Easy Baked Italian Ground Beef Meatballs

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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

 

I just posted a quick and simple recipe for Homemade Marinara Sauce and you guys are already loving it. A few of you have already asked what else you can use a simple marinara sauce for, so this one’s for you! Baked Italian Ground Beef Meatballs are on the menu, and this homemade meatball recipe is perfect for lunch, simple weeknight dinner and can also be elevated for a weekend dinner with friends.

For this meatball recipe, I used some lean ground beef but you can easily use an alternative. You can use ground turkey, hot Italian sausage, sweet Italian sausage or ground pork. What I also like about these meatballs is that they are eggless! I decided to use other ingredients that work together to bind the meat mixture for extra flavorful meatballs. As for the rest, all you need is a few basic ingredients which you can find listed here.

What do you eat with Italian Meatballs?

What I like about this Italian meatball recipe is that they are so versatile. You can make so many different recipes with them. Some of my favourites include:

• Meatball Sub Sandwich (perfect for lunch)

• Spaghetti & Meatballs with homemade Spaghetti Sauce (Classic Spaghetti)

• Egg Noodles & Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

My favourite way to enjoy homemade meatballs is covered in a tomato sauce, or any homemade sauce.

Pro Tip: To host a simple family-style dinner, add the homemade Italian meatballs with sauce in a dutch oven and set them in the middle of the table. Warm some French Bread or Sub Rolls to make Meatballs Sandwiches and serve with a side salad. You can even provide extra toppings for the meatball subs, like sliced bell pepper, diced red onion, fresh herbs, shredded mozzarella or grated parmesan cheese. Serve with your favourite Italian wine and it’s guaranteed to be a great time.

What you’ll need for these simple meatballs…

• an onion, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (can also use grated parmesan)

• 2 tablespoons of Italian style bread crumbs (panko bread crumbs are perfect too)

• 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

• salt and black pepper to taste

• 1/3 of a cup of fresh parsley, chopped

Steps to making these perfect meatballs…

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground meat and break it up as much as you can with a wooden spoon. If you wanted to make Italian sausage meatballs, simply replace them with a pound of Italian sausage. You can also use pork sausage for pork meatballs.

Into the large bowl we are going to add in the rest of the ingredients; diced onion, garlic, nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, olive oil, onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper and fresh parsley.

Mix with the wooden spoon to get all of the ingredients combined for the beef or sausage mixture. A great way to go this is to just get in there with your hands and mix. Since your hands are already in there, it’s also the perfect way to shape your meatballs. You can also use a cookie or ice cream scoop to help shape them if you want to make smaller meatballs. For this recipe, I made 6 large tender meatballs. If you are making smaller meatballs, reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes in the oven. Do a quick check to make sure the middle of a meatball is fully cooked and allow extra time if needed.

For perfectly cooked meatballs, we want the oven preheated for 400F. Use a large baking sheet (preferably rimmed since juices will drip from meatballs) and line with parchment paper or tin foil. Arrange the meal balls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until firm and starts to brown. Once cooked remove from heat and place on a wire rack or a few pieces of paper towel to absorb the extra fat. This way, the bottoms won’t get too soggy if you are not serving immediately.

Alternate ways of cooking these meatballs…

Slow cooker

This is also a great way to make these meatballs! If you want to cook them in a crock pot, you’ll have to add the prepared sauce to the meatball mixture. Make this Marinara Sauce recipe in advance, or just use your favourite sauce (store-bought or homemade).

To cook, place meatballs in the slow cooker and top with sauce. Make sure each meatball is covered with sauce for the best flavour. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

This method is perfect if you want to make spaghetti and meatballs. Simply cook your spaghetti to package directions and top with the cooked sauce and meatballs. Voila, another idea to add to your quick meals list!

Stove Top / Pan

This is also a great recipe for those of you who like to meal prep! You can shape and cook these meatballs in advance. To cook, add olive oil to a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown on the outside. Reduce to medium heat, add in the sauce and stir to coat the meatballs in the sauce. Then cover and reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. If you are on a low carb diet, enjoy a delicious meatball with a side of fresh greens or roasted vegetables.

 

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