Spaghetti and meatballs has always been one of my favorite meals. So I thought it was strange that I hadn’t made my own meatballs in the past! These easy homemade meatballs are made with lean ground beef, flavored with chopped onion, oregano, breadcrumbs and parmesan.
These meatballs are oven baked and they come together really quickly – even if you just want to dress up jarred marinara and noodles, these meatballs are a hearty addition.
Equipment needed for easy homemade meatballs
Here’s what you need to whip these up:
- A bowl – to mix together our ingredients.
- A large baking sheet – for baking the meatballs. I used my Williams Sonoma gold touch brand.
- Aluminum foil – I like to line the baking sheet with foil to make cleanup faster – it will catch meatball drippings.
- A wire rack – if you have a wire cookie rack, place it on top of the sheet pan. I find that this will allow meatballs to bake evenly without having to rotate them or worrying that they will stick to the pan.
- A cookie scoop – optional, but helps to measure uniform meatballs. Otherwise, just use a spoon.
Ingredients needed for easy homemade meatballs
Here’s what to add to your grocery list:
- 1 lb of lean ground beef – I like LEAN ground beef – around 96% beef, 4% fat. You don’t have to get this exact ratio, but keep in mind that leaner beef takes less time to cook than fattier beef. So if you buy a higher fat percentage, they may need to cook longer.
- A garlic bulb
- A yellow onion
- An egg
- oregano – I used dried. Fresh works too!
- water – probably don’t need to purchase this though (haha).
- breadcrumbs – I got the standard “organic breadcrumbs” from Trader Joe’s. These breadcrumbs are wheat flour, yeast and salt. You could also crumble up some stale bread!
- Grated parmesan
- salt and pepper – hopefully you already have this 😉
- your favorite marinara – for this recipe, I used Ciao Pappy Classico Marinara sauce. It’s really delicious and made with whole tomatoes, garlic and basil. I bought it at my local Foxtrot.
- Noodles! – I bought a pound of whole wheat spaghetti for this.
Why do meatballs have breadcrumbs and eggs?
Both the breadcrumbs and egg hold the meatball together in a tight ball. You can substitute gluten free breadcrumbs if you need. If you omit both items entirely, the meatballs may have a harder time staying together.
How to make easy homemade meatballs
Let’s make them together!
Step 1
In a bowl, add all of the ingredients. Using your hands, work the mixture until it’s homogenous and even. It shouldn’t be lumpy, except for the onions here and there.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the wire rack on top of it. This will allow the meatballs to bake more evenly and not get stuck to the pan.
Step 3
Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop hefty tablespoon-sized amounts of meat. Roll the meat with your hands into a tight ball. Place them on the wire rack and repeat until you have about 20 meatballs. Try to make them the same size.
Step 4
Place the meatballs in the center rack of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until they are dark brown and cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Step 5
Add meatballs to your favorite marinara and noodles! I like to add the meatballs and sauce to a sauce pan and heat them on the stovetop over medium low heat. Then add to your noodles.
Can I freeze meatballs for later?
Yes, you can. After baking, let them cool completely. Put them on a baking sheet in a single layer and put them in the freezer until they are frozen, a few hours. Then transfer them to a plastic Ziploc bag and leave them in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Let them thaw in the fridge overnight the day before you plan to eat them. Then warm the meatballs on the stovetop with your favorite sauce over medium low heat until warm throughout.
Other recipes to try
If you liked these easy homemade meatballs, check out these other recipes on the blog:
Summer Pasta Salad with Pancetta, Broccoli and Tomatoes
Leave a Review for Easy Homemade Meatballs
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Easy Homemade Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 1 large baking sheet for baking
- aluminum foil for baking
- 1 wire rack for baking
- 1 cookie scoop optional, for rolling meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan grated
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all of the ingredients. Using your hands, work the mixture until it's homogenous and even.1 lb lean ground beef, 4 garlic cloves, ½ cup yellow onion, 1 egg, 1 tbsp oregano, 3 tbsp water, ½ cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup parmesan, pinch of salt and pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the wire rack on top of it. This will allow the meatballs to bake more evenly and not get stuck to the pan.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop hefty tablespoon-sized amounts of meat. Roll the meat with your hands into a tight ball. Place on the wire rack and repeat until you have about 20 meatballs. Try to make them the same size.
- Place the meatballs in the center rack of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until they are dark brown and cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Add meatballs to your favorite marinara. Add them to a saucepan with your sauce and warm it all up over medium heat for a couple minutes. Then pour over noodles. Also works great in a meatball sub.
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