The Best Italian Meatballs Recipe Elevates Pasta Night (9 Ingredients, 35 Minutes) by Donna John
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There's nothing quite like a tender, moist and juicy Italian meatball. This easy Italian meatballs recipe uses Italian sausage and ground beef, creating a tasty meatball that's full of rich flavors. These homemade meatballs are wonderful for pasta dishes, casseroles and for meal prepping.
You only need nine simple ingredients to make these high-protein homemade Italian meatballs. Here is your short shopping list: ground beef, bulk Italian sausage (or links removed from their casings), fresh garlic, soft breadcrumbs, an egg, fresh parsley or chives (I used chives from my herb garden), an onion, milk and freshly grated Parmesan cheese (read about the health benefits of Parmesan). The meatballs bake up in the oven in about 30 minutes.
Italian sausage is your secret ingredient in this meatball recipe. Italian sausage is made with ground pork and seasonings like fennel seeds and black pepper. You can buy regular, mild or spicy Italian sausage. Turkey Italian sausage is also an option available in most grocery stores.
The high-protein meatballs are perfect simmered in an Italian red sauce like marinara or used in meatball casseroles or meatball sandwiches. I simmered mine in spaghetti sauce and served it over spaghetti noodles for dinner. I didn't use all the meatballs, so I froze the leftovers for a quick dinner later.
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage (casings removed if you're using links)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs (I grated one brioche hamburger bun)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or chives (or a combination)
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Here's how to make it:
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. (I used about 1 teaspoon of salt.) Mix with your clean hands or a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overmix. For gluten-free meatballs use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Shape into meatballs and place on an oiled baking sheet. (I used a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture and got 29 meatballs.)
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- If using the meatballs in sauce, add them and gently simmer until ready to serve. You can also freeze the meatballs for later.
- Serve the meatballs as desired.
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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