Quick and Easy Meatballs

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Meatballs are a delicious, easy meal prep idea that I like to make often. This Italian meatball recipe is one of my favorites. Eric asks me to make this weekly. There are a few easy ingredients and overall the meatballs are prepared and cooked quickly. Your family will love these meatballs. If you are looking for another Italian classic, check out my bolognese recipe, and don’t forget the focaccia !!

Italian meatball recipe: meetballs in a white pan with red sauce and chopped basil on a wooden table with a small white plate with a meatball and a gold fork

why you should make this Italian meatball recipe

Not only is this meatball recipe easy, it’s also versatile! If you make these on a Sunday, you can use them in a variety of ways throughout the week. These meatballs are great in a variety of dishes. First, who doesn’t love a meatball sub? You can also enjoy these meatballs with pasta. But, honestly, these meatballs are amazing all on their own!

What ingredients do you need to make meatballs? A white bowl with ground veal, pork, and beef, parsley, onion, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, and herbs on a marble board.

what ingredients do you need to make meatballs?

  • Ground Veal, Pork, and Beef – The secret to my Italian meatballs is this trio of meat. Super flavorful and the perfect balance!
  • Breadcrumbs – Many people opt to make their own breadcrumbs, but store-bought totally works for this recipe. It’s not very breadcrumb heavy and seasoned breadcrumbs work perfectly.
  • Garlic – I’ve never seen an Italian recipe without garlic.. the more, the better!
  • Parsley – Fresh parsley adds some brightness to these meatballs, you can also add fresh basil.
  • Eggs – Eggs help us bind together the meatballs so they don’t fall apart!

how do I make Italian meatballs?

Ground beef, veal, pork, cheese, onion, parsley, eggs, and garlic in a bowl to make my Italian meatball recipe.

First, add all of the ingredients, except for the breadcrumbs (ground beef, ground veal, ground pork, minced garlic, eggs, diced onion, parsley, romano cheese, salt, and pepper) to a large mixing bowl.

Ground beef, veal, pork, cheese, onion, parsley, eggs, and garlic in a bowl with a hand mixing the ingredients.

Next, using your hands, mix to combine (make sure not to over mix).

Mixed beef, veal, pork, cheese, onion, parsley, eggs, and garlic in a bowl.

(This is what the mix will look like once combined.)

Mixed beef, veal, pork, cheese, onion, parsley, eggs, and garlic in a bowl with breadcrumbs ontop.

Next, add the breadcrumbs to the bowl.

Mixed beef, veal, pork, cheese, onion, parsley, eggs, and garlic in a bowl with breadcrumbs mixed in.

Mix the breadcrumbs into the meat mixture.

Meatball mixture in a white bowl being scooped out with a silver scooper.

Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, make individual portions. If you don’t have a 2-tablespoon scoop, you can simply use a tablespoon and measure (loosly) that way. We’re not looking for perfection here!!

Perfectly formed meatball in a hand.

Roll each portion into a ball, repeat until no meat is left.

Raw meatballs on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack ontop. The parchment is optional – but it will make for easier cleanup! I love to bake my meatballs on a wire rack because the meatballs don’t sit in their own juices while they cook, so they get crispy on the outside without having to fry them on the stove beforehand!

Cooked meatballs on a wire rack on a rimmed baking tray.

Bake the Italian meatballs for 20-25 minutes! Enjoy!

recipe tips and tricks

  • Shortcuts – Looking for a fast way to make meatballs? Grab some pre-cut onions and mjinced garlic from the grocery store to skip a step or two!
  • Wire Rack – Don’t worry if you do not have a wire rack, I prefer to cook them on one so they are extra crispy but they will still brown nicely without it!
  • Cooking in Sauce – If you have a red sauce you’d like to cook these in, I suggest baking these for just ~15 minutes before transferring them to your pot of sauce to finish cooking.

storing and freezing meatballs

  • Freezing your meatballs – Prepare the meatballs according to the recipe. Allow the cooked meatballs to cool completely, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze the meatballs until they are frozen solid before transferring them to a large freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Don’t forget to label the date!
  • Keeping frozen meatballs – Your frozen meatballs will stay good in the freezer (in an airtight, freezer-friendly container) for 2 months.
  • Storing cooked meatballs in the fridge – Your cooked meatballs will stay good in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days.

Enjoy, and as always, please let me know if you make this recipe – and if you do, don’t forget to tag @seasonedandsalted and #seasonedandsalted on Instagram!

Meatballs in a white pan with red sauce and chopped basil on a wooden table with a small white plate with a meatball and a gold fork

Quick and Easy Meatballs

Allie Hagerty
These authentic Italian meatballs are the perfect meal prep idea. They're also great for feeding a crowd! Use them for meatball subs, with pasta, or on their own!
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Servings 14 servings
Calories 304 kcal

Equipment

  • measuring spoons
  • measuring cups
  • cutting board
  • chef’s knife
  • mixing bowls
  • rimmed baking sheet
  • cooling rack
  • parchment paper
  • ice cream scoop

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 cup pecorino romano cheese grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (optional, but allows for easier cleanup) and place a wire rack on top. If you do not have a wire rack, that is okay. I prefer to use one so that the fat drips off and so that my meatballs are a tad bit healthier!
  • Add your ground meats (veal, pork, and beef) to a mixing bowl, along with 2 cracked eggs, 8 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1 cup pecorino romano cheese, 1 cup diced yellow onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
    2 pounds ground beef
  • Using your hands, mix to combine. Then, add 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs and fold to mix evenly.
  • Portion out the meatball mixture into 2 tablespoon pieces before rolling into a ball in the palm of your hand.
  • Place the meatballs evenly spread out across your baking sheet (or on top of the wire rack on top of a sheet). I normally fit about 6 or so per baking sheet.
  • Bake the meatballs for 20-25 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Continue with remaining meatballs.

Notes

  • You can use any type of meat you like, but I prefer a 2:1:1 blend of beef to veal to pork.  

Nutrition

Serving: 2meatballsCalories: 304kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 29.1gFat: 17.9gSaturated Fat: 6.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2.3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 328.6mgPotassium: 215.2mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 0.7g
Keyword Italian, Italian food, meatballs, Pasta, Weeknight Dinner
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5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My husband and I made the meatballs this week, they were delicious! We serve them over some large rigatoni pasta with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan on top. Serve them with a green salad and some crusty rolls and they were perfect! The recipe made plenty of servings to the point we were able to freeze a bunch for future meals, always nice to have easily reheatable dinner items in the freezer. Thanks so much for the delicious recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    These are the PERFECT meatballs. They were so easy to make – I even got pre-cut garlic and onions to make it even easier. A perfect fall meal!

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