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
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I’ve made them several times in different dishes. They are awesome
made this recipe and made enough to freeze for the winter. this is a delicious recipe and was ready to follow. I just added mince green pepper, fresh onions and fresh garlic to the mixture .
can instead of making meatballs with this recipe can I make a meatloaf instead
I have not tried this recipe as meatloaf so I can’t say for sure. For meatloaf we love this recipe!
I dont have fresh parmesan can I substitute it with mozzarella cheese or monterey cheese or just leave it out any thoughts
I think this recipe would taste great with mozzarella or monterey cheese. You could also leave it out if you prefer.
I’ve made these countless times now. Recipe is absolute perfection. Thank you!
How long do they last in the fridge? Thanks.
The will last in the fridge up to 4 days.
My grandson was craving spaghetti and meatballs. I made them exactly as the recipe. I have never seen meatballs disappear as fast as these did. I made a big pot of spaghetti and sauce and left the warm meatballs on the side in case someone didn’t want one. Ha! So easy to make and delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing in the recipe. I will make this recipe again and freeze the meatballs so I can have them handy for appetizers or another spaghetti dinner.
That makes me so happy to hear, Jan! I am glad everyone enjoyed them.
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
but can they be made larger?
I still remember some that were so tender but they were larger.
Thanks so much for this recipe and all the rest you post
Most are bookmarked!!! ;-)
Hi Rosalee, you can make them larger. You will need to adjust the cooking time to accommodate the larger size though. Cook them until they reach a safe internal temperature of 160°F.
Maybe this has been asked, but how about using all ground pork? I have some I need to use up! Thanks.
You can make these with ground pork.
This is going to be my first time making meatballs from scratch, but I only have 93% lean 7% fat ground beef, I noticed that it says you can add olive oil but I’m not sure how much to add?
Hi Ashlee, you can add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the meatballs.
I can’t count how many times I’ve made these now. They are easy delicious and no need to substitute anything! Great recipe!
I caramelized the onions, used about 5 cloves of fresh garlic (added to the onions at the end of cooking), and also used about 2.25 lb beef and .75 lb pork sausage since it was all I had and I forgot ground pork at the store. It was still amazing, if not better than it was supposed to be. I also made the meatballs extra large and used them for meatball subs and then spaghetti and meatballs. 10/10 will make again!
This is the best meet all recipe ever! I have made it many times for my family and they always love it!
this recipe is almost exactly like the one that we have been making for years! My family loves them and we have to do a double batch, as they are eaten when they come out of the oven! The fresh grated Parmesan is essential to the flavor. we have used fresh herbs out of the garden and it was so good! try the fresh herbs if you get a chance! It is time for us to make some meatballs!
meatballs are better when using beef pork and veal.
It’s easier just to grate raw onion into the meat.
Love most of your recipes…keep them coming
This is a question: how long do you think they would take to cook in homemade spaghetti sauce? I don’t know whether to add them near the beginning or after it has simmered awhile.
Since the meatballs are already baked, they won’t need long to heat up in spaghetti sauce. I would say 10 minutes to heat through or 15-20 if they’re frozen!
I haven’t made this recipe yet. I am wondering if I can roll all the meatballs and freeze half of them for another day. Will they freeze ok?
These can definitely be frozen for another day, Liz! I would freeze the other half in an airtight container and let them thaw overnight in the fridge before using. Enjoy!
Absolutely the best meatballs I have ever had. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
This recipe is amazing!!!!!
Wonderful recipe. Best tasting meatball ever.