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My famous Italian meatball recipe is so easy and ready in less than 30 minutes! If you like juicy tender meatballs covered in tangy tomato sauce, you’ll love this recipe. Frozen meatballs and sauce will keep for 2 months! And are delicious with spaghetti, Caesar salad, or mashed potatoes.
Mama’s Italian Meatball Recipe
Do you have a go-to dish you make for company? I have a few, but the one I find myself making over and over again? My famous Italian meatball recipe with homemade tomato sauce!
These easy oven baked meatballs are always a crowd-pleaser and one of my all-time favorite homemade meatball recipes.
You bake the meatballs on a baking sheet, so there’s no messy frying involved! And you can make the meatballs and the marinara sauce days in advance. Which is always great when you’re cooking for a party or family gathering!
Meatballs on a Baking Sheet
- Making meatballs on a baking sheet is much easier than frying meatballs!
- Once you bake the meatballs, you can keep them warm in a slow cooker.
- Easily double or triple the recipe – and no food processor or any fancy kitchen equipment required.
- Ground beef + bread crumbs + Parmesan cheese = lots of flavor!
- Pair with marinara sauce – or go crazy and cover them in bbq sauce, buffalo sauce, or cranberry sauce.
- Meatballs freeze beautifully! You can freeze meatballs for up to 2 months.
- Ready in less than 30 minutes – including making the tomato sauce.
Ingredients for Baked Meatballs
- Ground Meat: I suggest using the best variety you can afford! We use grass-fed ground beef from our farmers market. If you’d prefer using Italian sausage, check out my Italian sausage meatballs. Or use an equal amount of beef and ground pork for extra flavor!
- Eggs: Aka the binder that will hold the meatballs together! I suggest using large variety eggs.
- Bread Crumbs: I prefer panko breadcrumbs or Italian seasoned bread crumbs, but any variety – including homemade – will work. Keep in mind if you choose a flavored variety of bread crumbs, it will alter the flavor of these meatballs.
- Spices: Italian seasoning, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder add tons of flavor with minimal effort! To use fresh herbs and fresh garlic, I’d suggest using 2 cloves of minced fresh garlic. And adding a tablespoon of minced fresh parsley and basil.
- Cheese: Grated Parmesan cheese adds a pop of flavor! Asiago cheese would be a fine substitution if needed.
- Water: A crucial ingredient in this homemade meatball recipe. Don’t reduce it or be scared of it; It makes the meatballs moist without adding any calories.
Ingredients for Marinara Sauce (Tomato Sauce)
You don’t have to make my homemade marinara sauce, but if you choose to, here’s what you’ll need:
- Olive Oil: No need to use the top-shelf fancy olive oil. I do suggest choosing Italian olive oil and a brand or flavor you enjoy. But at the end of the day, any olive oil will work!
- Fresh Garlic: I don’t suggest subbing garlic powder for fresh garlic.
- Crushed Tomatoes: I like using crushed tomatoes with basil best. Be sure not to sub diced tomatoes or tomato sauce. These won’t yield the texture we want for marinara sauce.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, sugar, and Italian seasoning. These give our marinara sauce the perfect taste. To reduce spice, omit the crushed red pepper. The sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and I don’t suggest leaving it out.
How to Make Meatballs in the Oven
- Cooking meatballs in the oven is a beautiful thing! So much neater than frying meatballs – and easier than frying multiple batches in a skillet.
- With my oven baked method, you can make all the meatballs at once. You’ll simply roll the meat mixture into small balls, place them on the baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes.
- Once you finish baking them, toss them in your sauce of choice and they’re ready to devour.
This is definitely the best way to make meatballs for spaghetti and meatballs!
How to Roll Meatballs
- If you find the homemade ground meat mixture too sticky to roll, grease your hands with a little olive oil!
- Use a small or medium ice cream scoop to help you create perfectly round and evenly sized meatballs!
- Using your hands, gently smooth and roll the meat into a round meatball. Repeat with all ground meat mixture!
What to serve with Baked Meatballs
Hoagie rolls: Check out my Italian Meatball Sub Sandwiches for more inspiration.
Pasta: I can’t think of a more iconic pairing than spaghetti and meatballs!
Spaghetti Squash: A lower calorie, but still delicious, alternative to pasta. Learn how to roast spaghetti squash!
Salad: Any salad is great with meatballs!
Best Meats for Meatballs? Ground Turkey or Beef and Pork?
So here’s the deal: for tender, juicy, and flavorful meatballs, you should choose fatty meat. Because fat equals flavor! A popular meat choice is 80/20 ground beef, and for a good reason. This variety is easy to find, relatively cheap, and produces juicy meatballs.
Ground turkey – or even ground chicken – can work, but they don’t have as much fat as beef, so the meatballs will be a bit drier. If you’re feeling creative, you can also combine meat varieties. We often use 50/50 ground pork and ground beef.
Want turkey meatballs? Try my mozzarella stuffed turkey meatballs or zucchini turkey meatballs!
Making Meatballs without Breadcrumbs?
I have never made these meatballs without bread, so I cannot say for sure! However many readers have told me that crushed cracker crumbs or finely ground rolled oats can work as substitutes. And gluten-free bread crumbs are also a good alternative.
Should Meatballs be Pink in the Center?
- If you know that you made your meatballs from 100% ground beef, you can accept a slight touch of pink.
- Generally, it’s not a great idea to eat pink meatballs. And the internal temperature should ALWAYS be 160 degrees (F) or above.
- Never consume undercooked meatballs, especially ones made with a ground beef and pork mixture, chicken, or ground turkey.
How to Store Cooked Meatballs
- Allow the cooked meatballs to cool fully before putting them in the fridge. To speed up the cooling process, remove the cooked meatballs from the baking pan and place them in shallow containers.
- Transfer cooled meatballs into airtight containers and ensure you fully seal the lids. Wrap the containers with aluminum foil, then place them in the fridge.
- Store cooked meatballs in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully before use!
Frozen Meatballs: Frequently Asked Questions
- These will keep, stored in the freezer, for 2 months. When you’re ready to bake the meatballs, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then cook as directed.
- You can freeze cooked or uncooked meatballs.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the meatballs side by side on the pan. They should not be touching.
- Place the sheet in the freezer and freeze until the meatballs are solid, 1 to 2 hours.
- Once solid, transfer them into a freezer bag. Label with the date and place the freezer bag back into the freezer.
How many Meatballs per person?
- This completely depends on the size of the meatballs… and the appetites of those eating them. But a good rule of thumb is 4 to 5 meatballs per person.
- For large parties, I triple this baked meatballs recipe so there’s plenty! Better to have leftovers than not enough. And you can always freeze any extra meatballs for up to 2 months.
Meatballs in a Slow Cooker?
- You can put these meatballs in a crockpot, but fully cook them first. Otherwise they will fall apart.
- Once fully cooked, the meatballs can go in the slow cooker. Add the sauce and keep them warm on the lowest setting. I suggest doubling the sauce if you’ll have them in the crockpot for more than an hour.
- I do not suggest putting these easy baked meatballs in an instant pot.
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Easy Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Easy Baked Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt (less if you prefer, but meat loves salt)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
For the Easy Marinara Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
For the Easy Baked Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine ground meat, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, salt, egg, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water, a few tablespoons at a time, mixing with your hands until everything is just combined. Don’t over mix here or it’ll make the meatballs tough. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape when rolled into meatballs.
- Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop about one tablespoon of meat into your palms and roll it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with all of the meat.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they’re cooked though.
- While the meatballs bake, make your marinara!
For the Easy Marinara Sauce:
- Heat oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-low heat. Add in the garlic and sauté for one minute, or until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Add in the crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar, and seasoning and stir well to combine. Simmer the sauce for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- When meatballs are done cooking, add them to the sauce, stir to coat, and serve!
Took no time at all to make and it was delicious. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again
I’m making this for the second time and it won’t be my last. Because my husband was so impressed with everything! He loved the meatballs. He loved the marinara and now no longer. Do I make meat sauce? I only make meatballs and marinara sauce. This is a keeper! Thank you so much!
Hi Macy! Just to clarify, are you asking what other sauces would pair well with these meatballs?
Truly the best and easiest meatballs ever!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Jackie!
My kids love these (and so do I)!!! 10/10!