Crack open your favorite jarred marinara, boil up some pasta, and round out a fabulous weeknight-ready dinner with these easy baked beef meatballs. A handful of ingredients and 1-2-3 prep are all that's required for these simple, Italian-flavored meatballs.
I call these baked beef meatballs my "busy day meatballs". Five basic ingredients (not counting salt and pepper), very little prep work, and a quick bake time will net you a batch of just plain solid everyday meatballs.
These aren't the fanciest, I know! But unless I'm loading up turkey meatballs with more fiber or making freezer-perfect Italian sausage meatballs, I stick with these easy beef meatballs.
They have an all-purpose flavor that meshes well with pretty much any Italian-leaning sauce, hold together like a dream, and develop a nicely-browned exterior in the oven. Besides serving over standard pasta, they're the meatballs in my baked ziti with meatballs and are plunked into a big pot of simmering Sunday sauce. They're ready for the days they'll give your main dish an assist or be the star of the show on their own.
What You'll Need
- Ground beef: I usually go for ground chuck (80/20) for meatballs. I don't recommend anything super lean as these baked beef meatballs benefit by the additional fat content.
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs: Needed for structure, but using seasoned breadcrumbs is a great one-stop-shop to bring Italian herb flavoring to beef meatballs.
- Pecorino Romano: Parmesan will work too, but I personally love the bolder, punchier flavor of Pecorino Romano. Grating a wedge of cheese will provide the freshest flavor - it's a little extra effort but one I find well worth it!
- Eggs: You'll often see one egg used in meatballs per one pound of meat, but I prefer two eggs per pound of ground beef for this recipe. Because this is a meatball recipe without onion, we'll need the boost of moisture from an extra egg.
- Parsley: For an even quicker weeknight shortcut I'll sometimes use the lightly dried chopped parsley found in the refrigerated produce department.
Let's Make Meatballs
Mix all ingredients.
I find it easier to mix everything but the meat first in order to really integrate the egg well. And whether you use a wooden spoon or spatula or just use your hands, take care to not over-mix as this can lead to tougher meatballs.
Form balls.
Use a 2-Tablespoon cookie scoop (if you have one) to portion the mixture and roll the balls between your palms until round. If you don't have a scoop, these are meatballs about 1-½ inches wide. Place on a sprayed sheet pan.
Bake until browned.
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. You'll notice that meatballs release a white-ish mixture of coagulated fat and protein when baked. You can leave it behind when you lift the meatballs off the pan or include it in whatever you're making (it's delicious).
Tips and Tricks
- Avoid overworking the meat. Don't use an electric mixer when making meatballs as it's too easy to overwork the meat and cause it to become tough. By hand (with a spoon, spatula, or just literally by hand) is perfect.
- Don't skip greasing the pan. While these beef meatballs release fat as they bake, you'll still want to make sure you spray your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray to prevent any trouble removing them from the pan.
- Plain breadcrumbs are okay. Use the same amount but you'll want to add dried Italian herbs, garlic powder, and extra salt to make up for the missing flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you like a blend of meats in your meatballs, you can add other ground meat along with the beef. Keep in mind if using ground pork the internal temperature you want to hit remains 160°F, but any blend including ground chicken or turkey needs to reach 165°F.
I've frozen these a few different ways - all good, just depends on your preference. Once cooled, freeze meatballs in a single layer in a large freezer bag with all excess air pressed out. Even better if you have a vacuum-sealer (I'll seal them in several-serving batches). If I've made a pot of sauce I'll even stick some meatballs in a block to freeze, that way I can conveniently thaw a container of homemade sauce and meatballs all in one go.
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Easiest Baked Beef Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup finely-grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
- ¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and ground black pepper roughly ¼ teaspoon each
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20 ideal
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Add eggs, Pecorino or Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, and salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add ground beef to the bowl and mix with a spoon (or combine with your hands) until everything is evenly combined with no big pockets of beef.
- Use a 2-Tablespoon cookie scoop to form meatballs, then roll them into a ball. If you don't have a scoop, this results in meatballs roughly 1 ½-inches wide. Place them evenly spaced on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake until browned and the center of the meatballs reach 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 18-22 minutes.
Notes
- Salt and pepper: I often use salt and pepper mills to grind them right into the mixture, estimating it around one-quarter teaspoon each. Do add as much as you like, but keep in mind the Italian breadcrumbs contain salt and the Pecorino is quite salty.
- Storage: Store cooked meatballs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Once cooled, freeze meatballs in a single layer in a freezer bag with all excess air pressed out, doing the same using a vacuum sealer, or add several to a small/medium container of homemade sauce and freeze in one block for convenient reheating.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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