How to Make Perfect, Easy Meatballs

What defines the perfect meatball? It should be tender, juicy, bursting with flavor, and it must hold its shape while cooking. Nicole McLaughlin, known as NicoleMcmom, reveals her family’s tried-and-true recipe for simple, authentic Italian meatballs, along with expert tips for making the best meatballs right in your own kitchen.

Get Nicole’s Recipe for the Best Easy Meatballs

"Packed with Italian herbs, Parmesan cheese, and a delicious mix of ground beef and Italian sausage, these meatballs develop a beautiful crust from baking before being gently simmered in marinara sauce. They’re the ultimate sidekick for Sunday spaghetti!" —NicoleMcmom

Ingredients

⅓ cup minced onion
⅓ cup Italian bread crumbs
⅓ cup half-and-half
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 table spoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1¼ pounds ground round beef
½ pound ground Italian sausage
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat it with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion, bread crumbs, half-and-half, Parmesan cheese, eggs, egg yolk, garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano. Stir until fully mixed. Add the ground beef and sausage, then season with salt and pepper. Mix until just combined.
Wet your hands with water and shape the mixture into 18 meatballs, about the size of a golf ball. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are browned.
Transfer the meatballs to a large pot and pour in the marinara sauce. Let them simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours before serving.

Tip: While simmering the meatballs in marinara sauce is the best method, you can also bake them for 17 minutes, allow them to cool, and freeze them for later use.

The best easy meatballs, served with spaghetti

Dinogo

Nicole’s Expert Tips for Making Effortless Meatballs

Small pieces. Make sure to mince or grate the onion and garlic so the pieces are very small and uniform. You don't want big chunks in your meatball.
Mix in two steps. Mix all of the ingredients together except for the meats — they'll go in after everything else is mixed together. This prevents overworking the meatball mixture, which makes for tough instead of tender meatballs.
Bread crumbs. Nicole prefers to use bread crumbs to help hold the mixture instead of bread soaked in milk.
Beef + pork = yum. Adding pork sausage to the meat makes a more moist and flavorful mix.
Water works. Keep your hands dampened when you're mixing and forming the meatballs to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
Mix lightly. Remember — you want to mix in the meat just until it's combined without overworking it.
Taste test. If this is your first time making meatballs, you can test the mixture by frying up a small patty to see how it tastes to you.
Easy bake. Baking the meatballs in the oven is the easiest way to cook them. If you're going to add them to a sauce, you'll want to cook the meatballs only part way through so they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
Easy freeze. If you wanted to stash away meatballs for a later use, partially bake the meatballs, then freeze them on a tray and store them in freezer safe bags or containers so they'll be ready when you are.
Sunday sauce. If you're going to simmer them in sauce, Nicole recommends low and slow for at least two hours.