Gimme Some Oven

Meatballs

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My favorite baked meatball recipe — it’s easy to make, full of great flavor, and incredibly versatile. Serve it with Italian marinara sauce, Swedish cream sauce, American bbq sauce and beyond!

The BEST Meatball Recipe

Friends, do you have a go-to recipe for amazing homemade meatballs in your repertoire?

If not, bookmark this one. Like, seriously. ♡

After having made who knows how many millions of meatballs in my life, I’ve officially landed on this easy meatball recipe as my forever favorite. And I love it for so many reasons.

Mainly, I’m partial to this particular meatball recipe because it is BIG on flavor. I’ve always considered it such a missed opportunity when I’m served meatballs that are bland and boring because, quite frankly, it’s so easy to make them delicious! We shouldn’t have to rely on a sauce to make meatballs interesting. So this recipe goes big on all of my favorite flavors, including a base mix of ground beef and pork (win-win), classic garlic and onion (grated to avoid chunks), lots of Parmesan (adds amazing flavor), and a generous helping of zesty herbs and seasonings.

I also love these homemade meatballs because they are baked instead of fried, which makes them a touch healthier and also considerably easier to cook. They can easily be made gluten-free if you would like. They freeze beautifully for later, if you would like. And while I often love to just eat these meatballs on their own, the flavors here are versatile enough to pair with any of your favorite sauces, from Italian marinara sauce, to American bbq sauce, to a Swedish cream sauce, to a spicy Thai curry and so much more.

Basically, this is the meatball recipe that I use for pretty much everything and it is always, always a winner. So be sure to bookmark this one, and let’s make a batch together!

The BEST Meatball Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Easy Meatball Recipe Ingredients

Homemade Meatballs Ingredients:

Alright let’s talk about the ingredients you will need make this easy baked meatball recipe. (Full amounts included in the recipe below!)

  • Panko breadcrumbs: I’ve found that Panko breadcrumbs work best in baked meatballs, but you are welcome to use any type of breadcrumbs (seasoned or not) that you have on hand.
  • Milk: We will mix a bit of milk with the breadcrumbs to form a panade, which will help to keep our meatballs nice and moist.
  • Ground beef and pork: I like to use a 50/50 mix of the two to make meatballs, but you can also make all-beef or all-pork meatballs if you prefer.
  • Fresh garlic: Minced or pressed.
  • Eggs: Which will help to bind all of our meatball ingredients together.
  • Parmesan: As always, I highly recommend using freshly-grated Parmesan (instead of the pre-grated stuff) for maximum flavor and freshness. And if you have a kitchen scale, I recommend weighing the Parmesan to be sure that you have the correct amount — 1.5 ounces.
  • Fresh Italian herbs: I always love the taste and extra color that fresh herbs add to a batch of meatballs. So I used a mixture of basil and parsley here. But if you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, no worries, just read my substitution options below.
  • Grated yellow onion: Yes, grated. Even as someone who really loves onions, I always get a little weirded out by diced onion chunks in my meatballs. So I recommend using a box grater (or the grating attachment on a food processor) to grate the onion into smaller pieces before adding it to the mix.
  • Worcestershire sauce: Adds such great flavor!
  • Dry seasonings: A simple mix of dried oregano, sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

How To Make Meatballs

How To Make Meatballs:

To make these homemade meatballs, simply…

  1. Make the panade. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Panko and milk until combined. Set mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Then use a fork to briefly mash the mixture into a paste.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients.  Add the ground beef, ground pork, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, fresh herbs, onion and Worcestershire sauce to the (same) mixing bowl. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes evenly on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the ingredients.
  3. Chill (optional step). To make the meatballs easier to form, I recommend covering and chilling the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. But if you’re pressed for time, you can skip this step.
  4. Prep oven and baking sheet. Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Form the meatballs. Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop and roll the mixture into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (I recommend greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.)
  6. Bake.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer measures the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F. Remove pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  7. Serve.  Serve meatballs immediately and enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Possible Meatball Recipe Variations:

There are countless ways that you could customize this homemade meatball recipe, so please don’t hesitate to experiment and get creative! For example, feel free to…

  • Use ground turkey or chicken: For a lighter option, feel free to use ground turkey/chicken to make turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs. Just note that they will need to be cooked to 165°F instead of 160°F, and will be a bit less moist than the beef and/or pork meatballs.
  • Use all dried herbs: If you don’t have access to fresh basil and parsley, I recommend adding in an extra 1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning instead.
  • Make them gluten-free: Just use gluten-free Panko (or other gluten-free breadcrumbs), and double-check to be sure that the brand of Worcestershire that you are using is also gluten-free. (French’s, Heinz and Lea and Perrins’ Original are all gluten-free in the United States.)
  • Make them spicier. Feel free to double or triple the amount of crushed red pepper flakes used to give the meatballs more of a kick.
  • Make them more garlicky. Also feel free to double the amount of garlic if you like extra-garlicky meatballs.

Homemade Meatball Recipe (Baked Not Fried)

Ways To Serve Meatballs:

This baked meatballs recipe is incredibly versatile and can be served a number of ways! You could use it to make…

  • Spaghetti and meatballs: Pair the meatballs with a 1-pound package of spaghetti (cooked until al dente) and a batch of my favorite marinara sauce recipe to make Italian meatballs.
  • Swedish meatballs: Pair with your favorite Swedish cream sauce recipe to make Swedish meatballs.
  • Alfredo meatballs: Pair with a batch of my favorite Alfredo sauce recipe to make Alfredo meatballs.
  • BBQ meatballs: Pair with a batch of my favorite homemade BBQ sauce recipe to make BBQ meatballs.
  • Grape jelly meatballs: Pair with a grape jelly sauce (just simmer together 1.5 cups ketchup and 1 cup grape jelly) to make retro grape jelly meatballs.
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Best Meatball Recipe

Meatballs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 277 reviews
  • Author: Ali
  • Prep Time: 35 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 24-30 meatballs 1x

Description

This classic baked meatball recipe is easy to make, full of great flavor, and totally versatile.  Pair it with your favorite Italian marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Swedish cream sauce…and beyond!


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Make the panade.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the panko and milk until combined.  Set mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients.  Add the ground beef, ground pork, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, fresh herbs, onion and Worcestershire sauce to the (same) mixing bowl with the panade.  Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes evenly on top.  Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the ingredients.
  3. Chill (optional step). To make the meatballs easier to form, I recommend covering and chilling the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  But if you’re pressed for time, you can skip this step.
  4. Prep oven and baking sheet.  Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Form the meatballs.  Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop and roll the mixture into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.  (I recommend greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.)
  6. Bake.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer measures the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F.  Remove pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  7. Serve.  Serve meatballs immediately and enjoy!


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446 comments on “Meatballs”

  1. Don’t eat pork, what could I sub or just all ground beef?

  2. My family did not like these. Second time I made them and they were not happy at all.

    • Wild, these are the best meatballs I’ve ever eaten!

    • What was there not to like?! These are fabulous meatballs. Just saying “we didn’t like them” is no help.

    • You absolutely positively did something wrong! :)

    • I can see one or two people that have particular tastes not liking this recipe but your whole family? I suspect you did something wrong. We really enjoy this recipe, have made it dozens of times.






    • Crazy, my husband and son request these meatballs regularly now. I have used different sauces and all have been great with these meatballs.

    • It may be your process. They’re excellent. They also freeze well and are easy to reheat without losing anything.






    • Why didn’t you like the meatballs? It would help if you would go more into detail. Thank you

    • These were delicious. They came out of the oven very moist and tender but never lost their shape. The taste is lovely in its own but would be good with any sauce! I intend to try a few






    • These meatball are delicious! We put them on the smoker to cook instead of the oven. I usually use them to make subs but not always. Have made them many times, even taking them to make on camping trips. They are a big hit!

  3. I’ve made these three times now substituting a ‘fresh’ vegan meat product.
    In summer I use fresh herbs from the garden.
    These are so fresh and delicious.






  4. Perfect size meatballs, best I have ever made . Did not fall apart while cooking, taste is exactly where my family likes it(not to spicy and not to burger like).
    Happy there is enough to freeze for a future meal.






    • I am NOT someone who makes recipes with more than a few ingredients, but I recently decided to go “low carb” and was looking for various meat-laden options. I decided to try this recipe, and the results were spectacular! I really enjoyed every bite of my meatball dinner! I used every ingredient EXCEPT I forgot to buy Worcestershire sauce, so my meatballs were missing that. Maybe that missing ingredient would make them even MORE fabulous, but they were great even without it.






  5. I use this recipe every year, during hunting season and everyone LOVES them! This year I multiplied the recipe to make 60 pounds of meatballs! I prepare exactly as written (only using equal parts of deer, antelope, elk and pork). I scoop & make the balls setting them on cookie sheets in the freezer. I let them freeze overnight, then package them with a vacuum sealer in lots of 25. I will never search for another meatball recipe again, these are truly the best!






    • Hi Katy! I froze a ton as well. Do you cook from frozen or thaw before baking?

    • Yes please share ☺️
      For those who have frozen them, do you freeze them raw or cooked?
      Can’t wait to try the recipe!

  6. Plan on making these for a family gathering. Can they be made ahead of time and possibly reheated in crock pot in sauce?

  7. Amazing recipe just a littttttle lacking in spices. I doubled up everything as far as spices go and they were much better the second time around. Next I would love to try a veal/beef mixture.






  8. Absolutely amazing! These meatballs are soft, tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. We used them for our meatball sub night and they were a hit! We all had seconds! Thanks!!!






  9. Best meatballs I have ever made! Excellent and perfect made them tonight. I ate 6 before dinner! I use rao’s pasta sauce. Everything I’ve made from recipes from gimme some oven have absolutely delicious!

  10. My whole family, especially my mom loved them. 5 star👌






  11. We love these!! It always takes me about 25 minutes for them to cook through. I also sub the parmesean for vegan parm since we can’t have dairy. Delicious every time!

  12. These were nice – different with the Worcestershire. That may be what some of the negative comments are coming from. It’s quite a change of flavor. If not your speed, skip – or start small. Fry up a tiny bit and adjust to your liking. Plenty other flavors here. Thanks!






  13. The best meatballs






  14. I absolutely loved this recipe and it will certainly be my go-to! I did do a few things differently:
    1.) I put the onion and garlic in a small food processor and chopped them very fine to add to the mixture.
    2.) I didn’t have fresh herbs on hand, so I just used dried oregano and dried basil.
    3.) I shaped the meatballs and put them in the fridge until I was going to use them in the evening.

    I am doing a pantry challenge this month, and this recipe is a great one to use up some ground beef and pork I had in the freezer.






  15. Hi Ali,
    These meatballs are fantastic! I have made several times. If I wanted to make several batches and freeze, would you bake first and then freeze?
    Thanks Lisa

    • I would definitely cook before freezing, makes them much easier to use after. Pop them in a pot of sauce or oven voila.

  16. My meatball recipe needed some new life. This recipe was excellent. I used a meatloaf mix of hamburger, pork and veal and added 1 teaspoon of dried basil and 1/8 t anise. I did not have any fresh herbs so only used the dried herbs. I will try it using fresh herbs the next time. My husband and I rate recipes as “keepers” and this is definitely a “KEEPER.”






  17. Love your website. Presentation, ease of reading recepie everything about it. Great Meatballs..I even made a couple of hamburger patties so they can be frozen and pan fried to be served sloppy joe style or Italian hamburger!!






    • I used dry so i used your 1/4 cup italian cheat, added alittle more died basil and parse. I had a couple drinks. I thought i went lighter than you said… they are still pretty good. My marianera kind of balances the batch, but they are very italian and very herby. I will go a little lighter next time on the seasoning. They are still good. Might be better tommorrow.

  18. My family loves these meatball. They are delicious . Was wondering if you can make ahead and freeze them?






  19. I substituted GLUTEN FREE Panko. It was a challenge. The milk turned to Panko into a sticky goo like a rice cake. I tried to use a food processor to to separate then ended up using a cutting board and a knife to chop the rice cake into small pebbles, ugh. I would recommend NOT mixing the milk and GF Panko but adding both directly to the meat mixture. I am still rating it well due to the recipe tasting wonderful. GF can be tricky for substituting.

    • I wish I had read this comment before starting the recipe. Haha. Suuuuch a mess. I hate waste, but I threw out my gooey rice cake and added another cup of GF Panko directly to the mix. I’ll come back and rate the recipe after I form and bake them later today.

  20. I am very VERY obsessed with these meatballs! The flavor is just unbeatable. I tried to freeze half of the first batch that I made but they were just too delicious. A definite 5 stars out of 5 stars recipe!






  21. These are awesome, will make again.

  22. Yep, very good. I changed very little (bit more Worcestershire / .25 ounce more parmesan / a couple extra cloves of garlic / 2x pepper flakes). Rolled into 1.75-2″ rounds. Cook at 425 for 16 minutes. Absolutely AWESOME meatballs.






  23. I forgot the eggs! Still came out great in taste and form. My husband really liked. Easy and delish, can’t beat that.






  24. These were really good! Excellent ratios of egg, breadcrumbs, meat. I pan fried mine instead of baked but I wish I had followed the recipe and baked them to get a more even browning. Otherwise, the meatballs held together really well and had great flavor!






  25. By far the best meatballs ever! Wondering if I can make the meatball mixture the day before and leave it covered in the fridge to make the balls the next day?






  26. I have make these meatballs several times!! I have even used crushed pork rinds in place of breadcrumbs when my husband is eating keto- comes out amazing both ways!






  27. If using all beef, would I need to use two pounds of beef instead of just one for this recipe?

    Thanks!

  28. My husband and I absolutely loved these meatballs and I will be making these often in the future. The flavours are amazing. The aroma while they are cooking is mouth-watering. I followed the recipe with no changes.






  29. These were amazing! I put Sweet baby rays honey bbq sauce on and put them back in the oven for 3 minutes. Me and my husband only ate a small portion and had enough left over for at least 4 more meals so I froze the rest.






  30. I’ve made these many times and absolutely love them!! I’m getting ready to make them again today and only have fresh oregano, how much would I use in place of the dried oregano?
    Thank you for sharing your recipes, when I’m looking up recipes there are a few websites I look for in the search results because I trust that the outcome will be delicious…gimme some oven in that handful of trustworthiness!!






  31. The best meatballs I have ever had. Followed the recipe exactly (half parsley, half basil). I didn’t chill the mixture and there was no problem. My son has autism and he struggles with textures. I have learned to grate my onions for that reason, but glad to see this step as a part of the recipe. I book marked the recipe and will use it again. Thank You






  32. Excellent. Very tasty, moist and does not fall apart.

  33. Very good! Next time I will add double Worcestershire sauce & pepper flakes. So simple & easy to make.






  34. Love these meatballs! My go to recipe! My 7 year old granddaughter wants to write down the recipe for Nana’s meatballs
    which of course I will have to clarify this is Ali’s recipe!






  35. Instead of using pork I just tossed in fennel seed to give the illusion 😋

  36. I’ve made these before and loved them. I’m wondering if I can use the imitation parmesan instead of fresh (only Benatar I already have the fake stuff on hand). Thanks!

  37. Now this is a great meatball!






  38. Can you use crushed pork rinds as a Panko substitute. We’re keto

  39. I made these tonight and I love them! I’ve been looking for a tender meatball and I found it here. My only change was to use 1 C of cubed bread because I didn’t have breadcrumbs. I made mine to be about 1 inch and this recipe made 37meatballs.






  40. This is my third time making these meatballs. I use Keto friendly crushed pork rinds in place of the panko bread crumbs to keep the carbs to a minimum. Works great. I get 24 meatballs from this recipe as I like my meatballs a bit larger. The cooking time of 12 minutes is perfect. These are the best meatballs ever. Thank you for this recipe.






  41. Been making a lot of meatballs from different recipes lately and these are the best by far. The panade make a ton of difference. The 50/50 pork and beef also toned down the beef a little. Very, very good!

  42. I made this recipe using turkey but I tweaked it alot, I have it before and wasn’t a fan of the dried oregano and basil so cut it out completely this time. I ended up grating a whole onion and half a bell pepper and increased breadcrumbs by 1/4 cups. I also swapped out the milk for half and half so it was a tad thicker consistency but i felt it worked just as well in not drying out the meatballs. Lastly bc I was out of parmesan cheese I used what I had in the fridge (Asiago block cheese)






  43. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe! I went herb crazy in the garden and mixed in (all chopped/minced) basil, rosemary, thyme, summer savory and oregano. Not in the same quantity, just what I thought would work. All in, I did a loose 1/3 cup of herbs. After a couple of test batches, I found that 500 degrees convection roast for 5 minutes, take out and turn, then another 5 minutes in the same oven settings was perfect. Crispy on the outside and a tender 170-180 degrees on the inside. (to each their own, every cook and oven has a different tolerance!) Thanks again, will definitely be making these every time I need meatballs!






  44. Do you have any freezing tips? There’s only two of us. Thanks.

  45. These were delicious 😋!!!! I definitely will keep this recipe in my kitchen.






  46. Made this for dinner tonight, my family loved it. Will be keeping this recipe in our weekly rotation!






  47. These definitely satisfied my craving for a delicious gluten free meatball! Thanks for a great recipe!

  48. We really enjoyed these, but used ground venison Italian sausage instead of ground beef and ground pork. They are fantastic and even freeze/reheat well. Can’t wait to make then again.






  49. Love this recipe and so easy to make without getting kitchen all greasy. The only thing I change is I have to leave out the Worcestershire sauce due to having anchovies (allergic)in it, I added coconut aminos instead. I make double the recipe and freeze a lot for meals later.






  50. These are so good and easy to make with a kid who likes to help. I had to sub soy sauce for Worcestershire and that worked fine. I also used dry herbs with no problem. We doubled the recipe bc why not cook once and eat more than once!