Homemade Baked Italian Meatballs are so easy to make. Skip the messy frying process for this no-fuss, classic recipe.
And if you’re looking for more easy meatball recipes, take a look at my recipe for Ground Pork Meatballs. Seasoned with peaches, basil and lime, they’re a fresh take and a recipe for meatballs without sauce.
This article was first published December, 2015 and updated October 13, 2020
What To Expect From This Recipe
This is a baked Italian Meatball recipe that produces juicy, tender, oven baked Italian Meatballs without red sauce. They’re so tender and juicy without sauce, you’ll want to eat them right off the pan.
The meatballs turn out so melt-in-your-mouth tender by mixing cream and buttermilk into the ground beef mixture.
And even though those bags of frozen Italian Meatballs can seem awfully tempting, making your own homemade meatballs is easier than you think.
The seasoning is simple using garlic and Italian Seasoning purchased from the spice aisle at the grocery store.
Quick prep, easy to bake and the texture and flavor superior. Making Italian meatballs without sauce, means that you have the option to use them for a variety of recipes like this recipe for Honey Sriracha Meatballs. Or use them to make a meatball sandwich.
However, once they’re cooked, a classic pairing like spaghetti and meatballs is truly a beautiful thing. This is a meatball recipe dense enough to hold up in a long simmer in your favorite Italian sauce, like this Rustic Italian Marinara Sauce.
Gather your loved ones around a big plate of meat, sauce and pasta and you’ve got the perfect family meal.
Let’s take a look.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Let’s take a look at the ingredients that go into homemade Italian Meatballs.
Mise en place. Always gather ingredients before starting any recipe. It will save you time and organize your mind.
- Ground Beef: The base for these easy homemade Italian meatballs is a lower fat ground beef. 85% lean and 15% fat works well here, and will produce a less greasy meatball and one that won’t fall apart while cooking. A combination with not enough fat, such as a 95% lean and 5% fat, will result in meatball that is too dry. And save that 20% fat ratio for burgers.
- Onions: Sweet or yellow onion works well here.
- Bread Crumbs: This recipe uses two types of crumbs. The crispy crunchy nature of Panko bread crumbs absorbs less moisture. I simply like using them for baked Italian meatballs. The finer and seasoned Italian Bread Crumbs will aid in the sturdiness of the meatballs. I simply like using both for baked meatballs.
- Eggs: How to keep meatballs from falling apart? You simply can’t make meatballs without eggs. While they cook, the eggs bind all the ingredients together. For this recipe and the ratio of breadcrumbs, we’re using two large eggs.
- Cream and Buttermilk: To finish the panade, I like using both cream and buttermilk. Cream for the obvious reason of its rich buttery flavor. And Buttermilk’s acidic nature adds lightness and tenderness.
- Italian Seasoning Spice Blend: In a perfect world, we would always use fresh Italian herbs. But for ease, I keep a premium quality brand of dried Italian Herbs in my pantry. It contains the best of classic Italian herbs, thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram and rosemary. Easy and flavorful.
- Parmesan Cheese: My secret ingredient. Adding grated parmesan cheese to the meatball mixture adds not only one more creamy component, it also brings that savory, nutty/fruity flavor to the overall flavor of those meatballs.
Ingredient Swaps
- The Meat: You can use a 50/50 combination of ground beef and ground pork. Or you can use ground veal in the mixture. If using ground pork, remember it’s usually higher in fat and the overall experience may seem a little greasier, but totally delicious. I like sticking to a 100% ground beef meatball.
- Dairy: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, use all cream. You can also use half and half. Just make sure you have ½ cup of thick rich milk product for this recipe. You can also use milk, but I would recommend using full fat milk. No reason to skimp on fat calories at the risk of flavor and texture.
- Italian Seasonings: If you want to substitute fresh herbs for the dried mix, please know the ratio rule of thumb: One tablespoon fresh herbs to one teaspoon of dried herbs. This recipe calls for two tablespoons dried herbs. There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, so you will use a total of 6 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs.
Tips For Succcess
This is a good time to practice those knife skill. Keeping the onion diced in small pieces is insurance that a meatball that won’t fall apart. Too large of chunks will compromise the stability of a meatball while it cooks. Cut the onion into a small dice, about ¼ inch. If you’re really serious about honing those knife skills, have some fun and order this handy tool, a Mercer CherfRuler. Culinary School provided me with one and I’m always surprised at the number of times I use it. I’ve provided an Amazon link for your convenience. I’m an Amazon Affiliate and if you purchase through this link, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
How To Cook Baked Italian Meatballs Without Sauce
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and milks to combine. Then simply place all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. The light touch of your hands is a perfect tool for this job. Using a spoon will crush ingredients together rather than combine, and you risk mashing the ingredients into a paste. Full pieces of ground meat should be visible for a perfectly textured meatball.
- Roll the meat into balls: Again, use your hands. Grab a chunk of the mixed meat mixture and using the palms of your hands roll into a golf ball sized meatball. About 15 gentle rolls will form a good solid meatball.
- Place the meatballs on a sheet pans.
- Bake the meatballs in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
FAQ’s, Baked Italian Meatballs
Absolutely yes. You can cook the meatballs a couple days in advance. Just cook and store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can also make the meatballs in advance and cook them later. Just place on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap and foil and store them flat in the refrigerator up to two days before baking.
Yes, you can freeze meatballs either in their cooked or uncooked stages. Just place meatballs on a sheet pan so they’re not touching. Place the sheet pan in the freezer. Once the meatballs are frozen, transfer them to a gallon zip-lock bag for easier storage. They will keep in the freezer for 2 months. When ready to use, unthaw the meatballs in the refrigerator then bake, or if they’re baked they’re ready to cook in sauce.
Yes, that’s the beauty of this meatball recipe. It’s designed to be sturdy enough to simmer in your favorite Italian Sauce even for hours.
Don’t be tempted by the tasteless powdered Parmesan that comes in a green can. When a recipe calls for grated Parmesan cheese, purchase a block of Parmesan and grate it yourself. Use the finest setting on your grater, or even use a zester. Or purchase the grated parmesan that comes in plastic bags or deli containers in the specialty cheese section.
How To Use These Meatballs
Now that we’ve finished cooking our meatballs here are some ideas on how to use them for dinner.
- Spaghetti and Meatballs. A perfect family meal.
- Use these meatballs in your Sunday Gravy Italian Feast. Combine Italian Meatballs, Italian Sausage Links and Braciole in your favorite recipe for Italian Red Sauce. I follow the method I found years ago from this video called Sunday Gravy…That’s Right Its Called Gravy on YouTube courtesy of Diana DeLaFuente. Very Italian and very East Coast. Watching you’ll see why I trust hers to be a great version.
- Homemade Italian Meatballs are perfect to make an Italian Sub Sandwich
- Serve them at your next party as an appetizer. Just serve hot meatballs along side a dish of warm marinara sauce. Provide toothpicks for dipping.
- Toss cooked meatballs in with your favorite mac and cheese recipe. Yum.
- As you can see in the photo, I always make a couple of “giant” meatballs. Why? for an appetizer recipe. A tip from one of my favorite pizza restaurants in South Denver, who serves a single large meatball a fun appetizer, topped with tomato sauce.
Recipe For Baked Italian Meatballs
I hope you give this baked Italian meatballs recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and scroll down and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you’re looking for more beef recipes, don’t miss my Beef Category. You’ll find lots of recipe ideas, including the most popular on my site for Beef Tagliata, Italian Steak.
More Meatball Recipes
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Easy Baked Italian Meatballs Without Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and diced
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 pound lean ground beef 85% lean to 15% fat
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning or 6 Tablespoons fresh Italian herbs
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and dice onion and garlic. In a medium bowl, slightly beat the eggs, milk and buttermilk together.
- In a large bowl add all ingredients and mix well with your hands. Using the palms of your hands, form into golf ball sized balls. About 15 gentle rolls will form a meatball.
- Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- This is a meatball recipe dense enough to hold up in a long simmer in your favorite Italian sauce, like this Rustic Marinara Sauce. Simmer in sauce for at least 30 minutes and serve with spaghetti noodles.
Notes
- Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. The light touch of your hands is a perfect tool for this job. Using a spoon will crush ingredients together rather than combine, and you risk mashing the ingredients into a paste. Full pieces of ground meat should be visible for a perfectly textured meatball.
- Roll the meat into balls: Again, use your hands. Grab a chunk of the mixed meat mixture and using the palms of your hands roll into a golf ball sized meatball. About 15 gentle rolls will form a good solid meatball.
- Italian Seasonings: If you want to substitute fresh herbs for the dried mix, please know the ratio rule of thumb: One tablespoon fresh herbs to one teaspoon of dried herbs. This recipe calls for two tablespoons dried herbs. There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, so you will use a total of 6 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs.
Nutrition
Baked Italian Meatballs without Sauce …It’s what’s for dinner.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and believe that everyone should try to cook as often as they can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
I love all of the ingredients that you’ve used in your recipe. I’ve never tried using cream but am sure it will really bump up the flavor!
I love the idea of baked meatballs! A much easier method of making them. Much. 🙂
We make a lot of meatballs, I think I like your recipe better.
Yum… I have to say I think spaghetti and meatballs is an all time favorite food! Your recipe looks great!
What a feast you put together especially adding the braciole to the Sunday gravy. I’ve seen this three meat Sunday gravy before and now know I must try it. Your meatballs sound very good and I can just imagine how good that plated meal is – wish we’d been there.