The Best Oven Baked Meatballs

Made with the perfect blend of seasonings and baked using a special technique, these Oven Baked Meatballs are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It is an easy recipe to follow and with a few tricks of the trade, these truly are the BEST meatballs ever!

Serve up these Homemade Baked Meatballs with homemade tomato sauce, add to Instant Pot Spaghetti or use for meatball subs, for a delicious meal your whole family will love.

Why this is the Best Meatball Recipe

I know most baked meatballs are known to be dried out or tough. BUT, I have found THE PERFECT trick that will change the way you bake meatballs FOREVER!

These meatballs are steamed in beef broth as they bake. The meatballs absorb the broth as they bake, keeping them flavorful and tender, and as the broth is evaporated and absorbed, they crisp up perfectly on the outside. Seriously, PERFECTION!

You may think your great aunt or your grandma made the best meatballs. And while I am sure they are delicious, you have not tried my recipe for meatballs.

And not only are these meatballs so fork-tender, but they are also filled with downright delicious. I take a classic Italian meatball recipe and amp up the flavor so much that these meatballs are anything but bland.

After one bite, you will NEVER make another meatball recipe again!

Key Ingredients

The lineup of ingredients is extensive, but most of the ingredients are staples you will find already stocked in your pantry.

• Ground Meat: I personally recommend using 90% lean ground beef for the best results. However, ground pork, veal, sausage, turkey, or chicken Just stay between a fat content of 10-20% regardless of the type of meat you use, as higher fat content than 20% would result in greasy meatballs and a lower fat content than 10% may result in dried out meatballs.
• Breadcrumbs: Use either plain bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs. Panko bread crumbs will keep the meatballs a bit lighter in texture than traditional bread crumbs.
• Dried Herbs: I use lots of dried oregano and red pepper flakes to add serious flavor to these oven-baked meatballs. The amounts are NOT typos!
• Parmesan Cheese: Be sure to use freshly grated cheese instead of pre-grated. There is NO comparison in the taste between fresh Parmesan and the stuff you find in a jar.
• Beef Broth: Beef broth is one of my secret ingredients in these meatballs. The beef broth gives a rich flavor to the meatballs and is my secret to steaming these meatballs while they bake.

Step-by-Step Directions

Step One: Prepare Meatball Mixture

Mix together all the ingredients except for the meat until well combined. You don't have to worry about over-mixing the binder ingredients, so be sure to really mix the ingredients until well combined. This helps the flavor be evenly distributed in the meatballs.

Add in the meat and gently mix--not with a spoon, with your hands. Your hands are your best tools for mixing meatballs!! The mixture will wash off your hands, I promise!!

Step Two: Shape Meatballs

Scoop the meatball mixture with a medium cookie scoop, rolling gently to shape if needed, and then place onto a lightly greased rimmed sheet pan.

By using a cookie scoop, it helps ensure all the meatballs are the same size which is key to delicious meatballs and allows you to handle the meatball mixture as little as possible--which will ensure tender meatballs.

Step Three: Bake the meatballs

The way these meatballs are baked may seem odd but it is the secret tip for the BEST meatballs.

We are going to steam the meatballs in beef broth at a high temperature in the oven.

This process is quite simple, with phenomenal results. Simply place the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet (a RIMMED baking sheet is crucial here), and then pour beef broth around the meatballs before placing it in the oven.

The broth will be absorbed into the meat and evaporated in the oven so that after a short baking time, the broth is gone and meatballs will have a chance to sear and get a crunchy exterior without being fried or covered in oil to bake.

It is insane how well this works. Try it out--I promise you will be a believer. You will never want to bake meatballs any other way--scratch that, you will never want to MAKE any other meatballs!

Serving Suggestions

Oven Baked Meatballs are delicious served on spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce or served up on a hoagie bun with melted provolone cheese for a Meatball Sub.

But don’t limit yourself to only having these meatballs on just spaghetti. They are fabulous simmered into Italian Wedding Soup or tucked into pizza bread, as a marvelous little surprise.

And even though this meatball recipe is seasoned with Italian flavors, they also taste delicious coated in barbecue sauce or a mixture of cocktail sauce and grape jelly. This is one of my favorite appetizers to share at parties!

Storing Meatballs

You can store leftover meatballs in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

To freeze the meatballs, prepare the meatballs as directed, and then once cooled, place on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid (about 30 minutes.) Transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

To reheat frozen meatballs, either drop into a simmering tomato sauce for 20 minutes or reheat in an oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until warmed through.

Recipe Tips and Modifications

• If you need gluten-free meatballs, I would suggest using an equal amount of gluten-free oats in place of breadcrumbs. I have done this quite often with success.
• I use a LOT of kosher salt in this recipe because I use plain, unseasoned bread crumbs and low sodium beef broth. If you are using regular beef broth, seasoned breadcrumbs, or Italian sausage in your meatball mixture, decrease the salt to 1 teaspoon.
• If you are egg-free, omit the egg and add in a flax egg and work more delicately when shaping the meatballs. Egg-free meatballs will work but are much more apt to fall apart if not carefully handled.
• Milk is a classic ingredient in meatballs, but feel free to use additional beef broth in place of the milk. Just cut back on the salt by ¼ teaspoon.

More Meatball Recipes

• Lentil Meatballs
• Instant Pot Meatballs
• The Best Chicken Meatballs
• Turkey Swedish Meatballs

I can't wait for you to try out this meatball recipe--I truly believe it is the best! And I would love for you to leave a comment letting me know how much you enjoyed this recipe. 

The Best Oven Baked Meatballs

An authentic recipe for Italian style baked meatballs that are perfectly seasoned and tender.

4.75 from 293 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds ground beef
• ▢ ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ▢ ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ ¼ cup milk any fat percentage works
• ▢ 1 cup beef broth divided
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ ½ tablespoon kosher salt see notes
• ▢ ½ tablespoon pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp oregano
• ▢ ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Cook ModePrevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, milk, egg, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and ¼ cup of beef broth. Mix until well combined.
• Add the meat to the mixture and just combine. Do not over mix, but be sure seasonings are well dispersed.
• Coat a baking sheet with rimmed edges with non stick spray and roll meatballs into 1 inch circles. Place meatballs onto baking sheet.
• Pour remaining ¾ cup beef broth around meatballs and bake for 25 minutes.

Equipment Needed

• Rimmed Baking Sheet

Notes

• Meat: Feel free to use any ground meat you like, just try to keep the fat percentage between 10 and 20%, for the best flavor and consistency. 
• Sodium Content: I use a LOT of kosher salt in this recipe because I am using plain, unseasoned bread crumbs, and low sodium beef broth. If you are using regular beef broth, seasoned bread crumbs, or Italian sausage in your meatball mixture, decrease the salt to 1 teaspoon. You can decrease the salt if on a low sodium diet as well. 
• Parmesan Cheese: Be sure to use freshly grated cheese instead of pre-grated. There is NO comparison in the taste between fresh Parmesan and the stuff you find in a jar.
• Gluten-Free Meatballs: Use an equal amount of gluten-free quick cook oats in place of breadcrumbs.
• These meatballs will last in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. They reheat beautifully in simmering sauce. 
• Egg Free Meatballs: Omit the egg and use a flax egg. Egg-free meatballs will work but are much more apt to fall apart if not carefully handled.

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 489mg | Potassium: 240mg | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.9mg

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This post was originally shared in March 2017 but has been updated with new tips in December 2020. The recipe remains the same.