These easy homemade Baked Meatballs with fresh marinara are so much better than store-bought meatballs with a combination of ground beef, Italian sausage, panko breadcrumbs, fresh Parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley. The fresh marinara comes together quickly and tastes so much better than jarred.
My family just loves these meatballs and looks forward to this recipe. I love to serve them over spaghetti, pasta, or inside a meatball sub with mozzarella cheese. Or go low carb and enjoy them over Zucchini Noodles or Creamy Mashed Cauliflower. Use the baked meatball portion of the recipe for so many dishes like pizza, meatball soup, and meatball stuffed mushrooms.
How to make Baked Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Start by combining the Italian Sausage, ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, milk, Parmesan Cheese, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands just until combined. Then roll the meat mixture into a little over 1-inch meatballs. Place the raw meatballs on a baking sheet in a single layer with a little space between them. Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Then add the onion and cook until it is soft. Now reduce the heat and add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, cooking for about 1 minute while stirring. Then add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Then stir in the fresh basil. Finally, add the baked meatballs to the marinara sauce and stir gently to combine. Simmer for a few minutes to combine all the flavors.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- Mix the meat mixture with a gentle hand and only until it is combined. Overmixing will make the meatballs dense and dry.
- Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground veal, or ground pork can be substituted for ground beef.
- Experiment with fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, basil, and Italian parsley. Or add 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning.
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to help with uniform size but roll the meatballs in your hands so they are round on all sides.
- Use parchment paper for super easy cleanup and even browning.
- Start the marinara a few minutes before loading the meatballs in the oven.
- Meatballs are done when they are cooked through, browned, and the internal temperature registers 165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on low in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave at reduced heat.
- Flash-freeze the meatballs and then store them in a heavy-duty zipper freezer bag for up 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Read here to learn more about flash freezing.
How to shape rounder meatballs
Well, let’s be honest. These scrumptious meatballs are going to be eaten so fast that no one will notice minor flaws in the shapes. But every good cook wants their recipes to look aesthetically pleasing.
- Chill – mix the ingredients for the meatballs and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes up to 1 hour before rolling.
- Scoop – use a small cookie or ice cream scoop for even portioning but use your hands to roll them gently. Keep your hands very lightly moistened with cold water for smooth nonstick rolling.
- Chill again – after rolling the meatballs and placing them on the baking sheet, chill one more time in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Flip – carefully and gently turn the meatball several times while baking to ensure that the meatball does not come out with a flat spot. Don’t flip them all the way over. Maybe just a quarter of a turn several times.
More meatball dishes you will love!
Baked Meatballs
Delectable baked meatballs made with ground beef and Italian sausage, all simmered in a mouthwatering good homemade marinara sauce with fresh basil.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 40 meatballs
- Category: main meal beef
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb. Italian Sausage
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ¾ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- ½ onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup milk
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs
-
½ teaspoon kosher salt
-
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Marinara Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the Italian Sausage, ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, milk, Parmesan Cheese, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands just until combined. Use a small cookie scoop for proper-size portioning. Roll them using your hands into a little over 1-inch meatballs. Place them on the prepared baking sheet as you roll them. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, approximately 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute while stirring. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil. Add the baked meatballs to the marinara sauce and stir gently to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Mix the meat mixture with a gentle hand and only until it is combined. Overmixing will make the meatballs dense and dry.
- Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground veal, or ground pork can be substituted for ground beef.
- Experiment with fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, basil, and Italian parsley. Or add 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning.
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to help with uniform size but roll the meatballs in your hands so they are round on all sides.
- Use parchment paper for super easy cleanup and even browning.
- Start the marinara a few minutes before loading the meatballs in the oven.
- Meatballs are done when cooked through, browned, and the internal temperature registers 165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on low in a skillet on the stovetop or microwave at reduced heat.
- Flash-freeze the meatballs and store them in a heavy-duty zipper freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Read here to learn more about flash freezing.
Keywords: how to make meatballs, meatball recipe, Italian meatball recipe, best meatball recipe, homemade meatballs
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Melissa Cushing
This recipe was really good for sure and nothing better than homemade meatballs and pasta 😉 I used to pan fry my meatballs but I bake them now! So good 😉
★★★★★
Lavanda Michelle
These look so very good. I can’t wait to try!
Becky Willis
My husband loves homemade meatballs but normally mine always fall apart. And as we know the store-bought ones are obviously not as good lol. We loved these meatballs. Thank you for the recipe! They were awesome!
★★★★★
Marysa
This sounds like the way to go with meatballs. It would be nice to make a big batch and then freeze the extras as leftovers.
Beth Pierce
You can certainly do that.
briannemanzb
I have always loved baked meatballs and this recipe was delicious. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Neas
Your meatballs look delicious! Thank you for the tips on making them look so nice. Your marinara sauce also sounds very good. My meatballs are good, but they never turn out how I want them to. I will try yours to see if they come out how I would like them to.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Elizabeth. I sure hope you enjoy them!
Tara Pittman
I like that you can bake these. This is a recipe that my family loves. Thanks for sharing!
Lori Bosworth
This recipe looked so good that I made it last weekend for my family. They really enjoyed it and they want me to make it again.
★★★★★
Lisa Night Charleston
Wow these look delicious! My husband loves meatballs so I will need to try this recipe out. Maybe over the weekend! Such an easy dish to prepare.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Lisa! Enjoy!!
Tammy
I love these baked meatballs. We make them often for our low carb lifestyle.
★★★★★
Amber Myers
We love meatballs so I’ll add this to my list of things to make. They look scrumptious!
Bee
Have you ever doubled or tripled the marinara recipe or the meatballs for that matter! I suppose the meatballs might be ok in two batches? I’ll let you know, as for the rest of your recipes which look incredible too!!xxoo
Beth Pierce
Thanks Bee! So glad that you like my recipes! That recipe will double or triple just fine with the exception of cutting back a bit on the garlic and basil in the sauce.
Sandra
This was so good! Everyone really loved this!
★★★★★
Juliane
I am in love with this!
★★★★★
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes
I love these baked meatballs! They are full of amazing flavors!
★★★★★
katerina @ diethood.com
mmm..these meatballs look incredibly delicious!! YUM!
★★★★★
Catalina
Who doesn’t love meatballs! It’s even better if they are baked!
★★★★★
Krystle
This is my go-to meatball recipe. Perfect on pasta or sandwiches.
★★★★★
Amanda Livesay
These are the best meatballs! I love to keep some in the freezer for easy dinners.
★★★★★