• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop

Chili Pepper Madness logo

  • Recipe Index
  • RECIPES BY TYPE
    • BBQ/Grilled
    • Burgers
    • Chicken Wings
    • Chili
    • Curry
    • Dehydrator
    • Game Day
    • Hot Sauces
    • Jalapeno Poppers
    • Marinades
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Quick and Easy
    • Salsas
    • Sauces
    • Seasonings
    • Stuffed Peppers
    • Tacos
  • COOKING TIPS
  • Pepper Info
    • Chili Pepper Types
    • The Scoville Scale
    • Hottest Peppers in the World
    • Growing Chili Peppers
    • Preserving
    • Health Benefits
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Buy Plants & Seeds
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Pepper Info
  • Chili Pepper Types
  • The Scoville Scale
  • Growing Chili Peppers
  • Preserving
  • Chili Pepper Health Benefits
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cooking Tips
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
  • About Us
×

Home » Spicy Italian Meatballs

Spicy Italian Meatballs

by Mike Hultquist · Aug 19, 2015 · 1 Comment

Jump to Recipe

Our spicy Italian meatball recipe that uses ground beef and pork along with cayenne and sweet Italian peppers for loads of traditional flavor.

Spicy Italian Meatballs - Recipe

Italian meatballs, baby! Only these are made "Madness" style with a bit of added kick, and of course, some chili peppers to REALLY bring out the flavor. This is a party sized recipe, perfect for a game day bash or a large party appetizer.

Or, serve it with pasta for the classic spaghetti and meatballs combo, or pop it onto some rolls for a sandwich. Meatballs are good for any type of dish, it seems. How wonderful for us!

Over the years, in making many a meatball, I have learned a number of different ways to make the meatballs moist and not so dense. Sometimes they can get overly thick and a bit tough to eat if you don't treat them right.

One way that works for me, and I've used it in this recipe, is to incorporate cooked onion and peppers. The moisture from those ingredients adds to the overall finished texture of the meatball, keeping that unwanted density at bay.

And they bring plenty of flavor and some heat with the cayenne peppers. Yes!

Also, Parmesan cheese. Talk about AWESOME. I almost NEVER make an Italian style meatball recipe without the addition of Parmesan cheese.

So good.

Seriously, you must try. Today.

I added these to a crock pot and brought them over to a party and they disappeared very quickly. Lucky I snagged a couple before I brought them over!

Let's talk about how we make them.

How to Make Spicy Italian Meatballs - the Recipe Method

First, heat a large pan to medium heat and add onion and peppers with a bit of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and stir. Cook about a minute until it smells good! Remove from heat and cool.

In a large mixing bowl, add pork, beef, peppers, onion and garlic, Parmesan cheese, panko, Italian herbs, and chili powder. Hand mix to combine, but not too much. Overmixing will make it become mealy.

Form into 16 2-ounce meatballs and set aside.

Bring your large pan back to medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Add meatballs and sear them about 1 minute per side, rolling them around a bit to get most of the sides. Get them nicely browned. Drain some of the grease if desired.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil. Stir.

Reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. You can let them simmer longer if you’d like. The flavor of the sauce will develop further with the meatballs.

BOOM! Serve the up!

About the Sauce

The sauce is simple, but that's OK. A good thing, actually. The tomato sauce is imbued with flavor from the cooking meatballs and become rather rich. When they simmer in the pot or the crock pot, the flavor develops even more. Not a lot of tinkering needed! Try it with my spicy Fra Diavolo Sauce recipe!

Patty's Perspective

We were invited to a party and when the host's grill decided to act up, we needed to help with a party food that travels well and doesn't use the grill. And, people needed to love it! Italian Meatballs! They're perfect straight from the pan or from a crockpot. I love how this Italian tomato sauce came through with these meatballs. I feel like a lot of meatballs you get parties don't get a lot of sauce, and I enjoy the sauce. High on Italian flavor. They would be perfect on a sub roll. Can you say, meatball sammich?

Try Some of My Other Popular Spicy Recipes

  • Spicy Meatballs in Chipotle-Lime Sauce
  • Spicy Meatballs Sub Sandwiches
  • Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
  • Spicy Korean Chicken Meatballs
  • Grape Jelly Meatballs
  • Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Spicy Italian Meatballs - On a platter, ready to serve

If you make this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.

Print

Spicy Italian Meatballs - Madness Style - Recipe

Our spicy Italian meatball recipe that uses ground beef and pork along with cayenne and sweet Italian peppers for loads of traditional flavor.
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: meatballs, spicy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Calories: 183kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 16
Tap or hover to scale
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 roasted Italian sweet peppers a large red bell is fine as well, chopped
  • 2 roasted cayenne peppers chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasonings
  • 1 tablespoon spicy chili powder
  • 4-5 large basil leaves chopped
  • 12 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 large tomato chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil as needed

Instructions

  • Heat a large pan to medium heat and add onion and peppers with a bit of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and stir. Cook about a minute until it smells good! Remove from heat and cool.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add pork, beef, peppers, onion and garlic, Parmesan cheese, panko, Italian herbs, and chili powder. Hand mix to combine, but not too much. Overmixing will make it become mealy.
  • Form into 16 2-ounce meatballs and set aside.
  • Bring your large pan back to medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Add meatballs and sear them about 1 minute per side, rolling them around a bit to get most of the sides. Get them nicely browned. Drain some of the grease if desired.
  • Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil. Stir.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. You can let them simmer longer if you’d like. The flavor of the sauce will develop further with the meatballs.
  • Serve!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 183kcal   Carbohydrates: 4g   Protein: 11g   Fat: 12g   Saturated Fat: 5g   Cholesterol: 43mg   Sodium: 217mg   Potassium: 299mg   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 1g   Vitamin A: 630IU   Vitamin C: 13mg   Calcium: 65mg   Iron: 1.5mg
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Categories: Beef Tags: cayenne peppers, Chili Pepper Madness, chili pepper recipe, game day and superbowl parties, Italian, meatballs

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. plasterers bristol says

    March 14, 2017 at 6:14 pm

    Sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing. Simon

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

ALL. SPICY. RECIPES. Hi, I’m Mike and I LOVE Spicy Food! Say goodbye to bland and boring food with my easy-to-follow recipes. Let’s get cooking!

More about me →

Mexican
Cajun
Sauces
Seasonings

5 ESSENTIALS FOR SPICY COOKING

Subscribe and receive my FREE email series with tips for spicy cooking and new Recipes

Order The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND / BOOKS A MILLION

Order The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND

Most Popular Recipes

  • Bang Bang Chicken
  • Jamaican Curry Chicken
  • Mexican Birria Recipe
  • Homemade Blackening Seasoning
  • Michelada Recipe - Spicy Mexican Beer and Tomato Juice Cocktail
  • Pollo Guisado Recipe (Chicken Stew)

Footer

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

Receive my "5 Essentials for Spicy Cooking" email series & new recipes

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Travel-Food | Stories | Privacy | Disclaimer | © 2022 Chili Pepper Madness

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF MEDIAVINE FOOD