This Meatball Recipe makes tender, juicy homemade meatballs with a rich, savory flavor that’s perfect for pasta with homemade marinara sauce, on meatball subs, or as meal prep. Baked in the oven for easy cleanup, they’re simple to make and always a family favorite.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Meatball Recipe
- Flavor: Tender and juicy with a savory, well-seasoned flavor, balanced by hints of Parmesan, garlic, herbs, and onion.
- Freezing: You can bake these meatballs right away or make a big batch and freeze them for easy weeknight dinners.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with tomato sauce over spaghetti, in a meatball pasta bake, or on their own as a hearty appetizer.
Total Time: 40 Minutes Makes: 48 Meatballs Cooking Method: Baked
Ingredient Notes
- 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.
- Breadcrumbs: Seasoned breadcrumbs add flavor, but you can use any breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs.
- Onion: Finely dice the onion so it blends evenly into the meat mixture. For a milder flavor, sauté it until softened first, or substitute ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
- Italian Seasoning: Adds an extra layer of herb flavor, but the meatballs are still delicious without it, especially if you’re using seasoned breadcrumbs.
How to Make Meatballs
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl.
- Gently mix until well combined.
- Shape 48 meatballs, about 1 ½ tablespoons each.
- Bake until cooked through.
Storing Homemade Meatballs
- Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat them in sauce on the stovetop, in the microwave, or covered in the oven until heated through.
- Freezing Baked Meatballs: Place them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 4 months.
- Baking Raw Frozen Meatballs: Add 6 to 10 minutes to the baking time and cook to 160°F. To reheat cooked frozen meatballs, simmer them in a covered skillet with a little water or sauce until heated through.
Recipes to Use These Meatballs In
Did you enjoy the following Meatball Recipe? Leave a comment and rating 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.
- Leftovers, keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- 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
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EXCELLENT! I like how these can be used for multiple meal applications with outstanding results…..
Thank you for sharing
So happy you enjoyed it, Christina!
Delicious!! (But I have to admit that I made several adjustments.) My family doesn’t eat pork, so I subbed in ground turkey. I had some leftover sauteed onions in the fridge, so I used those (unmeasured, but probably over 1/4 cup). And since my daughter is gluten-free and dairy-free, I used bread crumbs and non-dairy milk that were safe for her (and no Parmesan). Toss in an extra egg, and that completes my tweaks. My kiddos loved mixing and rolling these meatballs almost as much as they loved devouring them! I’ll definitely be coming back for this recipe again!!
Very good recipe. I cut it in half and just used 1 pound of lean beef with a bit of olive oil and half and half. I evened off 1 tablespoon of mixture instead of the 1.5 TBL to produce a smaller but substantial meatball. I felt the one and a half was too large for spaghetti.
I didn’t have Italian season so just put in my own dose of rosemary, thyme, and oregano (didn’t have Basil).
I would definitely add more pepper even some Cajun powder or red pepper flakes to add a little spice to it next time.
Thanks for sharing your changes, Kay! They sound delicious.
I also added like a tablespoon of sautéed garlic, onions and oregano instead of using onion powder !
First time making any meatballs- they were AMAZING! Definitely will be making again and again!
I normally use the Italian seasoning that comes in a package to actually make salad dressing! To me I like this the best. If I don’t have to use it all, I put a full clip on the rest to use for later! Try it for yourself and see what you think.
Your recipes have been the best for me to use for along time!
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Thank You!
Great idea Joy, I’ll have to give it a try! Thanks for sharing, so glad you’ve loved the recipes.
Super simple and made really yummy, moist meatballs extremely quickly! Definitely going to make again :)
Do you mix these by hand or with a mixer?
These are mixed by hand!
I am not a great cook and was worried to try and make meatballs but these were super easy and amazingly juicy! I have made them several times now and my boyfriend loves them! Thanks so much!
Should really saute diced onions in butter until they ate transparent, add to your mix including the butter they were cooked in.
That sounds delicious, Katherine, thanks for sharing!
Exactly, I was going to post this top and then I saw yours. I slow cooked the diced onions they become soft and sweet. You can also Carmelize them in the microwave in a little butter and olive oil. And yes they are great.
Very tasty. I used 2 to 1 beef/pork ratio. The only other thing I would change is adding fresh garlic rather than powder. Will be making again.
I followed this to the letter and they turned out delicious and perfect.
Just made these for dinner and my picky SO loved them! Quick question – if I freeze the extra for later, how would i reheat? Defrost overnight and then boil? Boil from frozen? How long? Thanks!!!
I love freezing the leftover meatballs, Samm. Depending on what I am making I will let them defrost overnight and toss them in the pasta sauce to simmer for spaghetti, pop them in the oven to bake until heated through, or even in a crockpot with sweet and sour sauce for supper!
Lovely recipe, tummy balls. Thank you very much.
Hi, what can I use instead of pork? Can I use only beef? Thanks!
You could try ground chicken or turkey as substitutes or use all beef for the meatballs!
Hi may I know if I can substitute Italian breadcrumbs w regular ones?
Hi Lynn, Italian breadcrumbs are preseasoned so if you replace them with regular ones your meatballs may have a little less flavor. So you could add a little extra Italian seasoning to balance it out.
Made these tonight, they are delicious! I accidentally added minced garlic instead of garlic powder but the taste was great otherwise I followed the recipe. Highly recommend!
Delicious! Made a few changes – added some onion powder (along with chopped onion) and my meatballs were slightly bigger – made tbsp-sized meatballs- made for 35 meatballs. Cooked at 400°F for 15 minutes and they were amazingly good – moist and full of flavour. Keeping this recipe.
“Meatball recipe” Looks very good.
I understand you can add salt/pepper “to taste” with a sauce, but how do you add salt/pepper “to taste” with meatballs? Once you bake the meatballs, you can’t add any salt/pepper to them.
If you prefer less salt and pepper in general, you’ll want to add only a small amount, but if you prefer a more salt. An average amount would be approximately ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Hope that helps. Enjoy the meatballs Spencer!