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The best homemade meatballs are made with quality beef, just a little filler, and plenty of spices. Serve them as party appetizers or cook them in marinara sauce for the best spaghetti and meatballs.

This recipe originally published in October 2010.

I like a good meatball. So many people simply buy a bag of meatballs in the freezer section and use those as their party meatballs or over top of spaghetti. While frozen meatballs are ok there’s nothing like a good homemade meatball.

I find that the best meatballs are often the ones that have the least amount of ingredients. So many homemade meatballs have egg as a binder, lots of breadcrumbs as filler, and add in tons of ingredients. You only need a few simple ingredients to make the perfect meatball.

Of course, I have made my share of flavorful party meatballs. I make a flavorful and easy to make Bacon Wrapped Meatballs. For dinner we like to make Banh Mi Meatballs with pickled vegetables over top. Spicy Thai Meatballs are great over rice or as a party snack. I’ve even made Porcupine Meatballs which were one of my favorites as a kid.

So, when I decided to make spaghetti for dinner I wanted to make homemade meatballs to go with it. Then I had to decide how to cook them. I opted for baking them in the oven but you can easily make them on the stove top as well.

I typically make my meatballs with all ground beef. I like to use 85/15 ground beef so that they are juicy but not too fatty.

Can I use other types of meat in my meatballs?

You can use a different type of meat or a combination of meats. Ground turkey or chicken can be used for a leaner meatball but note that they are also dried and should be eaten with some type of sauce. Ground pork or ground veal can be used on their own or in combination with other meats. Italian ground sausage can be used as well.

Ingredients:

ground beef (I like to use 85/15)
breadcrumbs (I like seasoned to give it extra flavor)
garlic cloves
oregano
Italian seasonings
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce
steak sauce (optional but very yummy!)

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Gently mix until everything is combined. Do not overwork the mixture or the meatballs will become tough.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the meatball mixture into 20 equal sized meatballs. Place then 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through the baking. Remove from oven and serve in sauce or as an appetizer.

Can you make meatballs on the stove top?

You can make these on the stove top. Simply heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, rotate a quarter turn, cook another 5 minutes, rotate the meatballs a quarter turn, and repeat until cooked on 4 sides and meatballs are cooked through.

These meatballs were juicy and delicious. They had the subtle Italian seasonings flavoring the meat.

I ended up placing them in a saute pan along with a jar of marinara sauce and heating for 5 minutes. Then I poured the sauce and meatballs over top of spaghetti.

Can I freeze the meatballs?

To freeze the meatballs place them on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Put the meatballs in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

We ended up eating half the meatballs for dinner along with spaghetti. I saved the other half to eat another day. I figured we could have spaghetti again or meatball subs.

How can I use homemade meatballs?

You can use homemade meatballs in a variety of meals. Some of my favorites are:

spaghetti and meatballs
meatball subs
serve over top of mashed potatoes with gravy
Swedish meatballs
Sweet and sour meatballs served over rice
Wedding Soup

If you’ve tried my The Best Homemade Meatballs or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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