This oven baked meatballs recipe is a family favorite and an easy weeknight dinner. The meatballs are made with ground turkey or beef, a combination of spices and a few other basic ingredients. The meatballs are baked in the oven with tomato sauce until tender and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.
I made these oven baked meatballs last week. Made them again a few days later. Then, realized I should share the recipe so I made them the other day. This recipe HAD to be shared!
This oven baked meatballs recipe really gets down to the basics highlighting that you truly don't many ingredients or much effort to produce flavorful and tender meatballs in the oven. Let's be honest— if you can roll meatballs, you can make this.
These Are The Best Oven Baked Meatballs
- Produces tender & juicy meatballs
- Incredibly flavorful
- Easy to make & uses basic ingredients
- Made in 1 baking dish– minimal dishes!
- Only 30 minutes in the oven
- Makes wonderful leftovers for the week
Overview: Baked Meatballs
- Flavor: As I mentioned above, this recipe truly highlights that you don't need much to create BIG flavor. This recipe has a range of some of the BEST flavors around— garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and onion.
- Ease: Looking at the recipe below, you can see how simple it is. This is a recipe that anyone can make. The recipe is as straightforward as it gets which makes this the perfect weeknight dinner.
- Time: From start to finish it's about 40 minutes and 30 minutes of that is in the oven.
Grab These Ingredients
- Meat: You can use either ground turkey or ground beef for this baked meatball recipe. To keep this recipe on the lighter side, I prefer to use ground turkey.
- Breadcrumbs: The breadcrumbs help hold the meatballs together. Panko breadcrumbs are my go-to type of breadcrumbs but any type of breadcrumbs work, even gluten free.
- Egg: Like the breadcrumbs, the egg helps bind the ingredients together.
- Olive Oil: Adding just a little bit of olive oil gives the meatballs just enough moisture.
- Parmesan Cheese: Not only does the parmesan cheese provide flavor, it also helps bind everything together.
- Garlic: Using fresh garlic adds a ton of flavor.
- Spices: There's all the classic meatballs spices in this recipe— dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil, onion powder and red pepper flakes.
Salt & Pepper: Always needed to enhance flavors. - Crushed Tomatoes: Use your favorite brand of crushed tomatoes or even pasta sauce. Paesana is the only type of sauce I use unless I have some homemade sauce already.
- Mozzarella Cheese: The addition of cheese is optional but is delicious!
This Is Also A Make-Ahead Recipe!
While making the meatballs the night of is simple, we don't always have time. You have a few options to make this recipe even easier! All of these options are listed in the recipe notes as well.
- Make-Ahead: You can make this entire recipe the night before, cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator. The next day, remove from the refrigerator and bake!
- Pre-Make: You can make the meatballs up to 2 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator in the baking dish covered with aluminum foil. Pour the sauce on top and bake!
- Freeze: You can make the meatballs and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can either thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or bake frozen and add an additional 5-10 minutes prior to adding the cheese.
FAQ
Do I need to brown meatballs before baking?
Some recipes require you to brown the meatballs but this meatball recipe removes that step completely making it more hands off!
How long to heat meatballs in the oven?
The definition of 'healthy' is different from one person to the next. This sloppy joes recipe can go either way based on how you see it – using ground turkey or a leaner cut along with substituting the bun can lighten this recipe up significantly.
What is the secret of a tender meatball?
There's a few secrets: minimal binder but just enough to hold them together, adding enough fat so it renders as the meatball cooks and cooking them in the sauce.
Is it better to bake meatballs or cook them in sauce?
Typically it's best to cook meatballs in the sauce to create an extremely tender meatball. This recipe gives you the best of both worlds. Baking the meatballs in the sauce locks in the moisture and allows you to be more hands off.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- The Best Sloppy Joes
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Baked Herb Crusted Salmon
- Chicken Enchiladas (Just 35 minutes!)
- 15-Minute Pesto Shrimp
Easy Oven Baked Meatballs
Description
This oven baked meatballs recipe is a family favorite and an easy weeknight dinner. The meatballs are made with ground turkey or beef, a combination of spices and a few other basic ingredients. The meatballs are baked in the oven with tomato sauce until tender and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 85% lean ground turkey or beef
- ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 24-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven of 375°F. Pour ½ cup of the crushed tomatoes to the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Set aside.
- Make the Meatballs: In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir together until well combined— avoid overmixing as it can make the meatballs tough.
- Roll the Meatballs: Take 3 Tablespoons of the meat mixture, roll into balls and place into the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining crushed tomatoes over the meatballs— it's OK if they aren't completely covered. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the mozzarella cheese on top of each meatball. Place back into the oven for 10 minutes. If desired, place under the broiler for 1 minute.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve over pasta, with garlic bread, etc. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make this entire recipe the night before, cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator. The next day, remove from the refrigerator and bake! You can also make the meatballs up to 2 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator in the baking dish covered with aluminum foil. Pour the sauce on top and bake!
- Freezing Instructions: You can make the meatballs and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can either thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or bake frozen and add an additional 5-10 minutes prior to adding the cheese.
- Meat: You can use ground beef or ground turkey for this recipe.
- Crushed Tomatoes: You can also use your favorite pasta sauce.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer to use Panko breadcrumbs but regular breadcrumbs will work too. If you are gluten free, use certified GF breadcrumbs.
Nutrition
Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
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Sarah says
Wow, this is going in the recipe rotation! I used 93% lean turkey and these meatballs turned out great!! Try this recipe, you won't be disappointed!