Baked Italian Meatballs
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Look no further for a delicious baked meatball recipe. Our Baked Italian Meatballs are a 30 minute meal staple in our house! The ingredients are simple but they are still packed with flavor. They make a great freezer meal because you can easily double the batch to freeze meatballs for later!
Easiest Baked Italian Meatballs… EVER
Everybody loves a good meatball, right? Well, at least everyone in my crew does. And, as my mom friends out there know, it’s no small feat to prepare a meal that everyone eats and enjoys. These delicious, moist, Baked Italian Meatballs may get eaten before they ever make it atop whole wheat spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce or a Meatball Sandwich.
The ingredients in our baked meatballs are simple:
- Ground beef (Here is where we get quality ground beef)
- Breadcrumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- Egg
- Milk
- Tomato Paste
- Parsley
- Seasonings
You likely have all of the ingredients for these easy baked meatballs in your pantry!
Perhaps the best part: Skip the stove top mess and bake these away in the oven for only 20 minutes. They come out perfect every time. And, like so many of our recipes, you can make these meatballs ahead of time and freeze them for a quick, healthy meal later. Check out the freezer meal instructions in the recipe.
Here is a short video of how Baked Italian Meatballs come together
How to Freeze Meatballs
One of the best parts about this meatball recipe is that it is freezer friendly. Meatballs work beautifully to assemble and then freeze before baking for a meal down the road. I’d suggest rolling them up and placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet to freeze.
After they are frozen enough to hold together, place them in an airtight container or freezer storage bag.
The beauty of freezing meatballs is that you can now pop out as many as you need for future meals. No need to bake them all at once. These can be a great freezer meal for 1-2 people.
Use Baked Italian Meatballs to Double Your Dinner
We actually have an AMAZING resource you’re going to want to get your hands on. We have put together a free resource to help you easily double your dinner. So make a batch of these meatballs tonight and freeze a batch for later.
Ways to Use Baked Meatballs
Baked meatballs are incredibly versatile. (For a twist on this classic, try our Asian Turkey Meatballs!) Here are some ideas on ways to use them!
- Serve them over whole wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce
- Bake them and then assemble them as Meatball Sandwiches
- Eat them plain! They can be a great appetizer.
- Lighten up but don’t miss out on flavor by serving them over zoodles.
What to serve with Baked Italian Meatballs
Here are some ideas that baked meatballs would go well with:
- Cranberry Spinach Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Corn on the Cob Made in the Microwave
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Baked Italian Meatballs
Everybody loves a good meatball! These delicious, moist ones may get eaten before they ever make it atop spaghetti or a sub sandwich. You’ll want to make this baked version of meatballs again and again.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef (This is where we get our favorite grass-fed ground beef.*)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs (or sub gluten-free breadcrumbs)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or sub more breadcrumbs)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons milk (your choice)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
*affiliate link
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
- Using clean hands, gently combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Use a medium dough scooper or a spoon to scoop and then roll about 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Line up meatballs on the sheet pan, leaving room between each.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until no longer pink inside (160 degrees internal temperature).
- Optional: Serve with marinara sauce over pasta or on a sub sandwich.
Freeze For Later:
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. Then, complete Steps 2 and 3. At this point, flash freeze uncooked meatballs by placing on the sheet pan (or in a baking dish) in the freezer for about an hour or so. Once frozen, dump meatballs in a gallon-sized freezer bag, seal, and place in freezer.
Prepare From Frozen:
Thaw meatballs using one of these safe thawing methods. Cook according to instructions, beginning with Step 4.
I truthfully never made homemade meatballs before, but my family loved these. We’ve used them for appetizers, hoagies and with pasta. I make a big batch every other month and freeze them after I bake them so cook once and I have multiple meals. Thanks!
★★★★★
Wow Mary, glad to hear this! I had made meatballs a few times over the years, but hadn’t found one recipe to stick with until this one came along. Thank you for leaving a review.
I have never received so many compliments on meatballs until I made these. Ground sirloin happened to be on sale so I used that for them. I don’t know how much that contributed to the great taste, but I’ll be using it again when I make them for Christmas Eve.
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback, Lisa. We’re happy to hear you were the dinner hero! I bet ground sirloin only kicked up that flavor.