Get ready for Sunday dinner with my super juicy Oven Baked Italian Meatballs! These homemade meatballs are made with BOTH ground beef and pork and perfect for spaghetti, subs and more!
Meatballs have been a staple in our house for many Sunday dinners. We love them with my Italian Sunday Gravy and Homemade Pasta, and they are perfect for meatball subs.
Even though they are baked in the oven, the combination of meats and my method for making them ensure they are super juicy and packed full of flavor. They are also easy to make and freeze for busy weeknights!
Serve these Italian Meatballs alongside Classic Sausage and Peppers, Stuffed Calamari and Crispy Chicken Cutlets for the most epic Sunday family dinner. Don't forget the Crusty Bread!
Jump to:
- ๐ฅฉ Ingredients to Make Traditional Italian Meatballs
- ๐ Different Versions of Baked Meatballs
- ๐ช How to Make Italian Meatballs in the Oven
- Chef's Secret
- ๐ญ Frequently Asked Questions
- โฒ๏ธ How to Make Meatballs Ahead of Time and Freeze
- ๐ฅก How to Store and Reheat Leftover Baked Meatballs
- ๐ More Classic Italian Recipes
- #ScarlatiFamilyKitchen
- ๐ Recipe
- ๐ฌ Comments
🥩 Ingredients to Make Traditional Italian Meatballs
Here are all of the ingredients you will need to make these Baked Italian Meatballs. Make sure to read my tricks for the key ingredients below so your meatballs come out perfectly!
- Meat - My first trick for infusing flavor and keeping these meatballs moist is to use a 50/50 mixture of both ground pork and beef. Add sweet or spicy Italian sausage if you like! Pro Tip: Look for "Meatloaf Mix" at the grocery store which contains an already pre-mixed ground beef and pork.
- Bread - My second trick to making sure these meatballs stay juicy is to use a slice of bread instead of bread crumbs. You will soak the bread in milk for a bit and it will infuse the meat mixture with both flavor and moistness. You don't need anything fancy for this - regular sliced white bread works great.
📋 Different Versions of Baked Meatballs
- Spicy - If you want to spice these up a bit, add ยฝ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes along with the other seasonings.
- Stuffed Meatballs - Place a small cube of provolone or mozzarella inside the middle of the meatballs before baking. It will melt inside during baking for an extra delicious, gooey center.
- Gluten-Free - Use a slice of your favorite gluten-free bread to make gluten-free Italian meatballs.
- Dairy-Free - Swap the regular milk for an unsweetened dairy-free milk alternative to make sure these meatballs are dairy-free.
🔪 How to Make Italian Meatballs in the Oven
First, soak the bread in milk until it absorbs it completely. Add the eggs and seasonings and mix everything up completely. I like to just use my hands here to break up the bread into small pieces, but a spoon works fine too.
Add the ground meat to the bowl and mix to combine everything. Again, my hands work best for this, in my opinoin.
It's really important that you DON'T over mix the meat here. You want everything evenly distributed, but don't over do it or your meatballs will be dense.
Portion out the meatball mixture in a single layer onto two lined sheet pans. Either parchment paper or foil will work fine.
Bake the meatballs at 400˚F for 14-17 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 160˚F. To make sure the meatballs don't overcook, I use this kitchen thermometer (affiliate link) to check them. It's super accurate and reads instantly so they don't get dry.
If you like them crispier, you can flip on the broiler for a minute or two after this, but don't overdo it or they will dry out.
Serve the meatballs immediately or simmer them with your favorite sauce to infuse more flavor.
Chef's Secret
Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion out your meatballs onto the sheet pan. It's WAY easier, less mess and you will get perfectly portioned meatballs every time. I use a 1 ounce cookie scoop, but you can use a larger one for bigger meatballs.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Instead of cooking these in the oven, sear these meatballs in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Lower the temperature to medium-low and simmer in your favorite sauce to finish cooking them.
You can definitely use ground turkey for meatballs. It's a bit leaner than beef and pork, so I recommend combining it with some beef or pork or at a minimum, using ground turkey instead of ground turkey breast. The cooking time will be a bit less, so use a good kitchen thermometer to make sure they don't dry out.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that is mentioned, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⏲️ How to Make Meatballs Ahead of Time and Freeze
You can make the meatballs up to 24 hours ahead of time and store them uncooked on lined sheet pans wrapped in plastic wrap. Take them out of the refrigerator while the oven heats up so they aren't too cold.
To freeze meatballs, you can do so either cooked or uncooked. Either way, freeze them on a lined sheet pan first, then transfer them to a zip top bag for up to two months. Make sure to cool cooked meatballs first before freezing.
Frozen meatballs don't need to be thawed first, but can be cooked from frozen. Times may be a few minutes longer, so again, use a thermometer to make sure they are cooked thoroughly, but not overdone.
🥡 How to Store and Reheat Leftover Baked Meatballs
Keep any leftover baked meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I found that they are best reheated on the stovetop with sauce over medium-low heat. You can also use the microwave or oven too if you like.
🍝 More Classic Italian Recipes
If you loved these Oven Baked Italian Meatballs, check out these other classic Italian recipes that I know you will love for Sunday dinner too.
๐ Recipe
Juicy Oven Baked Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 slice white bread
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic, approximately 3-4 cloves
- 2 teaspoon dehydrated minced onion
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚ and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or foil.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the slice of bread and pour the milk over the top of it. Let it sit until the bread completely absorbs the milk.
- Add the egg, minced garlic, dehydrated onion, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Mix together with hands or a spoon until the bread and eggs are completely broken up and combined with the seasonings.
- Add the ground beef and ground pork and mix gently with hands or a mixing spoon until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Be careful not to overmix the meat or it will make dense meatballs.
- Use a 1 ounce cookie scoop or large spoon to portion out the meatballs into 24 pieces on the prepared sheet pans. 12 meatballs per sheet pan will make sure they cook evenly and don't get overcrowded.
- Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 14-17 minutes until cooked through. Ground meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160˚ when checked with a kitchen thermometer.
- Use the meatballs immediately or cool and store for use later. Instructions for storage are listed below.
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
- Meat - Add ground Italian sausage to the meat mixture for additional flavor. Lean ground beef or turkey will make a lighter meatball. They will have less fat in them, so make sure to not overcook them.
- Gluten Free - Use gluten free bread.
- Dairy Free - Use a dairy free or plant based milk substitute or beef broth.
- Spicy - Add ยฝ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
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