Easy Meatball Recipe
This easy meatball recipe makes juicy, tender, and flavorful Italian-style meatballs that are freezer friendly and you can use in so many different ways!
Servings: 6 (about 25-30 meatballs)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup milk I use whole milk
- 1 pound ground beef see note
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped finely
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients, then add the breadcrumbs and milk to a fairly large prep bowl. Mix/mash together until you've got a paste.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Using your hands, mix it together and then form 1 ¼ - 1 ½-inch meatballs (use about 2 ½ tbsp meat/meatball and it'll make approx. 25-30 meatballs). Don't over-mix or pack them too tightly, and use a delicate touch.
- Place the meatballs on a parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheet as you go along for easy clean-up. Choose from two cooking methods below. If you're baking them and don't have a large enough baking sheet to give them a little room, use two of them.
- Baking instructions: Preheat oven to 400F. Position the rack in the middle if using one baking sheet (if using two, do top and bottom and rotate the baking sheets halfway through cooking). Bake for 20 minutes or until they're cooked through. Timing will depend on the size of your meatballs, so err on the side of less time and test early if they're on the small side.Frying instructions: You can get better browning on meatballs if you sear them in a skillet, but you will need to finish them in a sauce or in the oven to cook them through (it's not safe to store partially cooked meat). Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large, deep skillet and let it heat up for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in two batches until all sides are browned (about 5-7 minutes/batch). It's easiest to turn the meatballs with tongs. You may need to add a splash more oil for the second batch. Simmer meatballs in sauce or transfer the skillet to the oven until they're cooked through.
- Baked meatballs can be portioned up and frozen after they've cooled (I add 4-5 meatballs to small bags like a Ziploc or sandwich bag and then place them in a larger Tupperware container and freeze the whole thing).
Notes
- Fattier ground meats = more flavor (and the meatballs will be more moist), so avoid anything that's extra lean (80-85% lean is good).
- You can make the meatballs bigger or smaller than suggested, but keep in mind that cooking time will need to be adjusted. Meatballs are safe to eat when they're 165F in the middle.
- I easily fit 25 meatballs on this half size sheet pan.
- See blog post for more tips, info on substitutions, process photos, etc... especially if you haven't made meatballs before!
Nutrition
Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 152mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 3mg