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How to make the BEST Italian meatballs in 30 minutes – they’re tender, juicy, and mouth-wateringly delicious, perfect for quick, crowd-pleasing weeknight dinners!
These simple oven-baked Italian meatballs are practically a must-add to your dinner rotation. Combining ground beef with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasonings helps to make meatballs that are not only melt-in-the-mouth tender but seasoned to perfection.
Better yet, they’re so easy to make in just a few low-fuss steps. Plus, they store, freeze, and reheat well in batches, ready to pull together comforting meals like meatballs and spaghetti or hearty meatball subs at a moment’s notice.
Table of contents
Ingredients
This easy Italian meatballs recipe relies on simple, easy-to-find ingredients and pantry staples.
- Beef: It’s best to use high-quality ground beef between 80-85% lean, so the meatballs are tender and juicy. However, you can replace up to 50% of the beef with other ground meats, like ground pork, Italian sausage, or veal, for depth of flavor.
- Aromatics: You’ll need onion (yellow or white) and garlic.
- Eggs: To act as a binder and hold the meatballs together for the best texture.
- Milk: This will help soak into the breadcrumbs (creating a “cheat” panade – no soak needed). Low-sodium beef or vegetable stock may work instead.
- Breadcrumbs: I like to use fresh regular or Italian breadcrumbs. Dried breadcrumbs will work in a pinch. Use gluten-free if necessary.
- Parmesan: Use freshly grated parmesan cheese (like Parmigiano Reggiano) or pecorino cheese.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley helps to add little bursts of freshness. Dried parsley will work in a pinch (use 1 tsp dried per 1 Tbsp fresh).
- Seasonings: This simple recipe combines Italian seasoning, chili powder (or red pepper flakes – omit for mild flavor), sea salt, and black pepper.
- To garnish: Fresh herbs like parsley or basil and grated parmesan cheese make delicious garnishes.
Feel free to experiment with simple taste boosters like a dash of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, or red wine vinegar, and/or a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the meat mixture.
How to make Italian meatballs
Prepare the Meat Mixture: First, preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, finely chop the parsley and mince the garlic and onion. In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and mix until combined – but be careful not to over-mix.
You don’t have to make a fancy panade. I made a cheat panade instead, just mix all the ingredients together, and the breadcrumbs will soak up the liquids from the milk and the other ingredients. The meatballs will turn out tasty and tender.
Shape and Bake the Meatballs: Use a spoon/cookie scoop/ice cream scoop to divide the meat mixture to your desired size meatballs (mine were ¼ cup). Then, use your hands to roll them into balls and place them onto the prepared baking pan.
The yield: Note that yield will vary based on the meatball size. My mixture was 40 oz/1.1kg and yielded 20 meatballs (1/4 cup each of about 2oz/55 grams).
Wetting your hands with a little cold water can help prevent sticking while you roll the meatballs, and make sure not to press/pack them too tightly.
Once formed, brush or spray the meatballs with olive oil and transfer them to the oven, bake at 400ºF/200ºC for 18-20 minutes or until brown outside with an internal temperature of 165ºF/74°C.
The exact baking time will vary based on the size of the meatballs, so adjust accordingly.
Finally, leave the Italian meatballs to rest for just a few minutes before serving with your sauce and meal of choice. If you plan to serve them in sauce, like marinara, I highly recommend simmering them in the sauce for 15-20 minutes so they soak up all the flavors without drying out.
Tips for juicy and tender meatballs
- The meat matters: Use high-quality meat (optionally a combination for depth of flavor). If you choose beef that’s too lean, the lack of fat will make dry, lackluster meatballs. A bit of fat helps to keep them juicy and tender, or add some olive oil if using extra lean meat. I recommend 80-85% lean.
- Use enough breadcrumbs: These are an important binding ingredient that holds moisture in the meatballs and prevents them from shrinking. If using dry breadcrumbs, soak them with the milk for 10 minutes first.
- Don’t overwork the meat: Otherwise, you may end up with dense, dry, tough meatballs. Mix it just enough to incorporate all the ingredients using a light touch.
- Make even-sized meatballs: This ensures they bake at the same rate.
- Be careful not to overcook them: I recommend using a meat thermometer for the best results. Overcooked meatballs will become overly dry.
- Rest them before serving: This helps them retain juices and flavor when cut into. A few minutes is all you need.
Serving suggestions
First up, combine the cooked meatballs with your favorite sauce (like marinara sauce or another rich tomato sauce, mushroom gravy, BBQ sauce, etc.) then enjoy them as an appetizer or pair them with:
- Creamy mashed potatoes or polenta
- Spaghetti/pasta
- Rice, quinoa, or risotto
- Garlic bread
You can also use these delicious Italian meatballs to make a homemade meatball sub/sandwich/sliders, add them to wraps, make a meatball casserole, stir them into soups, enjoy them in tacos, and more.
How to freeze and reheat
- Once cooked, allow the meatballs to cool and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days OR freeze them for longer storage.
- To freeze the meatballs (baked or unbaked), spread them across a baking tray to flash freeze for 1-2 hours, then transfer to a Ziplock bag in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating/cooking or cook them directly from frozen, increasing the time until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meatballs reads at least 160ºF/71ºC.
To reheat: There are several ways you can do this:
- The oven: Place them in a foil-covered dish with a splash of veg/beef broth and heat at 350ºF/175ºC for 15-20 minutes (or 25-30 minutes from frozen).
- The stove: Heat them in a skillet with a small amount of oil until heated through OR in a saucepan with sauce over low to medium-low heat to gently reheat and absorb the sauce. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- A microwave: Place them in a covered microwave-safe container and microwave in 30-40 second increments until heated through.
More easy ground beef recipes
If you try these easy Italian meatballs, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Italian Meatballs (Easy and Delicious)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 27.3 oz ground beef 80-90% lean meat
- 2 eggs large
- 1/4 cup milk or beef/vegetable broth or water
- 3 oz breadcrumbs 1 cup, plain or seasoned – fresh
- 1 oz parmesan cheese 1/2 cup grated
- 0.6 oz parsley 1/4 cup chopped
- 1 onion small (about 1/2 cup minced)
- 3 cloves garlic 1 Tbsp minced
- 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder optional – or red pepper flakes
This will yield about 20 meatballs, each 1/4 cup of the mixture (2 oz/55 gr)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Finely chop the parsley and mince the garlic and onion.
- In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and mix until combined – but be careful not to over-mix.
- Use a spoon/ice cream scoop/measuring cup to divide the meat mixture into your desired size meatballs (mine were ¼ cup).Use your hands to roll them into balls and place them onto the prepared baking tray.Wet your hands with a little cold water can help prevent sticking while you roll the meatballs, and make sure not to press/pack them too tightly.
- Once they’re all formed, brush or spray the meatballs with olive oil and transfer them to the oven. Bake at 400ºF/200ºC for 18-20 minutes or until brown outside with an internal temperature of 165ºF/74°C.The exact baking time will vary based on the size of the meatballs, so adjust accordingly.
- Leave the meatballs to rest for just a few minutes before serving with your sauce and meal of choice. Optionally garnish with fresh parsley and/or grated parmesan. If you plan to serve them in sauce, like marinara, I recommend simmering them in the sauce for 15-20 minutes so they soak up all the flavors without drying out.
Video
Notes
- The meat matters: Use high-quality meat (optionally a combination for depth of flavor). If you choose too lean beef, the lack of fat will make dry, lackluster meatballs. A bit of fat helps to keep them juicy and tender, or add some olive oil if using extra lean meat. I recommend 80-85% lean.
- Use enough breadcrumbs: These are an important binding ingredient that holds moisture in the meatballs and prevents them from shrinking.
- Don’t overwork the meat: Otherwise, you may end up with dense, dry, tough meatballs. Mix it just enough to incorporate all the ingredients using a light touch.
- Make even-sized meatballs: This ensures they bake at the same rate.
- Be careful not to overcook them: I recommend using a meat thermometer for the best results. Overcooked meatballs will become overly dry.
- The yield: Note that yield will vary based on the meatball size. My mixture was 40 oz/1.1kg and yielded 20 meatballs (1/4 cup each of about 2oz/55 grams).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
