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Photographer: Emily Hawkes, Food Stylist: Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Stylist: Julia Rose, Recipe Tester: Rebecca Firkser
Sticky Notes
Ever stumble upon a cookbook tip that feels like pure gold? That’s what Sticky Notes is all about. In this Allrecipes column, we dig into new (and old!) cookbooks to bring you one clever trick, one delicious recipe, and the story that makes it matter.
If I had a nickel for every meatball I’ve ever made, I could hire someone to make meatballs for me on demand. Working for a wood-fired mobile pizza business 15 years ago, I was responsible for making thousands of them, and the experience taught me a lot about the process of seasoning and portioning the perfect meatball. Although my output is (fortunately) much lower these days, my desire to perfect my own seasoned meatball is unwavering. So, when I saw a unique tip in Hailee Catalano’s new cookbook, By Heart: Recipes to Hold Near and Dear, I knew I had to give it a try.
While introducing her recipe for Tina’s Meatballs, Catalano explains that her Grandma Tina would taste the raw meatball mixture to adjust the seasoning before forming and cooking the meatballs. Like Catalano, the idea of nibbling on raw ground beef left me a little squeamish, despite my love of a good beef tartare. But Catalano had a solution for that: “As much as I love my grandma,” she writes, “I don’t suggest trying raw meatball mix for seasoning; instead, you can cook a small bit in a pan and taste it that way.”
As Catalano explains, tasting as you go is a simple technique that makes all the difference when it comes to really nailing a recipe: “It’s so important to taste as you go so you can adjust the seasoning all throughout the cooking process,” she says. “I remember when I first started cooking at a young age, tasting as you go never occurred to me, and I would always be so nervous to try the final dish because I had no idea what it tasted like. When I learned you can taste food as you go and adjust as needed, I was like wow! Revelatory!"
Catalano, whose serene cooking videos on Instagram are a testament to working cleanly and efficiently, credits her Grandma Tina with fueling her early interest in what would eventually become her career. “Watching my Grandma Tina cook big Sunday meals every week as a child was my first glimpse into the culinary world,” she recalls. “I was always in awe of how she could prepare such beautiful meals for everyone while staying calm, cool, and collected. I didn’t know it at the time, but these memories definitely shaped my food philosophy and why I wanted to become a chef.”
Though just one chapter is dedicated to Grandma Tina, her influence ripples throughout the book. Blending cherished memories with approachable, flavor-packed recipes, Catalano reminds us what good cooking is really about. So, no matter which recipe you make from By Heart—including those fantastic meatballs—remember what Grandma Tina taught us: Always taste as you go.
How to Make Grandma Tina’s Meatballs
Servings: 4
Yield: 16 to 18 meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball Mix:
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 small yellow onion, shredded on the large holes of a box grater
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1/4 cup finely chopped
fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
8 ounces ground beef (80/20)
8 ounces ground pork
olive oil, for greasing your hands and searing
Sauce:
1 (24-ounce) jar passata
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Parmesan rinds (if you have them)
1 dried bay leaf
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Make the meatballs: Add the Pecorino Romano, panko, eggs, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper to a large bowl, and mix with a spoon to combine. Add the beef and pork, and mix with your hands just until combined. Try not to overwork the meat!
2. Using oiled hands, form the meatball mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Place the finished meatballs on a sheet tray or large plate. You should yield 16 to 18 meatballs.
3. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, add half of the meatballs to the pot, and sear on one side until golden, 4 or 5 minutes.
4. Use a small spoon or offset spatula to carefully flip over the meatballs and brown the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes. (The meatballs will not be fully cooked at this point; they will finish in the sauce.) Transfer the meatballs to a plate, set aside, and repeat with the second half of the meatballs, adding more oil to the pot as needed.
5. Make the sauce: Reduce the heat under the pot to low, and carefully add the passata. Add the water to the passata jar, cover, shake to fully clean out the jar, and pour into the pot. Stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
6. Add the sugar, Parmesan rinds, if using, and bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs and any accumulated juices, and gently stir to cover the meatballs in sauce.
7. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, uncovering every now and then to stir, for 25 minutes.
8. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
9. Season with more salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf, and serve.
Recipe excerpted from By Heart, reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2025 by Hailee Catalano
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