These Italian Meatballs are baked in marinara sauce and topped with melted Mozzarella cheese. These are perfect to serve with spaghetti, in subs, or as a side dish for a potluck or holiday! This is an easy dish to make ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze for later.
Be sure to serve this with a side of my garlic bread with cheese or my incredible No Knead Bread!
Baked Meatballs
I am so excited to share this recipe with you, (which can also be found in The Cozy Cookbook on page 77!)
These meatballs are SO juicy and tender, and it’s all due to the miracle of using a panade. It makes these meatballs melt in your mouth.
I love serving this when we have people over, either as a simple side dish or to serve with spaghetti or sub rolls. (BONUS: It’s make-ahead and Crock Pot friendly!)
Let’s talk about the panade and what it does:
What is a Panade?
A panade is a mixture of starch and liquid that is combined to form a paste. It’s mixed in with meat for meatballs, meatloaf, or burgers to preserve the tender texture of the meat.
When meat cooks, the proteins expand and contract and in doing so, moisture escapes. The starch in the panade turns to a gel when cooked and lubricates the fibers in the meat as it cooks, which makes these extra juicy and flavorful!
How to Make It
The bottom of this post also contains recipe card with ingredients and full instructions.
- Soften the onions and garlic in a pan and set aside to cool.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and seasonings in a small bowl.
- Combine the eggs and milk in another small bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine until a paste forms. (This is the panade.) Add the onions/garlic.
- Add the panade to the meat and use your hands to mix until just combined. Don’t overwork the meat or the meatballs will be tough.
- Add 3/4 of the marinara sauce to a 9×13 casserole dish. Roll meat into 24 balls 1+1/2 inches thick.
- Add the meatballs to the dish and spoon remaining marinara sauce on top. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered for 15 more minutes.
- Broil at 450° for 1-2 minutes at the end if desired. Use a paper towel to carefully dab off any excess grease on the top. Top with parsley and serve.
Baking Sheet Method
- To bake these on a baking sheet without sauce: 1.5 inch meatballs take approximately 30-35 minutes to bake at 350°, the internal temperature needs to reach 160°.
- I use this instant read thermometer (Amazon Affiliate link), it is a life saver in the kitchen.
Make Ahead Method
- These meatballs can be rolled and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours prior to baking.
- You can also flash freeze the raw meatballs on a baking sheet for 1.5 hours, then store them in a gallon freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight prior to baking.
- PRO TIP: I like to bake this entire dish of meatballs, let them cool, and freeze them in portions of 4+ to serve with spaghetti during a busy week. I just drop the frozen meatballs right into a pot of marinara sauce and let them defrost over low heat.
Crock Pot Method
- Roll the meatballs and place them in a lightly greased Slow Cooker. Top with marinara sauce and. Heat on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7. Top with cheese and cover until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools for This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 9 x 13 Baking Dish– This is the one that I use and that’s pictured in this post.
- Large Glass Mixing Bowl
- Silicone Spatulas– I can’t live without these!
- Cookie Scoop– Easy for making similarly-sized meatballs
- Instant Read Thermometer– To make sure the meatballs are done in the middle.
Try These Next
Get My Free Meal Plan
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated from a block
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 lbs. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. ground pork
Sauce + Cheese
- 32 oz marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh Parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Set aside and let cool.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper and set aside.
- Crack an egg in a small bowl and whisk it. Add the milk and whisk to combine.
- Combine the dry mixture with the wet mixture to form a smooth paste. Mix in the onions and garlic. (This is called a panade and keeps the juiciness and flavor intact while the meatballs cook.)
- Add the meat to a large bowl and top with the panade. Use your hands and gently mix until just combined. Don’t overwork the meat or the meatballs will be tough.
- Roll into 1 ½ inch meatballs.
- Pour ¾ of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Add the meatballs. Spoon remaining sauce over the top.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and top with cheese. Bake 15 more minutes. Broil for additional 1-2 minutes at the end if desired. Use a paper towel to carefully dab off any excess grease on the top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- To save time, you can skip sautéing the onions and garlic. Doing so creates a more subtle texture and flavor, particularly for picky eaters.
- Ground sausage and/or ground veal may also be used.
- The internal temperature of meatballs should be 160 degrees before serving.
- Be sure to serve this with a side of my garlic bread with cheese or my incredible No Knead Bread!
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 77!
- Try my recipe for Turkey Meatballs next!
I made these meatballs exactly to the recipe. Hubby just loved them. We had lots of grease, so hubby suggested we bake the meatballs first and drain all the grease and then follow the recipe. Will try it next time. The day I made this, we had meatball subs and another day had it with spaghetti. I froze 9 meatballs. Very tasty, but I found it salty. Will definitely make these again. Thanks for this recipe.
This recipe is incredible! EverybodyLOVED it!
I love all your recipes….easy but soooooo good!!!
That makes me so happy Chris, thanks so much for the support and for taking the time to leave a review!💗
I made this last night and I was surprised how easy and delicious they were. I used a pound of ground beef and a half pound of mild Italian sausage. Left out the onions because the men in this house are nuts and don’t like them…but added onion powder. 😉 I’ll definitely make this again!
I laughed at how your men are picky with their onions, my husband is the same way! I’m so happy these were a hit Katrina, thanks so much for the great review!❤️
Really want to try this recipe! Is there an alternative for the pork? We don’t do pork at our house? Will they still be yummy?
Hi Patty! Ground sausage and/or ground veal may also be used, but if you don’t use those either, then all ground beef is just fine! 🙂
Can you just freez the whole completed dish before cooking? Taking meals to beach and I just want to be able to go from freezer to oven
Hi Janey, I’m not quite sure what the baking time from frozen would be, the general rule is to add an additional hour of baking time if baking from frozen, but I haven’t tested it with this to validate for sure. Otherwise it is fine to bake from frozen!
Hi !!
I never make meatballs, because they don’t come out that good, lol !! I made these & they are fantastic !!!!!!! My husband after eating them 2 days in a row, said “ Man, I don’t know what you did different, but these meatballs are freakin delicious “ 🥰
They will be on a regular rotation !
Thanks for the great recipes you post !
I love that quote from your husband Debra, sounds like you nailed it!🙌 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such awesome comments!💕
Incredible! I realized I didn’t have milk so I used a little heavy cream with the egg and mixed in onion powder and a little Italian packet seasoning instead of just using salt. These turned out so moist and flavorful. I put them on a roll with homemade garlic herb butter topped with cheese. 10/10. Will be throwing this into rotation for dinners! Mahalo for the amazing recipe!
Yayyy! I’m so happy you liked the meatballs Ashley! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
So good!! Thank u for this recipe!! The whole family loves these meatballs like looooves!! 🤩🤩
Yesssss! That’s what I love to hear Angie, makes me so happy! Thank so much for the great comments and review!❤️
These meatballs are delicious I make them once a week
I’m so happy you’re enjoying them Patty!😃 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
These meatballs are delicious! My husband eats spaghetti and meatballs every week so he’s tried many different recipes. He told me I hit a home run with these meatballs. I love them too! These are definitely a keeper.
I’m so happy to hear this was a home run! Sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!❤️