Absolute Best Italian Meatballs

In a large bowl, add the pork, Italian sausage, pancetta, bread cubes, parsley, oregano, fennel, red pepper flakes, salt and half of the basil as well as half of the parmesean. Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Don't over-work.

Whisk the beaten eggs and ricotta together in a separate bowl until there are no more large clumps. Pour into the bowl of the meat mixture. Mix with your hands until just incorporated. Again, do not over-mix.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with olive oil. Form meatballs in your hand, about 1 1/2-inches in diameter, using about 3 Tbsp of the mixture to form each meatball. Arrange in pan so there is some space between them. If they are too crowded they will steam and not brown.

Roast meatballs in the oven for about 30 minutes, turning the meatballs after about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are beginning to brown.

Remove pan from oven. Use a metal spatula to dislodge meatballs from being stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan. Carefully cover the pan with aluminum foil.Return the pan to the oven. Lower the heat to 300°F. Cook for an additional hour to 1 1/2 hours.

Sprinkle the rest of the basil and the rest of the parmesean into the sauce and over meatballs before serving.