Easy Italian Meatballs Recipe

Original Post: https://www.evolvingtable.com/easy-italian-meatballs/

A bowl of spaghetti and marinara sauce with four Italian meatballs with Parmesan cheese.

No ratings yet

Easy Italian Meatballs Recipe

Thanks to my Mom's famous mix of ground beef and pork, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and seasoned breadcrumbs, these Easy Italian Meatballs are a weeknight favorite in our house! They're super juicy, packed with flavor, and can easily be baked in the oven or cooked in a skillet on the stovetop.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: London Brazil

Ingredients

1 pound 80/20 ground beef
1 pound mild Italian sausage casing removed
⅔ cup Italian breadcrumbs
⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley plus more for serving
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves finely minced
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
2 large eggs whisked
2 tablespoons olive oil divided, if cooking in skillet

Instructions

If baking, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl.
1 pound 80/20 ground beef, 1 pound mild Italian sausage
In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the breadcrumb mixture and the eggs to the meat and mix by hand until combined.
⅔ cup Italian breadcrumbs, ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 large eggs
Scoop out 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture at a time and use your hands to roll it into a meatball. (If your hands get sticky, spritz them with nonstick cooking spray and continue rolling.) You should end up with roughly 36 meatballs.
To Cook in a Skillet: Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of the meatballs. Cook, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes, or until the balls are lightly browned on all sides. Transfer meatballs to a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and meatballs.
2 tablespoons olive oil
To Bake in the Oven: Place meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a wire rack. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through (with an internal temperature of 165°F).
Serve with your favorite marinara or tomato sauce over pasta with parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Video

Notes

Yields: 36 meatballs, about 6 meatballs per serving.
Meat Substitutions: You can swap the mild Italian sausage for regular ground pork or even hot Italian sausage if you want a little extra spice.
Breadcrumbs: If you don’t have Italian-style breadcrumbs, use plain breadcrumbs and add an extra 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the mix.
Even Cooking: Make sure all the meatballs are roughly the same size so they cook evenly. A small cookie scoop or measuring spoon can help keep them uniform.
Seasoning: The mix used when testing this recipe is the Evolving Table homemade Italian seasoning mix. If using store-bought, the flavor and salt content may vary slightly.
Make-Ahead & Freezing: These meatballs freeze great! Freeze raw meatballs on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the cooking time.

Nutrition