Cooked Perfect Meatballs (Simple 30 Minute Meal)
Our Cooked Perfect Meatballs are just that - perfectly seasoned, juicy, and full of flavor. Every bite includes hints of fresh herbs, fragrant garlic, and parmesan cheese. With so many versatile ways to serve them, this is about to become your new favorite meatball recipe.
These tender meatballs have become a staple in our kitchen. We love making a double batch to keep on hand in the freezer for those busy weeknights where we need to get dinner on the table quickly. Once you realize how easy they are to make, you won't want to buy frozen meatballs again!
If you love meatball recipes, you need to try my Meatball Parmigiana and Carnivore Meatballs, they are two of my favorites!
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
"These meatballs were quick to make and the whole family loved them, we have no leftovers. My 7-year old said, "These meatballs made me dance!" so I think this will be a go-to recipe for us. Thank you!!"
-Seija
Ingredients
A quick trip to the grocery store and you're ready for Cooked Perfect Meatballs.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Ground Meat: Your choice of ground meat(s) acts as the base of this recipe.
- Garlic: We prefer fresh garlic, but jarred or powdered works just as well.
- Eggs: Acts as a binding agent.
- Parmesan Cheese: We love adding parmesan for a cheesy flavor.
- Fresh Parsley: Adds a fresh, herbaceous flavor.
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors in these meatballs.
- Dried Oregano: Gives additional depth of flavor.
- Ground Pepper: Adds a subtle hint of spice.
- Italian Style Breadcrumbs: Helps to hold the meatball's shape.
- Whole Milk: Adds moisture to your ground meat mixture.
For this recipe, you'll want to have on hand a large baking sheet, a large mixing bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a 2 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop.
Variations
- Meat: Use your choice of ground meat(s) to make these meatballs your own.
- Herbs: Any combination of your favorite fresh or dried herbs will be tasty, so feel free to really customize this aspect. Just keep in mind that you need to use less dried versus fresh.
- Dairy-Free: Skip parmesan cheese for a dairy-free alternative to these meatballs, and use a little stock or water in replace of the milk.
- Spice: If you like some spice in your meatballs, feel free to add crushed red pepper flakes or dried cayenne pepper to your mixture.
How To Make Cooked Perfect Meatballs
Check out how easy it is to make these baked meatballs in just a couple steps.
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, keeping your breadcrumbs and milk until last. By hand, mix until well combined.
Using a 2 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, make medium sized meatballs and lightly shape into a tighter ball, then place on a prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160F.
Cool on the baking sheet until ready to serve.
Hint: When rolling out your meatballs, try to seal any cracks in the uncooked meat before baking to seal in moisture. You can do this by pinching the meat together then lightly re-rolling into a ball shape.
Recipe Tips
- Roll with Light Pressure: You want to make sure the ball is held together but not squished where it loses its size. Rolling it too tight can cause it to bake unevenly.
- Simmer in Sauce: Simmering the meatballs in sauce on the stovetop for about an hour will give them an extra boost of flavor.
For an easy crowd pleaser snack for game day, try our Meatball Sliders recipe.
More Mains
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Once cooled, place in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Whether the meatballs are cooked or uncooked, you can line them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once fully frozen (about 2-4 hours), place them into a freezer bag and pop them back in the freezer for up to 6 months. I like to double bag them, and remove as much air out of the first bag as I can. Alternatively, you can vacuum-seal them as well. I love this FoodSaver, that I got on Amazon.
- Reheating: Thaw in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or stove until warmed through.
- Make Ahead: Follow the instructions 1-3 and then pop them in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to bake.
Serving Instructions
- Vegetable Sides: Keep it light and serve with Sautéed Green Beans with Shallots, Maple Brussel Sprouts, or Idahoan Mashed Potatoes.
Cooked Perfect Meatballs Recipe FAQs
There a couple of key things to do when making meatballs: using a binder like eggs and breadcrumbs or both, and making sure your mixture has an appropriate level of moisture.
By using a cookie scoop, you will ensure an even size across every meatball. This makes for a consistent flavor and bake time. We like using a 2.5" cookie scoop.
We suggest a combination of beef and pork, or even veal for the best flavor. With that being said, meatballs are very versatile and can be made with any meat of your choice. If you are looking to make a leaner meatball, you can try ground turkey or ground chicken.
Your meatballs are fully cooked when their internal temperature reaches 160F (for a beef meatball) or 165F (for a chicken meatball). We recommend investing in a meat thermometer to make checking on this as easy as possible.
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Cooked Perfect Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef, pork, and veal mixture
- 4 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley minced
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
- ⅓ to ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, keeping your breadcrumbs and milk for last. By hand, mix until well combined.
- Using a 2.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, make medium-sized meatballs and lightly shape into a tighter ball, then place on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160F.
- Cool on the baking sheet until ready to serve.
Notes
- The average yield for this recipe is 27-30 meatballs, but this may vary depending on the size of your meatballs and how densely you pack them.
- If you don't have fresh parsley, you can substitute with 2 teaspoons of dried parsley.
- If you want to freeze uncooked meatballs, you can after step 3.
- Try to seal any cracks in the uncooked meat before baking to seal in moisture. You can do this by pinching the meat together then lightly re-roll into a ball shape.
- Serve with your favorite pasta, on a sandwich, on sliders, in a wrap, with rice, with mashed potatoes, or on their own with sauce.
Nutrition
We would be so grateful for you to leave us a rating and review on any recipes you try. If you make any alterations, let us know how they turned out.
These meatballs were quick to make and the whole family loved them, we have no leftovers. My 7-year old said, “These meatballs made me dance!” so I think this will be a go-to recipe for us. Thank you!!
Oh my goodness, I love that for her! So cute. Thank you for the review!
A perfect, family-friendly recipe that is so universal!
These meatballs were tender and delicious. I’ll be having more in the near future.
We are so happy to hear you are enjoying the meatballs!