Oven-baked meatballs are full of flavor and incredibly versatile! Serve them in marinara sauce, a cream sauce, a barbecue sauce, or even as-is for a delightful appetizer.

Oven Baked Meatballs

Having a go-to meatball recipe is essential. Yes, you can buy frozen meatballs and they definitely are a time saver. But there is nothing like homemade meatballs. 

This is a basic oven baked meatball recipe that will work for pretty much any beef meatball need. There are many ways to cook meatballs and oven baking them is the easiest by far. You can prep other parts of dinner while they cook.

These work well in an air fryer too, the temperature is still 425 and the time is still 10-12 minutes. When air-fried, the texture on the outside is a bit crispy, and the inside is juicy.

You can double the recipe for a large batch that you can freeze and use multiple ways. You can use them to make 

• Cheesy Biscuit Meatball Sliders
• Easy Sloppy Joe Meatball Subs
• Quick and Easy Lasagna Recipe with Frozen Meatballs

Or make a batch of Sicilian Marinara Sauce Recipe and serve with spaghetti. 

To freeze the meatballs, let them cool completely and then place in a freezer-safe container. Reheat in the microwave, in sauce, or back in the oven until warm. 

Oven-Baked Meatballs Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Ground pork sausage
• Breadcrumbs (use almond flour for gluten free)
• Milk (can use almond milk)
• Eggs
• Fresh parsley
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Italian seasoning
• Salt and Pepper

Oven Baked Meatballs Directions

Preheat the oven to 425° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the milk and breadcrumbs into a small bowl and mix together, it will be like a paste. This is called a sponge and it helps to bind things together and retain moisture.

Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Gently mix with your hands until blended well. Your hands are your best tool here.

Using a 1 tablespoon size cookie scoop, scoop the meat mixture, one scoop at a time, into your hands. You can make the meatballs larger or smaller to meet your needs, too. 

Gently roll into the shape of a ball.

Place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Continue until all the meatballs are made.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160°. Some of the cheese will melt out a little bit, this is normal.