Juicy, tender, and so easy to make!
This meatball recipe is made with ground beef, seasonings, and breadcrumbs and can be baked right away or prepped in batches and frozen for easy weeknight meals.
These Meatballs Are a Recipe Box Staple Because…
- This easy meatball recipe has just 3 steps: mix, shape, and bake!
- These meatballs are perfectly seasoned, tender, and juicy.
- Make them with ground beef or any combination of beef, pork, or sausage.
- Double or triple this meatball recipe and freeze them for quick weeknight meals.
- They can be served with spaghetti or as an appetizer (like Grape Jelly Meatballs).
What You’ll Need For This Meatball Recipe
- Meat: I love meatballs using beef and pork, but you can use all beef if you’d prefer. I use lean ground beef (80/20)—a little fat keeps them tender and juicy. You can also swap in some veal, lamb, or lean Italian sausage.
- Egg: Binds the meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs: Seasoned breadcrumbs add flavor, but you can use any type of breadcrumbs or finely crushed crackers.
- Milk: Adding a little milk to the breadcrumbs gives these meatballs a tender texture and keeps them from being dense.
- Onion: Adds flavor and can be replaced with ½ teaspoon onion powder.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese add flavor. Change the seasonings or add fresh herbs to match the other flavors in your meal.
How to Make Meatballs
This easy meatball recipe is quick to prepare.
- Mix the ingredients and form 48 meatballs, 1-½ inches in diameter.
- Place them ½-inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake until tender or freeze (full recipe below).
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the microwave in a dish or simmer them on the stove in pasta sauce (I love this brand, Rao’s).
Did your family love these easy meatballs? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Easy Meatball Recipe
This easy meatball recipe is so easy to make and they always come out juicy and tender.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground pork or additional ground beef
- ½ cup Italian 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 large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, add beef, pork, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, parsley, parmesan cheese, egg, and seasonings. 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 to the meatballs or replace it with ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
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 to a skillet with 1/2 cup 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, 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!