Baked Italian Meatballs — Ready in just 30 minutes, these quick and EASY baked meatballs come out perfectly moist and tender every time! There’s no need to brown the meatballs before baking, which cuts back on dishes and saves time! These are the BEST Italian meatballs for spaghetti, subs, casseroles, and more! The recipe makes about 15 meatballs, or enough to serve 4 people generously or 6 people if you're serving them with something else or inside a casserole, subs, sliders, etc.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time17 minutesmins
Total Time27 minutesmins
Course: 30-Minute Meals
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 377kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
¾cupmilk2% or whole recommended, but any type is fine
½cupItalian bread crumbs
1poundground beefI use 80/20, 85% is fine too, but do not use extra-lean
⅓poundground pork
¼cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
½cupwhite or yellow onionfinely minced
3 to 4clovesgarlic
2tablespoonsItalian seasoning
1large egg
1teaspoonsea saltor to taste
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
1tablespoonfresh parsleyfinely minced for garnishing; optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F and if desired for easier cleanup, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray, or spray the baking sheet well; set aside.
To a small bowl, add the milk, bread crumbs, stir and allow to stand for 2 minutes to soften the bread crumbs. Move on while you wait.
To a large bowl, add the beef, pork, Parm, onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, egg, salt, pepper, add in the softened bread crumbs and any remaining milk from the small bowl, and using a large wooden spoon or clean hands, mix until just combined. Tip - Do not overmix or your finished meatballs will be tougher.
Using a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), form equal sized meatballs. Tips - I make about 15 meatballs, but you may yield a few more or less. However, if you make them either much bigger or smaller than mine, you'll need to adjust the baking time. If you don't have a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, you can use a 1/4-cup measure which is 4 tablespoons, but don't fill it quite fulll. If desired for easy removal, you may consider spraying the inside of the cup with cooking spray every after every few meatballs so they release more easily.
Wet your hands and roll each one of the meatballs quickly between your palms, or until smooth and round.
Place them on the baking sheet, about 1/2-inch apart, or simply equally spaced over the baking sheet and baked uncoverd for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until done. Meatballs are done when a thermometer inserted in the center reads 165F. Tips - Make sure to start checking your meatballs after 14-15 minutes, just in case yours are done a bit earlier than mine. You may consider rotating your baking sheet once midway through baking because even the best ovens bake a bit unevenly and those closest to the back of the oven will start browning a bit faster than those closest to the door.
Optionally garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately. Extra meatballs will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Tip - Consider making a double batch to freeze and then use as needed in your favorite recipes. See blog post for ways to serve/use the meatballs.