The Best Easy Meatballs Recipe

Making homemade meatballs has never been easier with this easy meatballs recipe; insanely delicious, super flavorful, juicy and tender meatballs that can be eaten in a variety of ways. Perfect for all ocassions and freezer-friendly!

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’m certainly no Italian, have zero Italian roots, and don’t claim anything relating to Italy, ha! But what I will tell you is this…friends, I am damn good at making some homemade meatballs.

I feel like I’ve been making meatballs for a long time now; so much so, that I shared a quick snippet on my Instagram stories of me casually making them a few weeks back. Consequently, my direct messages blew all the way up with folks asking for me to share all the deets on these here meatballs. Soooo let’s go!

Tell Me About This Easy Meatballs Recipe:

The foundation of a good homemade meatball recipe starts with the ingredients. There are a million and one recipes out there floating around but I can guarantee you that this easy meatballs recipe is one that you’ll love.

My recipe calls for both lean ground beef AND mild Italian sausage. I find that the combination of flavors melds well together and compliments the overall meatball texture. The use of ground beef is obviously a no-brainer but paired with the sausage kicks it up a notch and adds a slightly saltier, juicier, and more depth-filled meatball.

In addition, my recipe uses seasoned panko breadcrumbs for a slight crunch/bite, grated romano/parmesan cheese, fresh Italian parsley, and a handful of great seasonings. What makes a bomb tasting meatball is all that FLAVOR, ya’ll! The last thing someone wants is to bite into an unflavored meatball. Nope, nah, no-sir-ree-bob 🙅🏾‍♀️.

With that being said, we get heaps of flavor from spices like garlic, onion powder, salt/pepper, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper. And as previously mentioned above, all of these spices paired with fresh Italian parsley really do make these meatballs quite delish. You might even fool some people into thinking they came from a fancy Italian joint, who knows. But really you get all the bragging props- ayyyee!

Two large eggs act as the binding agent and helps bring everything together in a large bowl. Once you roll the meat mixture into balls, place them into the refrigerator for at least four hours, preferably and most recommended, overnight. This process allows the flavors to further develop and deepen.

Lastly, once the meatballs have sat, in a large dutch oven with a touch of olive oil; we will brown the outside of the meatballs. Just enough to get a nice crispy sear all around the outside. Lastly, pour red pasta sauce over meatballs and stir. Then transfer pot with lid into the oven to let the internal cooking process begin.

A Few Notes Worth Mentioning About This Recipe:

• If you’re adverse to consuming pork, feel free to use double ground beef or ground turkey. Both will work just fine but taste slightly different.
• For the grated romano/parmesan cheese, most local grocers should have this in their deli section area. Please stay clear from the grated parmesan in the famous green bottle! You want quality grated cheese when making homemade meatballs, trust me on this.
• I prefer to use an ice cream scoop, mine is exactly 1 1/2 tablespoon in size, to roll my meatballs. It helps make sure each one is uniform and consistent in size.
• When searing the meatballs on the stovetop, some meatballs might stick or break up a little, this is ok too.
• These meatballs can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for future use. Just thaw and reheat as necessary.
• My absolute favorite way to eat these meatballs is with thick classic spaghetti noods, plenty of shaved parmesan, and all the garlic bread. However, other ways to consume this easy meatballs recipe include meatball subs, meatball soup (omit the pasta sauce), meatball sliders, meatballs in a casserole, on pizza, with a salad…literally the possibilities are endless! Go meatball crazy!
• This recipe should make you 40 generously-sized meatballs that are great to have on hand for weeknight lunches and dinners to whip up in a pinch too.

Alrighty now, that’s it. I’m really hoping you all enjoy this meatball recipe and I can’t wait to see you make them!

Until next time…love and butter,

Q.

Looking For Other Italian-Inspired Dishes?:

• One-Pot Casarecce Pasta
• Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells
• Chicken Fettuccine with Lemon Cream Sauce
• Baked Veggie Rigatoni with Burrata and Parmesan Bread Crumbs

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