Best Italian Oven Baked Meatballs Recipe + Video
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Our oven baked meatballs are so tender and juicy – they are the best meatballs you’ll ever have! Skip the mess of pan frying make this baked meatball recipe!
There aren’t many meals that are easier to make than homemade meatballs in the oven, and there are so many ways to enjoy them!
Oven Baked Meatballs
Our family’s favorite baked meatballs are made with bread crumbs and loaded with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese, and the best way to make them is the oven.
You’ll have SO much less mess making them this way than with a skillet of oil.
For this easy meatball recipe, we make them small enough to serve as an appetizer, but flavorful enough to use in meatball subs or in my favorite meatball soup!
Or, make a simple roasted tomato sauce or quick 5-minute homemade marinara sauce to serve with them with a plate of pasta.
I really like to toss them into a skillet and cover them my favorite sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and broil them for a few minutes. Serve this with garlic bread and you have a perfect meal.
But honestly, there is truly no need for sauce. These oven baked meatballs are tender and juicy, even without spaghetti sauce!
This is a simple, no-fuss recipe that makes a magnificent comfort food meal.
When I make this recipe Chad and I literally eat them off the sheet pan. We just can’t wait, they are that good!
Tips for the Best Meatballs
Don’t over mix!
Use your hands to incorporate the ingredients into the meat mixture in a large mixing bowl until they are JUST combined.
Over mixing will cause your baked meatballs to be tough and dry.
You can even use a wooden spoon, some people feel that this is the perfect way to make juicy meatballs, but I am old school.
Substitute dry herbs.
You can use dry herbs and spices in place of the fresh parsley, rosemary and basil if needed. Use the following measurements for this baked meatball recipe:
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning for the fresh herbs
- One teaspoon garlic powder for the fresh garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon onion powder for the grated onion
- Use a scoop to portion your meatball mixture.
Not only does this guarantee uniform-size meatballs, but it also ensures that they cook evenly. Plus, handling them less helps to prevent dry meatballs. - Oil your hands.
If you lightly coat your hands with olive oil or cooking spray before rolling the meatballs, they will form better and crack less. - Bake meatballs on parchment paper. It makes for even cooking and easy cleanup, not to mention juicy meatballs!
Baked Meatball Recipe FAQ
Depending on the oven temperature and size of the meatballs, they cook in about 20-25 minutes. For our baked meatball recipe we use a temperature of 375°F so they cook faster and each meatball is perfectly browned.
You can check the internal temperature of your meat with an instant-read thermometer. Ground beef is cooked when it reaches an internal temp of 155°F.
We recommend leaving the pan uncovered. Covering the meatballs causes steam to form, which prevents the deliciously crisp exterior that you get with direct heat from the oven.
Covering them with foil can help when reheating, but you will still want to remove it during the last few minutes of cook time in the oven.
The key is in the preparation! Make sure to handle the meat mixture as little as possible and mix the ingredients just until combined.
Binders like egg and bread crumbs help to hold in the moisture and keeps each meatball tender and moist.
I love making this recipe with half ground pork and half lean ground beef, but there are so many other options. You could use Italian sausage, ground chicken or even ground turkey but keep an eye on your fat content.
Prep Ahead Instructions
To help dinner come together even faster, prep all of your ingredients in the morning and combine them when you get home.
You can also shape meatballs up to a day ahead of time and store them covered in the refrigerator. Or, freeze a batch or two for a quick and easy meal.
How To Store Oven Baked Meatballs
Allow leftover meatballs (if you have any) to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. These baked Italian meatballs will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. But mine never last that long. They have such great flavor that we can’s help eating them for every meal until they are gone.
Reheat meatballs in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350°F or in the microwave until warmed through.
You can also make a few batches of this baked meatball recipe and freeze them for a later meal!
Oven baked meatballs can be frozen raw or cooked, depending on your preference.
- To freeze raw meatballs: Arrange the homemade meatballs in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flash freeze them for 1 hour, until firm, then store in a freezer bag or airtight container.
- To freeze baked meatballs: Once cooled, divide into meal-sized portions and place each batch in a freezer-safe storage bag.
You can also flash freeze them and store them all together. This way, they won’t stick together so you can grab as many (or as few) as you need next time!
No need to thaw — you can cook meatballs in the oven from frozen! Arrange on a sheet pan and bake or simmer in sauce on the stove until warmed through.
These really are our favorite meatballs. Truly the best daggum meatballs ever. I hope you love them as much as we do.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Meatball Recipes to Make
Best Italian Oven Baked Meatballs Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, I use 88%
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 small yellow onion, grated (or minced)
- 2 tablespoons marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or dried (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or dried (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or dried (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well, but do not over mix or you will have tough meatballs.
- Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, portion out meat and place on baking sheet. After all meatballs have been scooped onto tray, roll into balls and place back onto the baking sheet.TIP: If you lightly coat your hands with olive oil before rolling the meatballs, they will form better and crack less.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.
- Remove and transfer to sauce or serve immediately.
Video
Donna’s Notes
- You can substitute dried herbs and spices for fresh. 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning for the fresh herbs, 1 teaspoon garlic powder for the fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder for the fresh onion.
- Nutrition shown is for ONE meatball so that you can adjust serving sizes accordingly.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published September 2013, updated and republished May 2024
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Nothing beats a good steak… especially a ribeye!
Mmmm, cow
I love ribeyes too! I've made a homemade southwestern rub for them, and I put them on a warm (not hot) plate for a few minutes even after setting them out to "temp up"… oh yum! We are currently getting a lot of beef from Mexico, (we live just outside Del Rio) and it's pretty good but a bit lean for steaks. I would LOVE to win 1 of these and try this beef!
I love ribeyes too! I've made a homemade southwestern rub for them, and I put them on a warm (not hot) plate for a few minutes even after setting them out to "temp up"… oh yum! We are currently getting a lot of beef from Mexico, (we live just outside Del Rio) and it's pretty good but a bit lean for steaks. I would LOVE to win 1 of these and try this beef!
Love Filet Mignon but the way my hubby cooks it has spoiled me for those served in restaurants.
All these meatball recipes look so yummy, Can't wait to try some.
trying the italian meatballs tonight…I'm not much of a cook…wish me luck!!
Just took a triple batch of the meatballs out of the oven. The smell wafting through the house is amazing! I baked them for 20 minutes and they came out perfectly cooked! Thanks for the recipe!
I made these & homemade Gnocchi for a side. My meatballs came out a little salty, so I would probably reduce or eliminate the salt. Other than that…THESE WERE SO DELICIOUS!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
My family & I just finished eating these incredible meatballs. I've been making the same recipe for years (in a pan), never again. I doubled the recipe using 1lb ground round & 1lb lean ground turkey. I had to cook them longer waiting for kids to get home & they were still awesome. Try the first one without sauce, you may decide to not use sauce at all. Fabulous!
These are delicious! So easy to put together and very tasty. We loved them and will be making them again. No frozen meatballs even again!
What is the marinara mentioned in this recipe? As an Aussie never heard of this…
I tried this tonight and it was super easy! I didn't have breadcrums so I used seasoned croutons. I also substituted the parsley for thyme. My marinara had onion in it and we don't like parmesan cheese (weird I know), but it still came out great! Thanks 🙂
So this is a meatball recipe and the topic is steak?
Great meatballs!
Guess my brain is catching up to my age. Did I miss something? Was looking for comments on meatballs and instead LOTS on different steaks.
Marinara http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015987-classic-marinara-sauce
Italian red sauce with herbs, spices, etc.
Depending on what you like to add I've heard people refer to it as red gravy
No milk and bread no meat-a-ball haha
Clayton or in spanish Claytone
No milk and brea…no-meat a ball
I was looking for a meatball recipe and I stumbled upon this one. Quite a lot of herbs are thrown in to prepare a meatball I see. Next time I buy frozen meatballs from supermarket, I would be thanking the chef for preparing such a delicate thing for us to have.
You can also add about 1/4. To 1/2 cup of red wine to the mix it will be good also add the wine to your sauce
I made these last week and we really liked them! Thank you!
We are so happy you enjoyed them, Katherine!
That's how my Mom cooked them, so I do too. When you do it this way you can freeze extras. If you have any
Lol We used to sneak them off the cookie sheet before they even got near the sauce. I can still hear my Mom telling us to go pick the basligo and parsley out of the garden.
I love to hear memories like this! Thank you Michele!
Made these with turkey meat and were amazing!!
Thanks Wanda! We are so happy you enjoyed them. I love Turkey Meatballs!
Yummy. I need to try this!
Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
I made these meatballs last night. They were amazing. They had a great flavor even before I added sauce. They came out nice and juicy. Best meatball recipe I have tried.