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Unlike traditional meatball recipes that use beef and pork, this recipe uses Italian sausage! Made with just 5 basic ingredients: ground sausage, grated Parmesan cheese, water, garlic and eggs – these taste amazing. Ready to cook meatballs? Jump to the step by step recipe below.
My Family Goes Nuts for These Meatballs!
Like most busy family’s, we love homemade meatballs. They’re easy, filling, freezer-friendly, and a crowd-pleaser. My kids will happily eat any meatballs, from Swedish meatballs to turkey meatballs. But lately we’ve been living off these baked meatballs made with Italian sausage!
Italian sausage has been on sale a lot lately, so that probably has something to do with it! I buy in bulk, then store it in the fridge for when a meatball craving strikes! You can cover these meatballs in any sauce, but we usually go for a simple tomato sauce spiked with fresh herbs. And some grated Parmesan cheese on top!
Just add some sliced rolls or a pound of pasta, and you have a full dinner made with less than 7 ingredients! And you can even make these and transfer them to a crockpot or slow cooker – just put it on the “keep warm” setting. A great tip for parties!
Last week I wanted to make a big batch of my easy baked meatballs but realized last minute that I was completely out of lean ground beef. Whoops! But luckily I did have some sausage in the fridge and decided to experiment with some sausage meatballs. The results?! OMG! Not only were they so easy, but they were juicy, flavorful, and super delicious, too! I tossed them with some classic marinara sauce and then kept them warm in the crockpot until company arrived! We served them with long hoagie rolls, cheese, and a big salad. Oh, and wine! Lots of wine. But you can serve then with just about anything your little heart desires! Spaghetti Squash is such a great low cal option!
Why Not Beef and Pork?
Last week I wanted to make a giant batch of my easy baked meatballs. But realized last minute that I was completely out of lean ground beef and pork. Whoops! With no time to run to the store, I decided to work with what I had on hand.
And luckily, I did have a ton of Italian sausage in the fridge. So I decided to experiment with some sausage meatballs, using Italian sausage for the meat mixture. The results… OMG, they might be my new favorite meatball recipe!
Not only were they so easy to make (in less than 30 minutes!). But they were juicy, flavorful, and super delicious, too! I tossed them with some classic marinara sauce and then kept them warm in the crockpot until company arrived!
We served them with long hoagie rolls, cheese, and a big salad. Oh, and wine! Lots of wine. But you can serve then with just about anything your little heart desires! Spaghetti Squash is such a great low cal option!
Ingredients for Italian Sausage Meatballs
- ground sausage: you’ll either want to get loose ground sausage or remove the sausage from casings (you just want the ground pork inside. You may use sweet sausage, mild Italian sausage, or spicy sausage. Or, use a combination of sausage flavors!
- eggs: 2 large eggs will do the trick! I cannot suggest making this meatball recipe without eggs.
- breadcrumbs: I prefer panko bread crumbs, but any variety will work!
- Parmesan cheese: finely grated works best!
- Garlic: 2 cloves finely minced or pressed through a garlic press!
- Water: H20 is such a crucial ingredient to this recipe! So please don’t reduce it or be scared of it! It makes the sausage meatballs moist, without adding any calories. My grandmother (who’s from Italy!) has been using water in her meatballs for years. It’s a little trick you’ll come to love! Promise!
No need to add salt and pepper, or olive oil, as the Italian sausage already has a ton of flavor!
How to make Sausage Meatballs
Please note, this is not a full recipe, but a step by step guide to the process. For the full meat mixture recipe and method on how to cook meatballs, skip to the recipe box at the end of this post!
- Preheat your oven 30 minutes before baking! You want the oven to have enough time to get hot and properly preheat!
- Prep your pan by lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
- In a large bowl, add sausage to the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. 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 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked though.
Pro Tip: To easily, and evenly, shape your meatballs, use a spring loaded cookie scoop!
Why bake meatballs?
Baked meatballs in the oven is a beautiful thing and so simple! Not only is it much neater than frying meatballs, but it’s also much easier than frying multiple batches in a skillet. With my oven baked method, you can make all of the meatballs at once. You’ll simply shape into 20 meatballs (give or take depending on the size), place them on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. That’s it! Once they’re done baking, you’ll toss them in your desired sauce and serve. We love them in classic marinara sauce or spinach basil pesto!
More Meatball Recipes:
- 30-Minute Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
- Italian Meatball Soup
- Healthy 30 Minute Sriracha Teriyaki Meatball Bowls
What to Serve with Meatballs
There’s no shortage of sides that pair well with meatballs! But here are a few of our favorites!
- Spaghetti Fra Diavolo
- Caesar Salad
- Green Salad
- Mashed Potatoes
- Rice
- Tiramisu
- Lasagna
- Baked Ziti
In Italy, I once had green beans with meatballs, and it ended up being a shockingly delicious pairing! So don’t worry too much about making it the perfect pairing. These are also great for potlucks and picnics because you can pair them with basically anything!
The other great thing about this meatball recipe is you don’t have to use tomato sauce! So you can add a Swedish meatball sauce, grape jelly, cranberry jelly, etc. Which opens up the world to what you serve them with!
AND IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE FOR ITALIAN SAUSAGE MEATBALLS, LET ME KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND DON’T FORGET TO SNAP A PIC AND TAG IT #BAKERBYNATURE ON INSTAGRAM! SEEING YOUR KITCHEN CREATIONS MAKES OUR DAY.
Italian Sausage Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground sausage
- 2 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine ground sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, and garlic. 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 15 to 18 minutes, or until they’re cooked though.
- Toss with your favorite sauce and serve!
Thank you,
Ugh! No breadcrumbs
Simple and delish. My kids did most of the work actually!
There are no spices in this recipe. I used cumin, cinnamon, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. I eyeball spices, but starting with a 1/4 tsp should be “safe.” I also soak homemade breadcrumbs in milk for 10 minutes. I find it to be the secret to juicy, soft, and delicious meatballs. After 15 minutes of baking, I broiled them for two minutes on high.
Hi! I don’t add spices because the Italian sausage has tons of spices and seasoning already added in.
Excellent recipe. Super easy to follow BUT did I ? Well almost, I had everything laid out and ready, mixed up the hot and regular pork sausage added all ingredients, started mixing put on parchment paper, look over…did not use the water!! They are still good but water would of set them over the moon.
These are delicious. I was skeptical about the water instead of the usual milk or cream. It totally works! These are so light; the texture is excellent. There is only two of us, so I made a half batch. It was perfect for meal prepping for the week.