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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Great recipe! This is my second time making them and I have tripled the recipe both times. I bake them, let them cool and then freeze. I use a 2 tbsp ice cream scoop and a tripled recipe makes about 102 meatballs. I usually have to bake for about 22-24 mins.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for helping me make my first meatballs last year. Your recipe is now my go-to for delicious meatballs everyone like with plenty of leftovers for lunches.
Very easy and turned out great!
I want to make sweet and sour meatballs for New Years Eve. How much ginger should I use if replacing the Italian seasoning?
If using fresh ginger, I would suggest about 2 teaspoons per pound. If using dried ginger, I would suggest about ¼ teaspoon.
First time making homemade meatballs and the recipe was so easy and they turned out delicious!
easy and delicious!! thank you
Undoubtedly the best meatballs I have ever made or eaten!! So flavorful! So easy to make! I used parchment paper to bake them on, so cleanup was a breeze! Definitely will make again!
Best meatball recipe!
Holly- Your recipes are superb! They are not only tasty but time efficient to prepare and practical.
I’ve made a number of recipes with the latest being Swedish meatballs just yesterday. Excellent- I used ground almonds as a substitute for breadcrumbs to deal with my wife’s gluten intolerance.
Thank you so much Dave, I’m glad you have enjoyed the recipes. Great tip on the almonds!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! My only edit was I used Italian sausage with the ground beef. Will certainly make this again!
I made this recipe and used ground turkey instead of what it called for. I was both surprised and amazed at how easy it was to make them and how delicious they came out. I recommend this 100%
Loved this! We omitted the pork for these as we didn’t have any and they came out great
These are great meatballs. I love making a big batch to freeze. They make great meat accompaniment, for leftover sides when you don’t want to cook. Pop a few out of the freezer, heat and eat. I do use “milk soaked”, bread instead of breadcrumbs because I think that makes a moister meatball, and on occasion, I make them without any Italian seasoning or cheese, (instead I use some other basic seasonings), so they will be a bit more versatile for other type meals.
Do yourself a favor and freeze a batch or two. You’ll be glad you did.
I definitely second freezing a batch or two. It is so nice to have on hand and they freeze perfectly. Glad you enjoyed them too, Jesse!
Hi! These are my favourite meatballs! I was wondering if you would freeze them raw or cooked?
Thanks :)
I freeze them cooked. I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe Sophie!
These are delicious. I make them at least once a month now. My kids rave about them.
i luv meatballs
Oh my goodness! Who knew I could make meatballs! Probably made them at least 6 times now – even brought them to our Christmas (finger – food) at the in-laws! Thank you so much for sharing! Love all your recipes!
These are REALLY GOOD!! I substituted 2 slices of day-old bread for the Italian crumbs and used fresh minced garlic rather than powdered. Used a Ice cream scoop for the meatballs (about golf-ball size) 19 total. These are some if not the best I have ever had/made!! Defiantly a Keeper
How long did you bake them?
Hi Olivia, we bake these for 18-20 minutes as listed in step 4. Hope that helps!
Can I make this recipe with just ground beef and no Pork?? Does that change the measurements of the rest of the ingredients?
You sure can, nothing else will need to change.
Would you need to double the amount of ground beef then?
Yes, you will need 2 pounds of ground meat in this recipe. So if not using ground pork you will want to increase the amount of ground beef you are using instead.
Excellent meatballs. I only changed it by using 2 garlic cloves. The flavor is amazing. Fresh parsley certainly added to the flavor!
Best meatballs ever. To make them lower carb i used 2 slices of 1 net carb bread toasted. Minced dried onions. Half and half instead of milk. 1 T. of Italian seasoning(I misread the recipe) 2 T of minced garlic,1/8 cup of dried parsley. So good and quicker than I thought. It made 48 meatballs. I used a 1T measuring spoon and just mounded it a little. I used a low carb marinara and soy bean pasta. I couldn’t make myself put those delicious meatballs in the sauce to simmer, so we ate them on the side. I just had a meatball sandwich for lunch. 10 star recipe even though I didn’t have the exact ingredients
So happy you loved this recipe, Tena! It is a favorite for us too!