puree and cook, stirring, until the oil turns orange, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and season with salt. If using, add the basil and the chilli flakes to taste.

Stirring regularly, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the flavours come together and any raw, tinny taste has cooked off, 22–25 minutes. If at any point the sauce starts to get too thick, add a little splash of water to thin it out.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar, if needed, then add the remaining olive oil (3 scant tbsp). Use the sauce as-is or use a food mill or immersion blender to puree.

Cool, cover, and refrigerate sauce for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to a boil before using.

This is an edited extract of Good Things by Samin Nosrat, photography by Aya Brackett. Published by Penguin Random House (RRP $65.00).

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