Chimichurri Meatballs Are....
A) Comfort food
B) Finger food
C) Dinner food
D) All of the above
And the answer is D! (It’s always D, right?) This easy meatball recipe is about as versatile as can be. Made with beef and lamb or pork (dealer’s choice!), we often serve these for dinner—just add a green salad or seasonal veggie that you love, and maybe a little bread to round things out—but meatballs are also one of our go-to party appetizers! These chimichurri meatballs are a little extra fun to serve at parties because of the chimichurri dipping sauce. Place them on a platter and pop a toothpick in each beefy lamb or pork meatball for easy dipping and nibbling. As for comfort food, well, if you haven’t guessed, meatballs are basically our #1 comfort food and we think everyone needs more meatballs in their life. For more meatball recipe ideas, check out our favorite Meatball Recipes!
What Is Chimichurri Sauce Made Of?
Chimichurri sauce is a simple, fresh-herb sauce that originated in South America. It’s a bit pesto-like and is most closely associated with Argentinian cuisine, where it’s often served with a simple, perfect grilled steak. Many chimichurri recipes call for cilantro, but we’ve opted to use the still-traditional and much more crowd-pleasing parsley—plus a little oregano—as our herbal base. While we love it on steak (or eggs, or chicken, or fish), we also discovered that it gets along really well with these meatballs! The chimichurri sauce alone delivers all the flavors we love, and in this meatball recipe, we’ve put it to work in not one, but two ways! First, you’ll mix it into your meatball mixture, then you’ll serve some on the side for dipping. Best finger food ever! Here’s what’s in our chimichurri recipe:
Shallots
Flat-leaf parsley
Fresh oregano
Garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper
What Is the Secret to Tender Meatballs?
This super easy meatball recipe gets its tenderness from a few things. Ingredients matter, of course, but so does meatball technique! Here are a few things that make these meatballs truly moist and tender:
A delicate touch is really important. Do not overmix your meatballs, or they’ll just never be tender. This is why we always hand-mix our meatballs—it’s much easier to handle the meat gently with your hands than with any kind of kitchen appliance.
Fat! Plenty of fat ensures a nice moist meatball, and these get it from a few places. Using a combination of ground beef and pork (or lamb) makes them super rich and moist, and the olive oil base of the chimichurri doubles down on that tenderness. And relatedly:
How do I make sure meatballs don't fall apart? Breadcrumbs and egg both act as binders here—they keep the meatballs together.
How To Make Chimichurri Meatballs
Quick and easy, this beef and pork meatball recipe is a weeknight life-saver and always popular. Here’s how to make it!
Whip up a batch of chimichurri sauce sauce! You can do this at least a few days ahead of time, if you’d like.
Mix the meatballs! Take 1/3 cup chimichurri and stir it into the bread crumbs. Add the meat and eggs and hand-mix gently until the meatball mixture is uniform.
Roll the meatballs! We do about two tablespoons of chimichurri meat mixture per meatball, and end up with about 26-28 meatballs.
Hot tip!! As you roll, wet your palms with a bit of water as needed to keep the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands.
Bake until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
Serve!
Help Yourself!
Whenever we serve meatballs at a party, they’re the first thing to go, and these chimichurri-laced meatballs are no exception! Try the recipe, and let us know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
