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Whether you’re making subs or spaghetti, these classic oven-baked meatballs are perfect for all of your favorite recipes. They’re perfectly juicy and flavored with delicious seasonings and parmesan cheese!
These homemade meatballs are delicious on their own, but even better covered in a tasty sauce! Try them in Swedish meatballs or topped with homemade alfredo or lobster sauce.
Oven-Baked Meatballs Recipe
If you’ve been on the hunt for your go-to meatball recipe, this is it. Not only are these classic homemade meatballs so juicy and flavorful, but a breeze to make! You can make a batch of them in just about 30 minutes from start to finish. They’re then ready to serve as an appetizer, use for meatball subs, or on top of a bed of pasta alongside your favorite sauce! (I have some delicious recommendations below!) No matter how you serve these tasty meatballs, they’re sure to be a smash hit with your friends and family.
Each meatball is packed with flavor from all of the delicious herbs and parmesan cheese. Say goodbye to the dry, flavorless meatballs you’ve had in the past! The meatballs in this recipe are broiled which gives you a delicious, golden brown outside (with just a hint of crispiness!) and a tender, juicy inside. These incredible homemade meatballs are going to be a game changer for all of your Italian-inspired dishes. You’ve got to try them out with your next batch of spaghetti!
Ingredients for Homemade Meatballs
With how simple the ingredients are for these amazing meatballs, you’re going to want to make them from scatch every time! Their juicy, savory flavor will most definitely have you hooked. If you’re looking for ingredients, they can all be found in the recipe card at the end of the post..
- White Bread: I used white bread with the crusts torn off to add a little texture to my meatballs, but you can definitely switch this out for fresh breadcrumbs as well!
- Milk: Keeps your meatballs juicy and tender!
- Ground Beef: I used ground beef but feel free to use ground pork! A mix of both works, too! If you’re wanting leaner meatballs, you can also switch out the beef for ground turkey.
- Eggs: Help give the meatballs structure and bind all of the ingredients together.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan just makes every Italian dish better! Use freshly-grated parmesan if possible. It adds the best flavor!
- Seasonings and Spices: Time to break out the spice rack! For this recipe, I used a blend of basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder along with salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Classic Homemade Meatballs
It’s so easy! You’ll be able to whip up a batch of these in no time at all! If your family is anything like mine, you may want to make a double batch. Homemade meatballs always fly off the table!
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup! Set aside.
- Prepare Bread: Place the torn bread and milk into a small bowl. Let the bread soak and absorb the milk while you combine the rest of the ingredients.
- Combine Beef, Eggs and Seasonings: In a large bowl, add the ground beef, eggs, cheese, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add Bread: Next, add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. Slightly squeeze the milk out of the bread before adding it to the bowl of ingredients.
- Combine: Mix all of the ingredients together until combined well. Hands are best here!
- Preheat Oven: Turn the oven to broil and allow to heat for a few minutes while you roll the meatballs.
- Shape: Divide and roll mixture into 14 meatballs. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Broil: Broil meatballs for 12 minutes. You can rotate the meatballs half way through if you prefer.
- Serve: Serve with homemade marinara sauce, or use in recipes like my meatball soup or meatball sub.
Tips and Tricks
These are just a few extra tips to help you craft the best homemade meatballs of all time! Your family won’t be able to get enough.
- Use Fatty Meat: Sorry diet- the key to tender, juicy meatballs is to use meat with a high fat content. You can use leaner meats like ground turkey, but they require more moisture and the addition of things like olive oil in order to stay soft and moist. You can find my full recipe for turkey meatballs here!
- Mix Gently: When shaping your meatballs, if you pack them too tightly, they may turn out dense and rubbery once cooked. You don’t want to overwork them! I always like to use my hands to mix and shape my meatballs, this way I know exactly how much pressure I’m applying. A gentle hand is the secret ingredient to melt-in-your-mouth meatballs!
Tasty Sauces for Serving
Don’t get me wrong- these homemade meatballs are incredible on their own, but coating them in a flavorful sauce never hurts! Homemade marinara is always a good idea, but you should try out these other tasty choices as well! Find my full list of sauces and dips here.
How Long Do Homemade Meatballs Last?
You’ll want to keep these around to have for meatball subs! Here’s how to store them so they stay fresh and delicious.
- In the Refrigerator: In an airtight container, your homemade meatballs will last for up to 3 days.
- In the Freezer: Store in a freezer bag or airtight container for 1-2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: I like to reheat these meatballs for 10-15 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Delicious Meatball Recipes
Now that you have a delicious batch of homemade meatballs ready to use, here are a few more recipes to try them out in! These meatballs are so versatile, you can use them for a bunch of different dishes! I always like to make a double batch of them and then stick them in the freezer to have at the ready!
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Classic Homemade Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 slices white bread, torn, crust cut off
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 tsp dried basil
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp granulated onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup! Set aside.
- Place the torn bread and milk into a small bowl. Let the bread soak and absorb the milk while you combine the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, add the ground beef, eggs, cheese, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Next, add the soaked bread to the rest of the ingredients. Slightly squeeze the milk out of the bread before adding it to the bowl of ingredients.
- Mix all of the ingredients together until combined well. Hands are best here!
- Turn the oven to broil and allow to heat for a few minutes while you roll the meatballs.
- Divide and roll mixture into 14 meatballs. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Broil meatballs for 12 minutes. You can rotate the meatballs half way through if you prefer.
- Serve with your favorite marinara, or use in recipes like my meatball soup or meatball sub.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made the meatballs and they were light and fluffy and pretty good but not great – I felt they were a little bland personally, definitely lacked salt, needed more unami flavor, I even used a full cup of parmesan and added cooked grated onion and garlic but still no punch. Although its not such a bad thing because they’ll pick up flavor in the sauces you cook them with, and you can always add more salt, not that I need more salt in my diet!
how much bread crumbs in place of the white bread? Would whole grain bread be another possible substitute? or does it affect flavor? Thanks!
I would try 1/2 a cup of breadcrumbs! Whole wheat bread absorbs more liquid, so if you do use whole wheat bread instead of white bread then you may have to adjust your ratio of liquids in the recipe. Let me know how it turns out!
2 lbs of ground beef making 14 meatballs? The picture looks like tiny meatballs. I make say golf ball sized (bigger than the picture) and get at least 24 with 2 lbs. Maybe that’s a misprint (which will affect the cooking time for sure).
Alyssa The meatballs look delicious. Definitely going to make them the next time I have spaghetti.
Thank you for the recipe.
👵🏻
These are delicious. I usually use Italian breadcrumbs rather than torn bread but it seems to be not as dense with the bread. I also add a little Romano cheese into my meatball mixture. Thanks for this great recipe.