These classic baked Italian meatballs are moist, juicy, and full of flavor! With fresh Italian herbs, garlic, and cheese, they're delicious served over pasta with your favorite marinara sauce!
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Why You'll Love These Italian Meatballs!
- Super easy to make! These meatballs are super simple and come together in about 30 minutes. A perfect weeknight dinner that even the kids will love!
- Perfect for meal prep! This recipe makes about 40 meatballs, so you have plenty for leftovers or to store in the freezer! But it's also easy to halve the recipe if you don't need that many.
- Full of flavor! These Italian meatballs are super tender and flavorful with lots of garlic and parmesan cheese!
You might also like this burst cherry tomato pasta or this Tuscan chicken orzo!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make the best baked Italian meatballs!
Ground Beef - Use 80 or 85% lean ground beef for the best flavor! You can also substitute half ground pork if desired. Using fresh (not previously frozen) meat will produce the best results.
Breadcrumbs and Milk - When mixed with a little bit of whole milk, breadcrumbs make your meatballs moist, tender, and juicy! I recommend using plain breadcrumbs instead of pre-seasoned so that you can control the level of seasoning.
Parmesan Cheese - This is optional, but there's nothing better than bits of melty cheese in your Italian meatballs!
Italian Herbs - Use fresh herbs like basil, thyme, or oregano! But you can also substitute 1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning instead.
Egg - This is important to help bind the meatballs together! Always use 1 egg per 1 pound of meat.
Onion and Garlic - I like the flavor of red onion best in these meatballs, but feel free to substitute yellow onion or shallot. And don't skimp on the fresh garlic!
Red Pepper Flakes - This is optional but I love adding a sprinkle of red pepper for a bit of heat.
Tomato Sauce - I like to use my homemade pomodro sauce with these meatballs, but some of my favorite store brands are Rao's and Michaels of Brooklyn!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Variations
Spicy Italian Meatballs - Add extra crushed red pepper flakes and substitute half the ground beef for ground spicy Italian sausage!
Turkey or Chicken Meatballs - Instead of ground beef, use ground turkey or chicken. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
How to Make Meatballs
Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly oil a baking sheet (you'll probably need 2 sheets).
Start by making a panade (a paste of breadcrumbs and milk). In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for about 10 minutes until all the milk is absorbed.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to mix until fully combined, but be careful not to overwork the meat. [If you're like me and don't like touching raw meat, use some disposable food-safe gloves.]
Use a cookie scoop, to make 2 tablespoon size balls and gently roll them in your hands to get a perfect round shape. Then place them about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet. You should end up with roughly 40 meatballs.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are browned and reach an internal temperature of 160°F. For crispier meatballs, broil for the last 2-3 minutes.
If desired, add the baked Italian meatballs to a pot of your favorite tomato sauce to simmer for 5-10 minutes before serving over pasta!
To cook on the stove: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Add the Italian meatballs and turn every 2 minutes until all sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through to 160°F, about 6-8 minutes total. Cook the meatballs in batches to avoid over crowding the pan (this helps them all get crispy on the outside). You can then simmer in sauce if desired!
What to Serve with Italian Meatballs
- The classic spaghetti, tomato sauce, and garlic bread
- Make meatball subs
- Use them in soups like Italian wedding soup or this sausage and kale soup
- Serve with mashed potatoes
- Instead of pasta, serve with risotto or orzo!
Recipe FAQ's
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days!
Simmer in pasta sauce for about 15 minutes until heated through. Or you can reheat in the oven! Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
Place the cooked Italian meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then transfer to an airtight container (I love these vacuum seal bags) and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
The Best Baked Italian Meatballs
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 pounds ground beef, substitute ground pork
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Serve With
- pomodoro sauce
- pasta
- garlic bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly oil a baking sheet (you'll probably need 2 sheets).
- Start by making a panade (a paste of breadcrumbs and milk). In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for about 10 minutes until all the milk is absorbed.
- Add in the rest of the meatball ingredients and use your hands to mix until fully combined, but be careful not to overwork the meat. [If you're like me and don't like touching raw meat, use some disposable food-safe gloves.]
- Use a cookie scoop, to make 2 tablespoon size balls and gently roll them in your hands to get a perfect round shape. Then place them about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet. You should end up with roughly 40 meatballs.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are browned and reach an internal temperature of 160°F. For crispier meatballs, broil for the last 2-3 minutes.
- If desired, add the baked Italian meatballs to a pot of your favorite tomato sauce to simmer for 5-10 minutes before serving over pasta!
- To cook on the stove: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Add the meatballs and turn every 2 minutes until all sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through to 160°F, about 6-8 minutes total. Cook the meatballs in batches to avoid over crowding the pan (this helps them all get crispy on the outside).
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Tasha M says
This has become my new favorite meatball recipe because it is delicious! Prep was minimal and the use of fresh herbs really makes this recipe stand out. My family love the meatballs so much, I’ve made them twice already. I have them also in the freezer ready to go for busy nights. I also started growing thyme and basil so I would have them on hand when needed. Overall this is an amazing recipe that doesn’t require a lot of work with the right tools.