Are you ready for some Easy Meatballs? These little gems never disappoint. I think the most significant thing about this recipe is its adaptability. This is very much an all-use recipe. Solid savory flavor, moist and bouncy texture, and with my cooking technique, almost perfectly round every time! Bonus: They're dairy-free for those with an intolerance.
If you have been buying bags of frozen meatballs, preservatives, and all, this recipe can replace those perfectly. These meatballs pair well with many different sauces like marinara, teriyaki, or a creamy Swedish sauce. Even better, this recipe welcomes substitutions and changes to take the meatballs to the next level.
Read on for all the loving details to make Easy Meatballs.
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Featured Ingredients
Read below about a few of the ingredients used to make Easy Meatballs.
Meat - This recipe uses ground beef with 15% fat. Choosing fat content is important in this application. 15% gives you enough fat to keep the meatballs moist but not so much that it creates a huge mess in the pan. Hint: Chill the meatballs before baking: the colder the fat, the less that will melt out of the meatball while it bakes, keeping them moist and plump.
Seasonings - These meatballs rely on minced vegetables acting as aromatics (as well as providing more moisture) along with dry seasonings such as garlic, salt, and pepper. It is very important to finely mince and precook the onions, celery, and carrots so they don't add unwanted texture or loosen the binding of the meatball.
Binding ingredients - This meatball recipe includes egg and breadcrumbs or panko, which I prefer to use to help pull all the ingredients together and support the meatball's shape through the cooking process.
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools for the job
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Sharp knife (paid link), 7-10 inches, "chef knife"
- Cutting board
- Mixing bowl (paid link)
- Small frying pan
- Sheet pan
- Foil and/or parchment paper
- Trigger style ice cream scoop, 1 oz. size or sturdy tablespoon
- Thermometer (optional)
(paid links)
How to make Easy Meatballs
Make the raw beef mixture
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line your sheet pan with parchment or foil. If using parchment, I find it helpful to scrunch it up into a ball and flatten the paper. This helps keep the paper laying out flat rather than curling it back into a tube shape.
- Next, warm olive oil in a small nonstick pan on the stove over medium heat. When you tilt the pan and the oil easily flows from one side to another, it's ready!
- Add the minced onion, celery, and carrot to the pan, cook, and occasionally stir until the onions become translucent. This step should take 7-10 minutes. Set the cooked vegetables aside to cool. (Remove them from the warm pan onto a plate and refrigerate for a few minutes to speed up this process.)
- Don't wash the pan yet. If you'd like to test the flavor before baking the meatballs you can use this pan to fry up a pinch!
- If you haven't done so yet, add all the other ingredients to the bowl except the beef, lightly combining with your fingers. When the vegetables have cooled enough, add and combine them as well.
- Next, crumble the beef into the bowl until the whole pound has been added. Using your hands, gently turn all of the ingredients around on each other and start to combine, trying not to mix too long, just until the two components are evenly combined.
- Test the mixture for flavor. Pinch off a tablespoon of the meatball mixture and form a small patty. Cook it until it is fully browned, and cool slightly. Taste the little meatball nugget to ensure the salt level is where you like it.
- As a rule, I use 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of any boneless meat to start. If it's not seasoned enough for you, add ¼ - ½ teaspoon more, mix, and test again. I discourage doing this too often as the meatball mixture can become tough if worked too much. If you find you need more salt, make a note for next time.
Forming the meatballs
- Portion out all of the raw meatball mixture. Here are a few ways you can get even portions:
- My preferred technique: Using a 1 oz trigger-style ice cream scooper, spoon the meat mixture, leveling it off with your fingers, and depositing the scoop onto one side of the prepared sheet pan or a large plate.
- If you use the sheet pan (less clean up), fill up the pan halfway across, piling scoops on top of each other if needed, until all the mixture has been portioned out.
- Using a tablespoon measuring spoon: Pull out two even scoops for each meatball, setting aside on one half of the foiled pan or a side plate.
- Once the mixture has been portioned out, gently roll each meatball between the palms of your hands until its round, then line them up along the side of the pan so they're touching and snug enough not to roll around. No squishing! Hint: Lining the meatballs up snuggly lets you avoid turning them during the baking process.
Cooking the meatballs
With your meatballs rolled out and oven preheated, you're ready to bake them! Alternatively, you can freeze them at this point to bake at a later date.
Hot Tip!
Before cooking the meatballs, chill them for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator or 5 minutes in the freezer. If space is an issue, roll them out onto a smaller dish to chill, then quickly transfer to your sheet pan right before baking.
Doing this make the fat in the meatball colder so it cooks slower and aids in a less greasy/more moist meatball.
- Next, put them in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes.
- The meatballs are ready when they come to 150°F. Check the temperature using this darling lollipop style thermometer. It reads the temp in 2-3 seconds and comes in a ton of colors! (paid link)
- These typically take me 18 minutes to thoroughly cook, but setting a shorter timer will allow you to learn what your oven will do. When you get them to your liking, make a note for the future, so you know how long YOUR oven takes to cook them.
- I typically get 18-20 meatballs per pound of raw beef.
Leftovers
- Freeze raw or cooked meatballs in a sealed container for up to 6 months.
- Refrigerate leftover raw meatball mixture for up to 1 day.
- Refrigerate leftover cooked meatballs for up to 5 days.
FAQ's
To test the doneness of the meatballs, poke a thermometer into the center of a middle meatball. We're looking for at least 150℉. Ground meat should be cooked to 155℉, but the meatballs will continue to cook after they've been removed from the heat.
If you do not have a thermometer, look for browning at the base of the meatball; no more pink. Also, press your finger on the top. It should be firm to the touch with no denting. If you're still not sure, open one up! A tiny bit of pink is okay, especially if the meatballs will be added to a heated sauce.
Yes! These meatballs freeze well raw or cooked. Double or triple the batch and freeze extra meatballs while they are still raw. I like to prepare them as the recipe states on a parchment-lined sheet pan, freeze them for a few hours, then put them in a labeled zip-top bag. They are best if used within 4 months. Cooked meatballs can be frozen after they are cooled down. Enjoy within two months. Pro Tip: Label your storage container with today's date and an "eat by" date.
You won't need to bake these if you're putting them directly into a sauce. Start checking the meatballs at 8-10 minutes. When they are getting brown on top and do not dent when you touch them, you can remove them from the oven and gently add them to your sauce while it's simmering. Continue to cook for at least 10 minutes, with minimal stirring, to finish cooking the inside of the meatball.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 155 °F
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
More recipes using ground beef
Here are some of my favorites!
Print
Easy Meatballs
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 18 meatballs 1x
Description
Solid savory flavor, moist and bouncy texture, and with my cooking technique, almost perfectly round every time! These meatballs pair well with many types of sauces like marinara or a creamy Swedish sauce. Even better, this recipe welcomes substitutions and changes to take the meatballs to the next level.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup minced onion
- 3 tablespoons minced carrot
- 3 tablespoons minced celery
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup panko or breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper each
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
- 1 pound ground beef (preferably with 15% fat)
Instructions
- Warm 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small, non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil easily moves around in the skillet, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook until the onions become translucent, about 7-10 minutes. When done, set aside the skillet and vegetables to cool and reserve the skillet for step 5.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the panko, egg, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. When the vegetable mixture has cooled, add this to the bowl as well. Stir ingredients gently to combine.
- Next, add the ground beef to the wet panko mixture by pinching pieces off and crumbling into the bowl. Breaking up the meat helps to blend the damp panko mixture thoroughly without over mixing.
- When all the ingredients are in the bowl, gently toss and combine the wet panko mixture with the ground beef until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over mix as this can create a tougher meatball.
- (Optional step) Warm the small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the meatball mixture to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. When cool enough to handle, taste the cooked meat to check for salt level.
- Measure out the entire bowl of meat mixture by using a 1 oz trigger style scoop, setting aside each meatball as measuring. Once all the meatballs have been portioned, roll each meatball between your palms to create an evenly round ball, about 1" in diameter. Line the meatballs up against the side of the sheet pan, so they are touching the side and snug against each other. Chill the meatballs for 15 minutes in the refrigerator or 5 minutes in the freezer before baking.
- After chill time, bake in a 375° F oven for 18 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
- Check for doneness: If you have a thermometer, stick it in the center of a meatball in the middle of the pan. You are looking for at least 150° F. Ground meat should be cooked to 155° F, but the meatballs will continue to cook a little outside the oven.
If you don't have a thermometer, look at the sides of the meatballs to check for any visible pink color. Also, lightly pressing your finger on the top of a meatball should not leave a dent. If you are in doubt, break one in half to check for browning on the inside. - Slightly cooled meatballs can then be added to a warm sauce or enjoyed on their own.
Notes
Chilling time: If space is an issue, roll out all the meatballs onto a smaller dish to chill, then quickly transfer to the sheet pan right before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Mari says
I've tasted these meatballs and they are the best I've ever had! I'm placing this recipe in my "book" of recipies, it's a keeper!
Summer @ The Measured Scoop says
Thank you so much!