An easy meatball recipe is a kitchen staple with easy-to-prep.
Meatballs are quick to make with ground beef, onion, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. These can be baked right away or prepped in batches and frozen for easy weeknight meals.
This Is the Best Meatball Recipe Because…
- These are so good and they’re loved by kids and adults alike.
- Making homemade meatballs is easy.
- They’re perfect for spaghetti or as an appetizer (I’m looking at you, Grape Jelly Meatballs).
- These meatballs are perfectly seasoned and come out tender and juicy every time.
- Double or triple this meatball recipe and freeze them for quick weeknight meals.
Ingredients in Meatballs
- Meat: I love a combination of beef and pork but this recipe works well with just ground beef too. You can also add veal, lamb, or lean Italian sausage.
- Egg: This helps bind the meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs: Seasoned bread crumbs add flavor and keep the meatballs moist with a tender texture.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture.
- Onion: Adds flavor, it can be replaced with ½ teaspoon onion powder.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese add flavor, but feel free to change the seasonings or add fresh herbs to match the other flavors in your meal.
How to Make Meatballs
This easy meatball recipe is quick to prepare.
- Mix the ingredients (recipe below) and form 48 meatballs, 1-½ inches in diameter.
- Place them ½-inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake until tender or freeze per the directions below.
Holly’s Tips for Perfect Meatballs
- Do Not Overmix: When combining the ingredients, do not overmix as overmixing can make the meat dense and tough.
- Size Matters: Ensure the meatballs are the same size so they cook evenly; a cookie scoop makes this job easy.
- Don’t be Lean: Ensure you choose lean meat (80/20) and not extra lean. A little bit of fat keeps meatballs tender and juicy. If you’re using extra lean meat, add a tablespoon of olive oil or ¼ cup chopped raw bacon.
- Season and Flavor: This recipe is seasoned with Italian-style flavors. Replace the Italian flavors based on how you’re serving them – try ginger and garlic for a sweet and sour sauce.
How to Freeze Meatballs
These meatballs can be prepared and frozen, either raw or baked.
To freeze before baking: Place meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag and store up to 4 months.
To bake raw meatballs from frozen, add 6 to 10 minutes to the cooking time or until they reach 160°F with an instant read thermometer.
To freeze after baking: Once cooked and cooled, place them on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a plastic freezer bag and keep them frozen for up to 4 months. Meatballs can be thawed in the fridge overnight or by simmering in tomato sauce until heated through.
More Easy Meatball Recipes
Think beyond beef – you can make meatballs with ground turkey or chicken!
Did your family love these easy meatballs? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Easy Meatball Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground pork or additional ground beef
- ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, add beef, pork, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, parsley, parmesan cheese, egg, and seasonings. Gently mix until combined.
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Shape the meat mixture into 48 meatballs, approximately 1 ½ tablespoons each.
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Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs reach 160°F.
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Serve with tomato sauce if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
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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.
Thank you for another great recipe. I used ground bison and pork sausage (didn’t have just ground pork). The pork sausage helped with the tendency for bison to get dry as it’s so lean. I added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Also, I used a melon ball scoop to form the meatballs. It is the perfect size for us. Plus, we think they are easier to eat in a meatball sub sandwich. The recipe yielded 54 meatballs and were fully cooked at 16 minutes.
Sounds delicious, Judy!