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Juicy, tender, and full of flavor, this easy meatball recipe is made with ground beef and pork, a handful of seasonings, parmesan, and breadcrumbs. This is one you’ll want to make again and again!
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Tender and juicy with a rich, savory flavor, a hint of garlic and herbs, and a cheesy parmesan finish.
- Difficulty: This meatball recipe is easy with just 3 steps: mix, shape, and bake!
- Freezing: You can bake these meatballs right away or make a big batch and freeze them for easy weeknight dinners.
Ingredient Tips for Mouthwatering Meatballs
- Meat: Use a combination of beef and pork. A little fat keeps them juicy, so I recommend lean ground beef (80/20). Try them with ground turkey or chicken, or swap in veal, lamb, or even a bit of Italian sausage for extra flavor.
- Egg: Helps hold all the meatball ingredients together so they don’t fall apart while cooking. It also adds a little moisture and helps make the meatballs tender.
- Breadcrumbs: Seasoned breadcrumbs add flavor, but you can use any breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs.
- Milk: Milk gives these meatballs a tender texture, and mixed with the breadcrumbs, it keeps the meat from being too dense.
- Onion: Adds flavor. It can be replaced with frozen diced onions, onion powder, or dehydrated onions if you don’t have fresh onions.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese flavor the meatballs. Add extra seasonings like red pepper flakes or basil.
Tasty Meatball Recipes
Did your family love these easy meatballs? Leave a rating and comment below.
Meatball Recipe
These meatballs are tender, juicy, and packed with flavor, making them a family favorite for any meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground pork or additional ground beef
- ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup finely diced onion *see note, or ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, add beef, pork, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, parsley, parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Gently mix until combined.
- Shape the meat mixture into 48 meatballs, approximately 1 ½ tablespoons each, and place on the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs reach 160°F.
- Serve with tomato sauce if desired.
Video
Notes
*Onion: For a milder flavor, soften the onion in a skillet with a little bit of butter before adding it to the meatballs or replace it with ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
Sauce: To serve with pasta sauce, stir the cooked meatballs into the desired amount of sauce and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes on the stovetop.
- To freeze, prepare as directed and freeze on a baking sheet before or after baking. Transfer to a freezer bag for up to 4 months.
- To bake raw frozen meatballs, add 6 to 10 minutes to the cooking time and ensure the meatballs reach 160°F.
- To heat cooked meatballs from frozen, add them to a skillet with ½ cup of water. Cover and simmer until heated through, for 10 to 12 minutes, adding more water as needed.
- To heat cooked meatballs in pasta sauce, add ½ cup of water to the sauce and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs are heated through.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 4meatballs | Calories: 235 | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 174IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
For meatballs, meatloaf or any mix of ground meats, I first combine all the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together well, then add the ground meat. This disallows overmixing and making the meatballs, loaf, etc., too dense.
My boyfriend and I love this recipe. I have made it several times. I have also frozen leftovers and they were great reheated. I just have reheated in the microwave.
These were a big hit with the whole family! I replaced the dried herbs with fresh herbs and threw in some oregano, thyme, & sage. Easy to do & we had extras for leftovers.
This is a delicious recipe, and it is the only one I make.
My go to every time I make meatballs. They hold and freeze well. Makes for a quick and easy dinner. I do the same with homemade pasta sauce.
I’ve used this recipe a couple of times and will definitely keep it! These are easy and delicious!
A wonderfully satisfying weeknight meatball recipe. While the interior of the meatball remained tender, the exterior was browned and crispy. Perfectly paired with penne and our homemade arrabbiata sauce.
What a great recipe!
So much flavor packed in every single meatball. I made turkey meatball too & they turned out amazing.
Thanks for sharing!
I took the challenge and sent mine in! We loved the recipe….. am many different meals you can make using them as the base.
These meatballs were very good.I served them with fresh Ricotta Marinnara Sauce and fresh basil.Easy to prepare and my husband really liked them. Another winner!
Easy weeknight meal!
these look great! can’t wait to try them out! yum!!
I prefer to use a “standard” grocery store meatloaf mix of beef, veal and pork … I find it makes for a more tender meatball than using just beef or beef and pork, and the flavor is (in my opinion) better.
I’m excited to make these. I prefer larger sized meatballs so obviously, if I double the size I would increase the baking time . Would I actually double the baking time? Thanks for any guidance you can give!
You wouldn’t need to double the baking time, I would check them at about 22 to 24 minutes. They should reach 160°F if you have a thermometer. If you do add ground pork, they can still appear a little bit pink, even if they’re fully cooked. Enjoy, I’d love to hear how they work out.
I made a triple batch of these for postpartum prep and completely forgot to add the Parmesan. They are still delicious and tender. So if anyone is wondering if you can leave out the Parmesan, you sure can!
10/10, next time I’ll have to make sure I add all the ingredients
Do you think there would be much of a difference if I just use 1 pound of GB and a half a pound of ground pork? That’s what I hand and being 25 minutes from town I’m too lazy to go out. Lol.
That should work perfectly!
These were so good. Thank you.
An easy meatball recipe is definitely a kitchen staple! I love how simple it is to prepare, making it perfect for busy nights when you want a satisfying meal without too much effort. Whether you use them for appetizers, pasta, or sandwiches, having a go-to meatball recipe is a must for any home cook!
what temperature to set oven on, I didn’t see it in recipe notes…thanks so much
Step 1 says “Preheat the oven to 400°F.” If you are not able to see all instructions, please make sure that you are not on reader view. The recipe will not show correctly. Enjoy the meatballs Kathy!