The Best Italian Meatball Recipe (Oven Baked)
This is my most requested meatball recipe from friends and family. Meatballs are such a comfort food, and this recipe will teach you how to make them perfect every time! This is the best Italian meatball recipe (oven baked) for an easy weeknight dinner. You can share it with friends. It is also great to add to other recipes. They are full of flavor, super tender and very easy to make. They are also very easy to freeze!
I’ve tried many other meatball recipes over the years. They were all either dry, complicated or bland. That’s not at all what I wanted for my recipe.
I wanted an amazing meatball recipe using primarily kitchen stock items. I didn’t want home cooks having to go buy extra unnecessary ingredients. I stuck to the basics and perfected the flavor. These meatballs are very flavorful but also very kid friendly. My family LOVES this recipe (even the picky eaters)!
Once I had the flavor I wanted, I knew I had to perfect the texture. That part took me forever, it felt like. After a few trials, I was inspired by some of my great grandmother’s cookbooks which mentioned using milk in meatballs. That was the game changer. I added milk to my recipe and never looked back. My recipe was complete and now I get to share it with you!
Saving Money with Italian Meatballs
When ground beef goes on sale (I recommend 85% lean meat), run to the store! These meatballs can be made in bulk and frozen for use later. What should you use meatballs for later you ask?
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Baked meatball casserole
- Meatball hoagies
- Sliced on top of a pizza
- Meatballs over creamy orzo
- Meatballs Soup
- Hawaiian, BBQ or Bourbon meatballs
The list goes on and on. Here are some photos from other meatball recipes I hope to publish soon!
Other than your ground beef, you’ll only need to purchase milk and an egg for this recipe. The rest should be in your kitchen stock.
If you haven’t already, be sure to grab a copy of my kitchen stock list. All of my recipes on this blog are created with the kitchen stock in mind. This approach saves both time and money!
How to Make the Best Italian Meatballs
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of Italian seasoned panko, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add in one egg, 1/4 cup whole milk and 1.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Mix until combined.
Add your meat and mix with your hands or a stand mixer until just combined. This may take a couple minutes but be careful to not overmix the meat mixture.
Once the meatball mixture is combined, use a large cookie scoop. Scoop out even portions of the mixture onto the sheet pan. Don’t worry about having perfectly shaped balls yet.
You can make the meatballs any size you want. I’ll make my meatballs larger if I’m serving them alone on a dish or in a meatball sub. I make them a little smaller (about the size of a golf ball) for pasta dishes and even smaller if I’m adding them to soup or as an appetizer.
Depending on the size of the meatball, the cooking time can range from 20 minutes up to 40. Keep a close eye on them. The meatballs are done once they have a nice brown color, and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Making Italian Baked Meatballs Ahead of Time and Freezing
Making Ahead: Properly stored, cooked meatballs will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Refrigerate them in shallow airtight containers.
Reheat: To reheat plain meatballs without any sauce added, you can use the oven or the microwave. To reheat the meatballs in the oven, set the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the meatballs on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a little water on them. Cover them with foil and cook them for about 15 to 20 minutes. If you want to use the microwave, place the meatballs on a microwave-safe plate. Sprinkle them with water. Heat for 30 second intervals until they are thoroughly heated.
Freezing: Once the cooked meatballs have reached room temperature, transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Lay the meatballs in a single layer without touching and place them in the freezer for 2-4 hours. Overnight is okay too. Once the meatballs have frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or a freezer safe container. Meatballs will stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Thawing: If you’re using the meatballs in a spaghetti sauce, add the frozen meatballs directly to the sauce. Heat them on the stove. If you are not serving the meatballs in a sauce, you can allow the meatballs to thaw in the fridge the night before use.
I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe and share it with your friends. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
The Best Italian Meatballs (Oven Baked)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef (85%)
- ¾ cup Italian Seasoned Panko Kitchen Stock Ingredient
- ¼ grated Parmesan Kitchen Stock Ingredient
- 1 tsp Sea Salt Kitchen Stock Ingredient
- ½ tsp Black Pepper Kitchen Stock Ingredient
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder Kitchen Stock Ingredient
- ¼ cup Whole Milk
- 1½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce Kitchen Stock Ingredient
- 1 Egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the seasoned panko, parmesan cheese, sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder until evenly mixed.
- Add egg, Worcestershire sauce, and whole milk to mixture. Mix until evenly combined.
- Add beef and mix with your hands or a stand mixer until thoroughly combined. Stop once combined and do not overmix.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out even amounts of the meatball mixture onto the baking sheet.
- Use your hands to gently shape the meatballs to nice round balls and place evenly apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake in the upper half of the oven for 20-40 minutes depending on the size of your meatballs.
- Cook meatballs until they are brown and have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Hi, Friends! Welcome! I’m Julia, the creator of Sweet Tea Meals. I’m a stay-at-home mom of two and a self-taught home cook. I’m on a mission to bring joy back to your kitchen with simple, low-cost and well-organized recipes. I’m so glad you’re here.
