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!
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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.
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.
I made these today using half ground beef and half pork Brown. I baked it for 20 minutes and they came out 162 degrees I cut one open and I didn’t see any pink so I tasted one that I cut open and the flavor was wonderful. I did use just a little bit more Italian bread crumbs because my meat mixture seemed to wet. I also use two eggs instead of one. Again the flavor was phenomenal I’ll be keeping this recipe for a while. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome Marilyn! So happy to hear that you enjoy the meatballs so much!
My 4 picky grandsons loved these. I used 2 lb ground beef and I substituted the breadcrumbs with ground pork rinds making this a keto and gluten free recipe. They were yummy!
These were pretty good. I wish it would have given an amount of salt to use instead of just saying salt to taste, because you don’t find out till after it’s cooked that you didn’t use enough salt. With the right amount of salt I would have moved the stars from a 4 to a 5.
Love these. One question, do you use dry Parmesan? I didn’t have any
I usually use fresh shredded cheese, not the grated parmesan in a can. But grated parmesan will work in this recipe in a pinch, you might need to reduce the amount slightly.
Love this recipe
I will say that I first made these with only lean ground beef because I usually don’t have ground pork on hand. They were great! I was very pleased with the easy recipe and it turned out very tasty. I then made it again with the pork, after realizing that I had some in the freezer that needed to be used. The mix, in my opinion, was too much like breakfast sausage. Yes, I made it 50/50. I have made other recipes from this site and they all have been Delicious! I was just a little disappointed with the overpowering of the pork. Just my taste, however. I will continue to make this with the all beef and will try other recipes here as well. Thank you for the tasty dishes! The Shepherds pie is a great one!
Did you use seasoned pork sausage? I think if you would use unseasoned plain ground pork you would notice a difference in taste.
We just ate your meatballs for dinner! What a great taste and texture! Best I’ve ever made.
Thanks Holly! Made a double batch and they turned out great!
You’re very welcome Jeff!
Made these last night. Used quick oats instead of breadcrumbs. Made them golf ball size. Best recipe ever.
Very gooood! Didn’t have enough parsley so I added some finely chopped celery, leaves and all. They were delicious!
Lovely. Came out very well.
I have been searching for a meatball recipe for a while now, and I have to say I think I may have found my go to recipe. These are easy and delicious – wow! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve just added these meatballs to my regular meal prep rotation! These were a huge hit with brown gravy and roasted potatoes. My husband is already asking for a repeat! I love that these are easy to freeze for super simple meals on busy nights!
OMG! These meatballs are great! My husband loved them. I didn’t have the fresh parsley but they taste terrific.
Needed to have some soft food after oral surgery and didn’t want a tomato base or Swedish. I will be making these again. T
Looks yummy!
These were amazing! I doubled the recipe and served with tomato sauce and more Parmesan. Sooo good!
Love it! Keep on making easy recipes!
Really good recipe!
5 stars
Always love your recipes! This sounds like a delicious recipe for meatballs, I am making them for my family today. One question: How much fat is in the ground beef you use? 80/20?
Yes, I use an 80/20. Enjoy Summer!
The easy meatball recipe is fantastic . Thank you for sharing .