Homemade meatballs made with ground beef, bread crumbs, and just a few other simple ingredients that come together to make one delicious, flavor-filled meatball.
Meatballs are one of those foods that I don't make very often, but when I do I always wonder why I don't. It's a straight-forward recipe that takes a little time but the results are just so delicious. Plus, they are just fun to eat and feel a little fancy. Nothing spruces up a plate of spaghetti quite like a good meatball.
I like this recipe, too, because it freezes well. I almost always make a double batch of meatballs and stick half in the freezer to use at a later date. Cook once, eat twice!
These meatballs are made with just ground beef but you can sub in a little ground pork or Italian sausage if you like. You have a lot of flexibility.
Tips and Tricks for Making Homemade Meatballs:
- You can add a ½ cup of finely shredded Parmesan to this recipe if you like; it's delicious.
- You can make the meatballs ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for much longer.
- Be sure to chop the onion finely or it makes rolling the meatballs harder (they don't want to stick together in a ball if there are big pieces of onion in there).
- You can make these with all ground beef or make them with a mix of pork and beef.
Can homemade meatballs be frozen?
Yes, ma'am! Make a double batch and freeze half for another meal. After the meatballs come out of the oven, just let them cool and then store them in a single layer in an air tight container. Stick them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
What goes with homemade meatballs?
- Serve over pasta with your favorite sauce (or make this veggie-packed pasta sauce) and serve it with a side of easy bread sticks and a garden salad.
- They are so good on homemade sub bread with marinara and melted provolone cheese.
- Turn them into my favorite Honey Teriyaki Meatballs and serve them with a side of rice and roasted broccoli.
Meatballs Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen meatballs 1x
Description
Homemade meatballs recipe made with ground beef, bread crumbs, and just a few other simple ingredients that come together to make one delicious, flavor-filled meatball.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- ¾ cup bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper (to make clean up easier).
- Combine all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and stir well to combine. It works well to use your hands to do the combining if you don't mind a bit of a mess.
- Make balls out of the meat (slightly smaller than a golf ball, about 2 large tablespoons of meat) and roll them around in your hand to shape them or use a large cookie scoop to scoop the meat into balls.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the skillet so they are close together but not touching.
- When the meatballs start to brown on the bottom, turn them so that they brown on all sides (4 or 5 turns per meatball). Remove from the skillet and place on your lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with any remaining meatballs.
- Place browned meatballs in the hot oven for 20-30 minutes or until the centers are no longer pink and the meat registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve over noodles with your favorite sauce, add them to a sandwich, or anything else you like to do with meatballs.
Notes
- You can add a ½ cup of finely shredded Parmesan to this recipe if you like; it's delicious.
- You can make the meatballs ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for much longer.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: meatball recipe, homemade meatball recipe, how to make meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, beef meatballs
Homemade meatballs are a great staple to learn how to make! Here are a few other staple recipes you might love:
- The Best Baked Chicken Legs
- How to make any pulled meat in the slow cooker (beef, pork, lamb, and more)
- The Best Easy Pizza Dough Recipe
- Super Simple No-Knead Bread
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever
Seriously, they take a little bit of time but they are so, so tasty. I can't wait for you to make this meatball recipe because it's one of my favorites, and I know you'll love it too.
Lydia
Hi! These meatballs are amazing, and my family loves them! I’ve made them many times for dinner, but I want to make them for a potluck this Sunday, and I was wondering how because I want them in the crock pot to stay warm. Should I cook them completely and freeze, then put them in a crock it with sauce in the morning? Thank you, and merry Christmas!
★★★★★
Melissa
I think that would work just great!
Naomi
Delicious recipe. Homemade meatballs make a spaghetti dinner extra special.
★★★★★
Marseille
In one place you wrote "stick them in the fridge for 2 months." Should be freezer.
Melissa
Fixed and thank you 🙂
Megan Payne
I mean pictures!