Home » Course » AppetizersThe Best Italian Meatballs Pin RecipeRate RecipeNovember 30, 2022 This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details. Delicious classic recipe for large Italian meatballs. They pair well with spaghetti, pizza or meatball sub sandwiches. Jump to Recipe You’re in for a treat! Stef’s famous meatball recipe is here! This Italian sausage meatballs recipe makes the best spaghetti and meatballs, ever. They’re large homemade meatballs and they have a couple secret ingredients. These are a mix of ground pork and ground beef and make an amazing cheesy meatball the whole family loves. Make these with our homemade marinara sauce as an appetizer or spoon them over spaghetti. You can also use these for meatball subs or any of your family favorite quick meals. YUM! Making these amazing meatballs is easy. Table of Contents What Are Italian Meatballs? Ingredients Recommended ToolsInstructionsWAYS TO USE LEFTOVER MEATBALLSWHAT TO SERVE WITH MEATBALLSMORE MEATBALL RECIPESCommon QuestionsItalian Sausage Meatballs Recipe What Are Italian Meatballs? Italian meatballs are usually ground beef and Italian ground sausage mixed with bread crumbs, cheese and spices then formed into little balls and cooked. Italian meatballs have their origins in the United States. They’re not originally an Italian recipe. Notable: Stef’s famous classic Italian sausage meatballs are filled with Italian seasonings and just the right amount of spice. They have a little bit of Italian spiciness that’s perfect for any pasta or meatball dish. Main Ingredients: round beef, ground Italian sausage, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, milkCooking Method: Oven BakedCooking Time: 25 minutes prep time, 30 minutes cook timePairs well with: marinara sauce, pasta, garlic bread, crusty white bread Famous meatball recipe with marinara and fresh basil. Ingredients You may have all of these ingredients for this Italian meatball recipe in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making these homemade meatballs and marinara you might want to read the possible variations before deciding on your ingredients. Meatball Ingredients ½ lb ground pork ½ lb ground beef 1 tsp onion (minced) ½ tsp dried oregano ½ tsp coarse black pepper ¼ tsp coarse sea salt (plus more for seasoning pasta water) ½ cup panko bread crumbs ⅓ cup yogurt or buttermilk ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp brown sugar ½ tsp red pepper flakes 1 egg ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for garnish) 8 oz. spaghetti noodles 1 recipe Homemade Marinara Sauce (or your favorite jarred sauce) Optional Garnish Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley or fresh basil Variations and Substitutions Ground Meat: We are using a 1 to 1 ratio of beef and pork. You can substitute pork sausage for the ground pork, or use only beef, if you prefer. You can also substitute ground chicken or ground turkey, in case that is your personal preference. Breadcrumbs: Regular or panko breadcrumbs will work. Consider one of our other types of meatballs: air fryer meatballs, chicken meatballs, turkey and spinach meatballs, mozzarella stuffed meatballs. How To Make Gluten Free (doesn’t apply to all recipes– might also add section about dairy free if that applies) info. Gather your meatball ingredients Recommended Tools Links to our favorite tools are affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link we may get a tiny portion of the sale. Baking Sheet — We recommend lining the sheet pan with parchment paper, that way the meatballs do not stick to the pan and clean up is quick and easy. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can spray the baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with foil. Cookie Scoop – Using a cookie scoop helps to ensure each meatball is the same size. I prefer Italian style bread crumbs to panko breadcrumbs in this meatball mixture. Choose pre-seasoned breadcrumbs which add a ton of flavor. Mixing the breadcrumbs with the yogurt or buttermilk prior to adding in the other ingredients really adds a lot of extra moisture to these perfect meatballs. Instructions This section shows how to cook Italian meatballs in the oven, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. PREPARE: Firstly, preheat the oven to 400°F. TIP: you can also make these in the air fryer. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt/buttermilk and breadcrumbs. Then, stir together and allow them to sit for a few minutes. This will help make a moister meatball. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix ground beef and pork together. FINISH MEATBALL MIXTURE: Afterwards, add ground pork, ground beef, onion flakes, oregano, black pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce, egg, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese and sugar to the breadcrumb mixture. Use gloved hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Adding the grated cheese inside the meatball will make a cheesy meatball that isn’t overly cheesy. SHAPE MEATBALLS: Using a 2 tablespoon (or desired size) cookie scoop form large meatballs from the meat mixture. Roll them in your hands for a tighter, more uniform meatball if desired. Use a scoop to measure meatballs and make them even. Use your hands to roll meatballs into a ball. BAKE: Place meatballs on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Then, bake for 13 minutes. (Don’t cook your meatballs all the way through; they will cook the rest of the way while simmering in the pasta sauce.) Place uncooked meatballs on a baking sheet. Baked meatballs. PREPARE MARINARA AND PASTA: Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions to al dente and drain. Prepare marinara sauce or add 1-2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce or tomato sauce into a large skillet. Heat over medium until sauce warms through and begins to simmer. Cover to prevent it from splattering all over your stove. ADD MEATBALLS AND SERVE: Add enough meatballs (2 large per person or 4-5 small) to the saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Serve meatballs and sauce over cooked spaghetti to make the best spaghetti and meatballs ever. Finally, garnish with parmesan cheese and/or fresh parsley or basil. Place your cooked meatballs in the marinara sauce. Top meatballs and marinara with fresh basil. WAYS TO USE LEFTOVER MEATBALLS You ate the best spaghetti and meatballs ever and now you have leftovers. Here are some great ideas for these large meatballs. Appetizer: Serve a cheesy meatball and marinara as an appetizer.Meatball Subs Using sub rolls, top with meatballs, marinara and mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted. Try these meatball sliders, meatball sandwich bakes or meatball bombs.Pizza: Make a meatball pizza. Use this pizza dough, our marinara as sauce, some mozzarella cheese and sliced leftover meatballs. Or try our meatball calzone. WHAT TO SERVE WITH MEATBALLS Serve your tender meatballs with spaghetti and marinara sauce for classic spaghetti and meatballs. Or serve with your favorite sauce, vegetables and bread. Easy Basil Pesto Pasta With Meatballs Easy Italian Salad Recipe With Homemade Salad Dressing Garlic French Bread The Best Marinara Sauce MORE MEATBALL RECIPES Make one of our other delicious meatball recipes. Our ground chicken meatballs, ground turkey meatballs with spinach, mozzarella stuffed meatballs or air fryer meatballs are great alternatives to this delicious recipe. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs Easy Mozzarella Cheese Stuffed Meatballs The Best Air Fryer Meatballs Turkey Meatballs with Spinach Common Questions What is the difference between Italian meatballs and Swedish meatballs? Swedish Meatballs are usually smaller than Italian meatballs. Italian meatballs are usually made with a 50-50 ratio of ground pork and ground beef while Swedish meatballs are usually all ground beef. Swedish Meatballs use spices like allspice and nutmeg for flavoring while Italian meatballs are flavored with garlic, Italian spices and garlic. How long can you refrigerate meatballs? Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Can you freeze meatballs? Yes! You can freeze meatballs either raw or cooked. Either way, arrange meatballs on a baking sheet so they aren’t touching. Place in the freezer. Once they’re frozen transfer to a ziplock bag to store. Raw frozen meatballs can be stored for up to 3 months. Cooked frozen meatballs can be frozen for up to 2 months. How do you make this Italian sausage meatball recipe dairy free? Use a dairy free yogurt substitute instead of yogurt and omit the parmesan cheese. Is it safe to put raw meatballs in marinara sauce? Yes. You can put raw meatballs in marinara sauce as long as they’re covered by the sauce and the sauces simmers until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. I don’t like this method because it can make the sauce too greasy. How do you make BBQ meatballs? We love to make BBQ meatballs. Cook these meatballs, as directed. Toss them with this delicious BBQ sauce, or make them in the crockpot. Can you make this Italian sausage meatball recipe on the stovetop? You can! Follow the recipe instructions as written. Form meatballs and set aside. Heat some canola or olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, place the meatballs in the pan, rotating them gently as they cook until they are browned on all sides. Proceed with the recipe instructions to add a simple marinara sauce to the skillet and then simmer until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160°F. 4.9 from 49 votes Italian Sausage Meatballs Recipe Course Main Dish Cuisine Italian Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Print Pin Rate 24 large meatballs Delicious classic recipe for large Italian meatballs. They pair well with spaghetti, pizza or meatball sub sandwiches. Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark Ingredients 1x2x3x▢ ½ pound ground pork▢ ½ pound ground beef▢ 1 teaspoon minced onion▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano▢ ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper▢ ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt plus more for seasoning pasta water▢ ½ cup panko bread crumbs▢ ⅓ cup yogurt or buttermilk▢ ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce▢ 1 teaspoon brown sugar▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes▢ 1 egg▢ ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese plus extra for garnish▢ 8 ounces spaghetti noodles▢ 1 recipe Homemade Marinara Sauce (or your favorite jarred sauce) InstructionsPreheat oven to 400°F.In a large bowl, combine the yogurt/buttermilk and breadcrumbs. Stir together and allow them to sit for a few minutes. This will help make a moister meatball.Add ground pork, ground beef, onion flakes, oregano, black pepper, salt, Worchestire sauce, sugar, egg, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese to the breadcrumb mixture. Use gloved hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly.Use a 2 tablespoon (or desired size) cookie dough scoop to form balls from the meat mixture. You can roll them in your hands for a tighter, more uniform meatball if desired.Place meatballs on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 13 minutes. (Meatballs do not need to be cooked all the way through; they will cook the rest of the way while simmering in the pasta sauce.)Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions to al dente. Drain.Prepare marinara sauce or add 1-2 jars of pre-made spaghetti sauce into a large skillet. Heat over medium until sauce warms through and begins to simmer.Add enough meatballs (2 large per person or 4-5 small) to the saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.Serve meatballs and sauce over cooked spaghetti. Garnish with parmesan cheese and/or fresh parsley or basil. NotesStore remaining meatballs in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Meatball recipe makes enough for 2 standard meals. If you’re going to make a big batch of spaghetti and meatballs, you may want to skip the oven baking part of the instructions and do the initial browning of the meatballs in the skillet (to reduce dishes). Heat a bit of oil in the skillet and brown meatballs on all sides for a few minutes. Work in batches. Continue by adding the sauce to the pan and then adding the meatballs back in to finish cooking. **Nutritional information is for meatballs only. NutritionCalories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 33IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg Did you create this? Share it on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest for more cleverly simply recipes. Email Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe PinShareTweet
veenaazmanov says June 2, 2022 This looks mouth melting delicious. Perfect Happy Meal for Dinner. Reply
Mirlene says June 2, 2022 My family loves these meatballs over spaghetti! The Worcestershire sauce is a great touch to the flavor! Reply
Casey says June 2, 2022 PERFECT!!! These were so flavorful! I love how the recipe makes enough to freeze, too!! Can’t wait to have these again! Reply
Tayler says June 2, 2022 These really are the best meatballs! We had them for dinner last night and my whole family loved them! Reply