The Best Italian Meatballs Recipe Will Make You Forget About Frozen Meatballs Forever (20 Minutes, 9 Ingredients) by Donna John

My first bite of these melt-in-your-mouth, soft, tender Italian meatballs had me wondering if I was Italian. Maybe, I was. Why have I bought so many bags of frozen meatballs? Not to toot my own horn, but these homemade meatballs are so incredibly delicious. This was one budget-friendly, easy meatball recipe that just hit on all notes, flavors and textures. Delicious!

These ground beef meatballs are easy to make and can be used however you'd like. Instead of making spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce, use them in your favorite casseroles (like these meatball casseroles) or other recipes that call for meatballs.

Photo credit (all photos): Donna John

Here is your short shopping list for this low-carb, high-protein recipe: ground beef, an Italian cheese blend, dry Italian breadcrumbs, milk, an egg, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley flakes and olive oil.

My grocery store sells a three-cheese Italian blend and a six-cheese Italian blend. Use whatever you can find. The Italian blend usually contains non-smoked provolone, mozzarella, Parmesan, asiago, fontina and Romano cheeses, but can vary. If you can't find an Italian blend, make your own or simply use Parmesan cheese.

Variation: If you would prefer to bake your meatballs instead of pan frying, put them into a baking dish at bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes.

These homemade Italian-style meatballs are delicious simmered in homemade marinara sauce, Sunday gravy or your favorite jarred pasta sauce. This is one high-protein budget dinner recipe your whole family will look forward to sitting down to. The meatballs are also great for meal prepping. Enjoy!

Cuisine: Italian / American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup Italian blend cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup milk of choice
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. (I used about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.) Mix to just combine. (Do not overmix.)
   
2. Shape into balls. (The size you make them will determine how many you get. I got 16 meatballs.)
   
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs. Cook until the meatballs are golden brown on the bottom.
   
4. Flip the meatballs over and continue to cook until cooked through.
   
5. Use the meatballs as desired. If adding sauce, pour the sauce in and gently simmer the meatballs until ready to serve over low heat.
   
6. Store the meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze the meatballs for quick meals later.
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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