This really is the World’s Best Oven Baked Meatball Recipe! I am sharing with you an authentic recipe for Italian style baked meatballs that are perfectly seasoned and tender. There are a few tricks and tips in this recipe that truly do make these the BEST meatballs ever!
Serve up these Baked Meatballs with homemade tomato sauce or on meatball sub, for a delicious meal your whole family will love.
Oh I know that post title may make you roll your eyes, because you thought your great aunt or grandma made the best meatballs or a local Italian joint.
And yes, I am sure they are delicious, but you have not tried my recipe for oven baked meatballs.
Oven Baked Meatballs
I take a simple classic meatball recipe and pump so much flavor into the mix that these Italian meatballs are anything but bland. They pack so much flavor into such a small bite, that your taste buds start doing a crazy little happy dance.
They are stay perfectly tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. And in sticking to my healthy eating philosophy,I have found a perfect trick to making these meatballs healthier than any restaurant’s version or your Great Aunt Barb’s recipe.
But they what they have lost in fat and preservatives, they sacrifice NOTHING in flavor. When these meatballs top spaghetti and are smothered in my homemade tomato sauce, all my cares melt away while I savor the perfect combination of comfort.
But don’t limit yourself to only having these meatballs on just spaghetti. They are fabulous served as Meatballs Subs, or simmered into Italian Wedding Soup or tucked into pizza bread, as a marvelous little surprise.
Let your imagination run wild and share with me your uses for these meatballs–I always prepare a huge batch so I always have some to pull from my freezer.
Key Ingredients for the BEST Meatballs:
The line up of ingredients are extensive, but they are simple and your will find most of it already in your pantry.
- The Meat: The base of your meatballs is truly up to you–you can use ground pork, ground veal, ground beef, ground Italian sausage or even ground turkey for meatballs. I personally use grass fed ground beef with a 15% fat content (85/15). As long as you stay between a fat content of 10-20% you can use any type of meat you like in this recipe for meatballs. I would not increase or decrease the fat any more than this though or you will either end up with a grease fire in your oven from too much fat or a dry meatball from not enough fat.
- Breadcrumbs: I use whatever bread I have leftover and grind it up in my blender or food processor to control the quality of ingredients. You can purchase store bought bread crumbs, but watch for added corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. It is easy to take leftover bread you have lying around and store in a large freezer bag in the freezer and at any time you can easily whip up homemade bread crumbs. If you need gluten free meatballs, I would suggest using an equal amount of gluten free oats in place of breadcrumbs. While I was gluten free, I did that quite often and never felt like the texture or flavor of the meatball suffered.
- Dried Herbs: I use lots of dried oregano and red pepper flakes to add serious flavor to these oven baked meatballs.
- Kosher Salt: I use a LOT of kosher salt in this recipe because I am using homemade plain, unseasoned bread crumbs and low sodium beef broth and you need salt to season food properly. If you are using regular beef broth or store bought bread crumbs or Italian sausage in your meatball mixture, decrease the salt to 1 teaspoon.
- Parsley: The only fresh herb I use is parsley–which is what 80 cents a bunch? A cheap but extremely worthwhile investment to bump up the flavor in these meatballs.
- Garlic: The fresh garlic gives these meatballs incredible flavor with a bit of spice. You can use jarred minced garlic or fresh minced garlic but I would not recommend using dried garlic.
- 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–more on that in a minute. If you are opposed to beef, use vegetable or chicken stock in these meatballs and turkey or pork as your base.
- Milk: Milk is a classic ingredient
- Egg: The egg binds the meatball together, 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.
How to Make Oven Baked Meatballs
Step One: Mix together all the ingredients except for the meat until well combined.
Step Two: 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 Three: Scoop the meatball mixture with a medium cookie scoop, rolling gently to shape if needed after scooping unto greased sheet pan with sides.
- By using a cookie scoop, it helps ensure all the meatballs are the same size which is key to delicious meatballs.
- Remember to handle the meatballs as little as possible–this will ensure tender meatballs.
Step Four: Bake the Meatballs.
Onto my secret tip for the BEST meatballs: Steam the meatballs in beef broth at a high temperature in the oven.
To steam your meatballs while they bake in the oven is easy.
- Set your oven to 450 degrees.
- Pour beef broth (or another type of stock) around your meatballs and place in the oven.
The broth will be absorbed into the meat and evaporated some 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.
Freezing Meatballs
You can FREEZE these Italian meatballs to use for quick meals. I make a double or triple batch of oven meatballs and then once cooled, I place on 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 simmering sauce for 20 minutes or reheat in an oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until warmed through.
A few notes about Homemade Meatballs
- Oven Baked Meatballs are delicious served on spaghetti or served up on a hoagie bun with melted provolone cheese for a Meatball Sub.
- Remember to use a lined baking sheet for these meatballs so that you pour stock around them to steam as they cook.
So whether you are looking for a comforting meal, something delicious to stock your freezer with that is versatile, or you just want to eat something delicious, this meatball recipe is for you. I can’t wait for you to try it and be pleased.
If you liked these Baked Italian Meatballs you may like:
- Instant Pot Italian Rotini
- Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Easy Homemade Lasagna
- Creamy Cajun Pasta
- Tuscan Pasta
- Easy Baked Rotini
Meatball Recipe
The World's Best Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup milk any fat percentage works
- 1 cup beef broth divided
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt see notes
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients except for the meat well, using only 1/4 cup of the beef broth. Add the meat 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 reserved beef broth around meatballs and bake at 450 for 25 minutes.
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 homemade plain, unseasoned bread crumbs and low sodium beef broth. If you are using regular beef broth, store bought 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 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.
To Make The Best Meatballs Ever, you may need:
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Kristen Chidsey
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Let me just say, I never ever thought I even liked meatballs, my boyfriend and one of my sons do, so I started off making meatballs for them. I came across your recipe after much comparison with many other recipes, I liked the fact yours were oven baked and used beef broth- this intrigued me, and to my surprise, I found that I freaking LOVE MEATBALLS!!! Well atleast using your recipe I do! My bf, son, and myself cant get enough! They try to eat the whole pan before the spaghetti is even ready! Needless to say your recipe rocks and thank you so much for sharing! Going to try to get my other son to try them tonight!
I LOVE hearing how much you enjoyed this recipe Brooke-Rose! I personally can’t eat other meatballs after being spoiled by this recipe! I hope you and your boys enjoy this recipe again and again!
I doubled the recipe, and also added an additional pound of ground hot Italian sausage.
* I used an 8 ounce package of deli-shredded Parmesan cheese.
Ended up making 40 good sized meatballs. (heaping ice cream scoop sized)
They smelled incredible when they were cooking, and tasted even better.
Very good recipe!
Hi AJ! Thank you so much for letting us know how much you enjoyed this recipe and your modifications! So glad you success!
I never leave comments on recipes so please take this as a huge compliment. My boyfriend is the pickiest eater alive. Everytime we make these meatballs he laughs hysterically with joy after the first bite. They are so delicious I’m speechless.. you, my dear, will be saved in my favourite recipes of all time.. for life.
Oh Stephanie, THANK YOU! I do not take your compliment lightly and greatly appreciate you sharing how much you and your boyfriend love these meatballs.
Freaking fantastic!
So glad you enjoyed Kasha!
Loved this recipe. But how do you prevent smoking happening in the oven or is that to be expected?
I have never had smoking in the oven with this recipe. Be sure to use a lined pan and you should not experience any smoking.
It was probably the parchment paper she used. It was probably wax paper. There is a difference and I too learnt the hard way.
Oh good point Glenna, you should never use wax paper in the oven.
How many meatballs make 1 serving?
I typically get 36 meatballs, so 3 meatballs per serving 🙂 Enjoy!
This is the best meatballs I’ve ever made. My boyfriend agrees. I think the beef broth might be the secret ingredient! Thanks for sharing.
I am so glad you both enjoyed Amber! And thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Loved this recipe! Made it exactly as written but added a table spoon of Italian seasoning I had on had it was perfect!
So glad you enjoyed Tracy!
I made a double batch and added 1/4 of finely chopped onion , they had excellent flavor and where very moist .
YAY! So glad you enjoyed Mike!
This is a MUST try! Excellent texture. My sister shared this recipe with me and it’s now on rotation for both of us! We reduced the salt but no other changes. This is so versatile. Thank you!!!
I am so so glad you both enjoy Meredith! We love these meatballs so much at our house as well.
Hi! I am looking forward to making these. Love baked meatballs b/c they are healthier. But I have never seen any recipes that call for adding broth in the oven. Does the broth burn/stick to the baking sheet as it’s evaporating?
Hi Rebecca…there may be a bit of residue (so feel free to use foil lining the pan) but I never have issues with it washing off super easy. Trust me, the broth is the trick to the best meatballs!!
O wow…AWESOME! This recipe will make you look like you were an Italian chef in your past life! Superb:) Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed Natalie!
I rarely comment on recipes found on the internet as they usually don’t live up to the hype their given. However, I did make these meatballs and they are, without doubt, the most flavorful I have eaten including those at various Italian restaurants. Nice work.
I am so glad you enjoyed!
I plan to try these, but in the video it looks like you use an Instant Pot. The recipe says oven. Can you do both?
Hi Cindy! This recipe is for the oven, but here is my recipe for Instant Pot Meatballs 🙂
They are great
These were so delicious! Everyone loved them! Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad you all enjoyed Kimberly and thank you for taking the time to leave a review😊
Your Welcome!😊
They are the best! Now in my collection of best recipes.
Wahoo! That is what I love to hear Bonnie 😊
Meatballs are amazing! My family could not get enough of them. I am curious to know what the serving size is on the nutrition table provided.
I am so glad your family enjoyed. The serving size is about 3 meatballs.
Totally awesome. I’ll be including this gem in my favs folder. Thank you
A
I am so glad you enjoyed these meatballs Marea and you enjoy many times over!
I LOVED THESE!! Easy, tender, delicious! I cooked them as instructed (but on the grill so I didn’t heat up my kitchen)and then used that traditional meatloaf topping (catsup, A1, molasses) on top after they were cooked and broiled them until slightly crispy. THANK YOU!
Hi Sue! I am so glad you loved these meatballs.
My wife who generally doesn’t fancy meatballs was skeptical at first, but she was amazed with the results and couldn’t stop eating them. Thanks so much for a great recipe.
YAY! I am so glad you and your wife enjoyed Jay! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Relatively easy recipe and definitely delicious! My children request these meatballs for their special birthday dinners.
YAY!!! I love hearing that your family loves these so much Carla!
These are delish!! It was my first attempt ever at making meatballs and I’ll definitely keep using this recipe! I used ground chicken and chicken broth and they turned out so yummy. I didn’t have all the ingredients, but this seems like a recipe you can adjust a bit…so instead of milk I used a dab of butter, and Italian seasoning in place of the oregano. I also used gf panko bread crumbs. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed these Tiffany! I hope you make them often!
Could I use Ritz crackers instead of breadcrumbs? Have you tried doing anything like that before?
Hi Cindy! I have not tried this with Ritz crackers, I think it would work, but not positive. If you give it a try, report back to let us know.
Amazing recipe! Thank you, the family has now added this to our monthly menu.
That makes my heart so happy Beckie! I am so glad your family enjoyed so much.
I just made these meatballs for dinner, and yes, they are the BEST I ever made. Thank you for your notes and suggestions, they helped a lot. They were very moist, and my family loved them. I used all ground beef, and baked them on a foil lined sheet pan w/ the beef broth. I lowered the temp. To 400, for 25 min., then dropped them into the sauce for 1 hour.
DELICIOUS!!! 🍝🍝🍝🍝
I LOVE hearing that you enjoyed these meatballs Anne! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Have a quick question. Do you add half the beef broth to the meatball mix before mixing and rolling them?
Yes Mike! It says to add 1/4 cup beef broth to meatball mixture 😊
I made these meatballs, I couldn’t exactly go by the recipe since I didn’t have all the exact ingredients but kept it very similar. My family loved them, they started eating them and I told them to wait because I was making spaghetti to go with them. My son told me never make anything to go with them, they would eat the meatballs alone. Big success!
Oh I am so happy to hear how much you loved these meatballs Lynn. Thank you for taking the time to share your review.
OMG – the beef broth adds SUCH amazing flavor!!! It was my first time making meatballs – thank you so much!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed Jayna 🙂
My husband travels and is a body builder/strong man (yes, somehow both, depending on the season). I am pretty sure I will have to quadruple this recipe, just for his lunch and dinner for one day! 😂 How long will these last if kept in a 2 gallon freezer bag, on ice, in a cooler?
Hey Marcella–wow, your husband is a busy man! It is hard to say how long these will last because every cooler is different-some hold ice for days, some for hours. And it helps if you pack entirely full-but they will be safe as long as some ice remains in cooler. Hope that helps.
Love, love, loved them! They baked up so nice and tasted amazing. I used ground pork and I used way less salt but it was still a little too salty so I’ll cut the salt out next time. Thanks for the recipe!
I am SO happy you enjoyed Christina! If you don’t use low sodium salt they will be salty, so good idea to cut back on the salt then 🙂
I never comment on recipes normally, but these are just AMAZING and the well deserve the title. It’s all in the broth! Moist yet crispy, every time! I cook these probably once a week now and cook extra for lunch the next day 😂💙 thank you for bringing these into my life…and stomach!
Thank you so much Matthew for taking the time to comment! I am so glad you love these meatballs so much! I hope they continue to be a staple at your house.
I am always looking for a good meatball recipe. This one sounds delish. I like the idea of steaming the meatballs in broth. I have a question…it says to line the baking sheet when baking. What did you line your pan with?
Thank you for your response.
I just know you are going to love these meatballs. I use cooking spray to line my baking sheet 🙂
I am trying these this weekend for my daughters first birthday party… could you put the in a slowvmcpoker afterwards with a different sauce? I was thinking honey garlic or bbq? Advice?
Hi Sharon! I love using these meatballs as an appetizer. I will say they are heavy on the Italian Seasoning so if pairing with barbecue sauce, I would use half the amount of Parmesan and oregano. I also think these would be fabulous with a honey garlic sauce. Just cook as recipe states and then add so slow cooker with your sauce on low until just warmed through. Then keep the meatballs at “keep warm” to not overcook. Enjoy! And happy birthday to your daughter! What a precious thing to celebrate.
Unbelievably good. I will use this recipe from now on. The meatballs were so moist and flavorful!
I love hearing that. Thank you so much for taking the time to share Rita!
These were as good as advertised! My favorite ones I’ve ever eaten. I did one substitution…1 pound beef and 1 pound sausage because that’s what was in my fridge. It was so delicious!!!!! My kids and husband all said these were the best they had ever had, too. Thank you for this yumminess!!!
Oh I am so glad you enjoyed Darcia!! I have made these with a mixture of sausage and beef before myself–either way is great. Thank you for taking the time to share your review 🙂
My whole family loved this especially my four year old son. So much better than a restaurant in so many ways. I love that it’s easy and quick enough so we can have a special dinner any night.
I love hearing this Leanne! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
I made these meatballs this week and I made slight changes to the amounts of ingredients based on what I have and what we like. Turned out a bit spicy, but very tasty. I ended up with 38 meatballs about 1-1/2 inch diameter. I baked them on 2 sheet pans using a full can of beef broth. My sheet pans are a bit warped, so 6 or 8 of the meatballs that didn’t sit in liquid burned a bit on the bottom. The 3rd batch, I used a glass pan (9″x9″) with the leftover liquid and turned the meatballs over halfway through…..worked much better. Next time I’ll use my 9″x13″ glass pan to ensure plenty of coverage.
My honey liked them also. Thanks for the recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed! And great tip to use 9×13 pan!
Best meatballs ever! I now keep a batch in the freezer at all times. Thanks!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoy these meatballs 😊
These meatballs are wonderful. I added more garlic and had an italian seasoning already pre-made by “Dion” so it was perfect. Nice and crispy – didn’t have beef broth, used vegetable and they still taste great. Will use beef broth next time. What a lovely go to recipe and the size is perfect for family and friends. Thank you so much!!!!
You are so welcome. It makes my heart happy you enjoyed.
THANK YOU! I do think the beef broth must be the secret. My family loved these meatballs! It is so hard to make something we all agree on.
That makes me so happy your family enjoyed Lisa!
Best meatballs I’ve ever made!
I love hearing that Jess!! I hope you find more recipes here to enjoy!
Just made these. Some of the most amazing meatballs I’ve ever tasted and definitely THE BEST meatball I’ve ever made!!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed Heather! I hope you find other recipes here you love just as much!
Ok. I’ve tried so many recipes on meatballs in the past but this one my most certainly is the winner in my cookbook. The meatballs are so incredibly tender and FULL of flavor. I used 1lb of ground Chuck beef, the 80/20 mix is perfect for this recipe in my opinion. Followed the recipe to the T except I used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a bit more garlic. Felt zero guilt in tasting one, then another and another lol. They barely made it into the pasta sauce. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. From your cookbook to mine. Gracias.
Thank you so much Tiffany for sharing with us your love of this recipe! I am so glad you enjoyed–and yes, these are hard to resist! I hope you find more great recipes here 🙂
These are amazingly perfect!!! I’ve made them with all combos of meats including all ground turkey OR beef with sausage and they are fantastic every time! I hold the red pepper since the kiddos don’t like spicy but thank you for my go to recipe! Love this!!!
I love hearing your success and love of these meatballs! Thank you so much for sharing Leah 🙂
Holy cow! Literally, the hamburger meatballs I made tonight are flipping amazing! I made extras to try on a hoagie as a meatball melt. I tried them plain after cooking and totally mouth watering. Thank you for the recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed Brandon! And I know you won’t regret having extra meatballs for a meatball sub 🙂 Enjoy!
My oven element litterally broke when I made this recipe. But for some reason my broil element still worked. I broiled them 9 min a side. They turned out nice and crispy and absolutely delicious!
Oh NO!!! I hate when appliances bite the dust. I am so glad you were able to salvage the recipe with the broiling function. And good luck fixing/replacing your oven!