Consider this your essential meatball recipe. The meatballs are incredibly versatile, too. You can cook them in a skillet, bake them in the oven, cook them in a slow cooker, or crisp them up in an air fryer. Serve them with your favorite sauce, make meatball subs, add them to soups, or enjoy them as a simple meatball appetizer. You might also enjoy this spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
Key Ingredients
Ground meat: This meatball recipe works well with most ground meat. Just keep in mind that ground meat with a bit of fat works best (look for 7% to 10% fat). I love the recipe for beef meatballs, but you can use ground pork, turkey, chicken, or lamb. I also love a combination. My favorite is a mixture of ground pork and turkey, which I use in this Italian wedding soup. Breadcrumbs: I add breadcrumbs for texture. I also love substituting them for crushed saltine crackers like we do for this meatloaf. Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked. Parmesan: My secret ingredient for the best meatballs! Parmigiano-Reggiano adds flavor and salt to our mixture. I’m pretty generous with it. Oregano, salt, and pepper: Help season our meatballs. I keep the seasoning simple since these are more versatile meatballs.
How to Make Meatballs
I’ve made this meatball recipe so many times, and my family loves them. I start by stirring breadcrumbs and milk together in a mixing bowl. I let this mixture thicken up for a few minutes, then stir in the egg, parmesan cheese, and spices. Mixing all these ingredients before adding the ground meat helps ensure the seasonings are evenly distributed. Next, I mix in the ground meat. This recipe works well with most types of ground meat, so use whatever you prefer! I give the mixture a good mix until everything is combined, and then it’s time to form the meatballs. I like using a cookie scoop to make sure they’re all similar in size, then roll them into balls. If you want bigger meatballs, check out my recipe for Italian meatballs. At this point, you can cook the meatballs right away or freeze them for later. I’ve included tips below on how to freeze uncooked meatballs. My favorite way to cook these meatballs is on the stovetop. It gives them a lovely golden brown crust. I use a hot pan with some oil and cook them over medium heat until they’re browned on all sides and cooked through in the middle. You can also bake them in the oven, simmer them in sauce (like I do with these turkey meatballs), or use a slow cooker or air fryer. I’ve shared tips for all these cooking methods in the recipe below.
Storing Homemade Meatballs
Cooked meatballs will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container or frozen in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. You can also refrigerate the raw meatball mixture overnight and bake it the next day. Or freeze raw meatballs for up to 3 months. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until firm. Then, transfer the frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze. When ready to cook them, bake until lightly browned and cooked through.
What to Serve with Meatballs
Serve these delicious meatballs with your favorite sauce. I love this homemade red pasta sauce. These also make a great appetizer. I’ve served them with barbecue sauce and our buffalo wing sauce with some blue cheese dressing on the side. You can turn these into meatball subs or stuff them into homemade pita bread with veggies and some hummus. I also love serving these meatballs with veggies. Some favorites are sautéed cabbage, baked sweet potato fries, and roasted broccoli. 1/2 cup (35g) breadcrumbs or crushed saltine crackers 1/2 cup (118ml) milk 1 large egg 1/4 cup (14g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil for cooking 2Add the ground meat and mix everything until combined, using a fork or your fingers. Try not to over mix for the most tender meatballs. 3Wet your hands, then form the mixture into small balls (1 inch to 1 ¼ inch balls). You should get about 35 meatballs. A small cookie scoop is useful for portioning the meatballs. 4Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a wide Dutch oven or nonstick pan over medium heat. 5Place the meatballs down into the hot oil and cook until they are cooked through, the outsides are browned, and they register 165°F in the middle on an instant-read thermometer for about 15 minutes. Depending on the shape or size of your skillet, you might need to do this in two batches. 2Place formed meatballs onto the baking sheet, leaving a little space in between each meatball. Lightly spray the top of the meatballs with cooking spray or brush with oil. 3Bake until they are cooked through, the outsides are browned, and they register 165°F in the middle on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
