The Best Homemade Meatballs Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

You’ll be amazed at how flavorful and tender these baked homemade meatballs are. Make a double batch to freeze!

Tender, flavorful, and easy to make … what more can you ask from a meatball recipe? No more tough, chewy meatballs, or meatballs that won’t stick together, this is a wonderful no-fail recipe you’re going to love.

Classic meatballs can be used in so many ways. Simmer them in your favorite sauce for spaghetti and meatballs. Add them to soup, like this easy meatball soup with orzo. Creamy Swedish meatballs are always a hit and a meatball sub with marinara and melted cheese is a mighty fine sandwich (see the recipe below). Meatballs are popular appetizers, too, especially with Cherry Bourbon Sauce.

With this easy meatball recipe, you can make all your favorites. Let’s get started!

About this recipe

You can whip up this recipe in fifteen minutes or so. There’s no mincing or chopping. It makes eight servings, about 5 meatballs each, so it’s a pretty large batch. It can be doubled or halved pretty easily, too.

The meatballs are baked which is so much less hassle than frying. You don’t have to worry about them falling apart and you can do other things while they bake.

P.S. Meatballs can be air fried, too. Take a look at my recipe for air fryer meatballs.

I’ll get you started on the recipe here and give you lots of helpful tips. You’ll find the printable recipe card near the end of the post with complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information

What you’ll need

• Ground Beef and Ground Pork: A combination provides good flavor and texture.
• Seasoning: Garlic, dried Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
• Bread Crumbs, softened with Milk: This combination makes meatballs tender. Make sure you soak the bread crumbs in the milk a couple minutes before adding them to the meatloaf mixture. It makes a world of difference!
• Eggs: They’re the glue to help everything cohere.
• More flavor: Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Parmesan cheese.

How to make This Recipe

Soak the breadcrumbs in milk for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Roll up your sleeves, take off your rings, and squeeze, mush, and play until everything’s combined. Don’t go crazy here — it doesn’t have to be perfectly blended, just enough so everything holds together.

All righty then, you’re ready to roll. Use a scoop or spoon to form the meatballs or you can shape them with your hands. Make them whatever size you like: baseballs, marbles, or in between. Ours are about two tablespoons.

If the mixture is sticking to your hands, rinse your hands off and try this trick. Keep a shallow bowl of water nearby and when the meat starts to stick, just dip your fingertips into the water. It makes a huge difference.

Don’t worry about perfectly uniform balls. Who really cares? You’re not a meatball making machine. Your homemade meatballs are going to taste 100 times better than those perfectly round frozen meatballs.

Place the meatballs in a baking pan as you go.

When you’re finished, pop them in the oven. Tada! Meatball magic.

If you’re planning on cooking them further in a sauce, take them out of the oven before they’re completely done, 12-15 minutes. If you want fully cooked meatballs, bake them a few minutes longer.

FAQs

Make It Your Own

• Try different combinations of ground meat. Beef, pork, veal, turkey, or chicken will all work well. For best results, mix a leaner meat with a meat with higher fat content. If you’re making all beef meatballs, use an 80/20 blend but if you’re mixing it with ground pork, 90/10 is best.
• Use unseasoned breadcrumbs or panko instead of Italian seasoned bread crumbs, especially if you’re not looking for “Italian meatballs.”

Sauce Suggestions

• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
• Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce (make it without meat)
• Arrabbiata Sauce
• Homemade Pizza Sauce
• Swedish Meatballs
• Cherry Bourbon Sauce
• BBQ Sauce

Make-Ahead Ideas

Form the meatballs and freeze individually on a baking pan. When the meatballs are frozen, put them into a ziptop bag to bake later. Alternatively, bake the meatballs, cool completely, and freeze in a ziptop bag.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Store baked meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat, microwave on high for 1 minute or until heated.

Baked frozen meatballs can be added to sauces unthawed. Simmer in the sauce until heated through.

Leftover Love

Make meatball subs with leftover meatballs. Toast buttered buns, put a few meatballs in there, add a few spoonfuls of marinara, cover everything with mozzarella or provolone cheese, and broil until melted. You might need a fork for this sandwich!

More meatball recipes

This isn’t the first meatball recipe I’ve pitched your way (pun intended). Try:

• Baked Turkey Meatballs
• Air Fryer Meatballs
• Swedish Meatballs
• Greek Meatballs – healthy & gluten-free
• Eggplant Meatballs – a vegetarian choice (these meatballs are meatless)
• Turkey Meatballs with Chipotle Honey Glaze
• Greek Cucumber Noodle Bowls with Turkey Meatballs (Gluten-Free)