Homemade meatballs in a quick tomato sauce make for the perfect easy family dinner! Serve over spaghetti for the ultimate homemade meal.
If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for new recipes to make with ground beef. It’s such a budget friendly way of getting dinner on the table, but wow, it can get so boring. Homemade Italian Meatballs to the rescue!
I make these so often, I could probably whip them up in my sleep. In an effort of transparency though, I’d be lying if I said I never grab a bag of frozen meatballs and serve them with jarred sauce…
In contrast, this is my recipe for Italian Meatballs, completely homemade from scratch – still easy, but an actual recipe and not just instructions for how to combine pre-made foods.
A little disclaimer
Let me add this little disclaimer: This is not an authentic Italian recipe, as in I didn’t consult any actual Italians when making this. This is how I like to make meatballs in tomato sauce, and I didn’t know what else to call them. “meatballs in tomato sauce” sounded a teeny bit blunt to me.
BUT in all honesty, the all-American spaghetti and meatballs is not exactly authentic Italian anyways. Sure, there’s polpette in southern Italy. And I have been to Italy many, many times. Never have I been to a local, authentic restaurant that served meatballs in tomato sauce with spaghetti – have you? I’d love to know (food nerd over here)!
But hey, this dish is delicious. And that’s all I have to say on that matter ?
Ingredients you’ll need
Ingredient notes
- You don’t HAVE to use lean ground beef, you can also use regular ground beef – a higher fat percentage will still be OK since the meatballs end up in a sauce, they’ll just taste very rich. You can also swap in ground turkey if you prefer, we do it all the time. (I even have Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs, that’s how much I like that swap.)
- Instead of using dried parsley and garlic powder, you can also use chopped fresh parsley and freshly minced garlic. I prefer using garlic powder so my kids can’t complain about bits of garlic in their meatballs. And I use dried parsley because I only have fresh in the spring, when it grows out in the garden!
- If you don’t want to cook with wine, you can just use some broth (or even water in a pinch…) to deglaze the pan.
- If you do want to cook with wine but aren’t sure what kind to use, any dry red wine works well. A Merlot or Pinot Noir would be great.
- I usually only have regular diced tomatoes on hand, so the sauce is perfectly delicious with those. But if you have fire roasted ones, they’ll add even more depth!
- And if you don’t have any tomato sauce handy, try combining about ⅔ cup water with ⅓ cup tomato paste.
Step by step photos
1) Add all meatball ingredients to a bowl and 2) mix to 3) combine.
4) Shape into firm meatballs, then 5) bake.
6) Sauté onion, stir in tomato paste and herbs. 7) Pour in red wine to 8) deglaze the pan.
9) Add remaining tomato sauce ingredients, then 10) stir in the meatballs and finish in the oven.
Recipe tips
To make the meatballs
- there’s no need to combine or beat any ingredients separately – just throw all the ingredients in a bowl!
- use a hand mixer with the hook attachments to combine the meat mix – it’s quick, easy and mess-free
- if you hate touching raw meat, wear disposable rubber gloves to roll the meatballs
- use a cookie scoop to scoop the meat mix, that way you’ll have even meatballs
> We prefer smaller meatballs. I just can’t wrap my head around “dinner sized” meatballs. They’re basically mini meatloaves, no? I use about 2 – 3 teaspoons of meat mix per meatball, so keep that in mind when making this recipe.
If you choose to make large meatballs, they’ll obviously need more time to cook and there will be less meatballs than you can see in the photos.(If you need video instructions for the exact steps to make meatballs, see this post on how to make meatballs from scratch!)
Sauce
Lid on or lid off? If you put a lid on the skillet in the oven or not depends entirely on your personal preferences. Adding a lid will leave the sauce on the thinner side, while baking uncovered will make for a thicker, chunkier but also richer sauce. Your call!
Personally, I like the thicker sauce better.If you like, you can sprinkle grated parmesan over the meatballs in the sauce before baking them.
Freezer instructions
You should freeze the sauce and cooked meatballs in separate containers, so the meatballs don’t get soggy while thawing. Just place them together in your freezer in separate containers as a little meal kit and you’ll be ready for those busy weeknights!
Make sure to label the bag with name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months).
Defrost in the fridge overnight, then gently reheat the meatballs in the sauce until piping hot all the way through.
We make these all the time: They’re easy, comforting and relatively healthy. While meatballs often get a bad reputation, they’re really not awful for you if you’re making them from scratch, serve them in a tomato-based sauce and eat a salad on the side. This is such a simple, hearty family meal – a dinner win for sure!
Serving suggestions
I recommend using a long, slim pasta shape with meatballs for adults. Spaghetti, Capellini, Fettuccine… All delicious! For my children, spaghetti are way too messy, ha! So for them I always make something fun but short – rigatoni are their favorite, and very delicious with meatballs. We also have a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side.
If you’re looking for other side dish ideas than spaghetti, check out my posts on side dish ideas for meatballs OR even more specifically where I answer what sides fo well with spaghetti and meatballs – lots of great ideas ?
More meatballs
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Easy Italian Meatballs
Recipe details
Equipment
- Hand Mixer (optional, but so easy!)
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 small-medium onion very finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried garlic powder or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Olive oil for baking
For the sauce:
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon dried garlic powder or more to taste
- ⅓ cup red wine optional (use broth or water as a substitute)
- 1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14-oz) can tomato sauce
- Salt + black pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the meatballs:
- Mix the ingredients: Place all ingredients EXCEPT for the oil in a large bowl. Using a handheld mixer, mix very well until everything is evenly incorporated and sticks together. If you don’t have a handheld mixer, you’ll have to use your hands to knead the ingredients together very well.
- Shape meatballs: Preheat the oven to 410°F. Using about 2-3 teaspoons of meat mix per meatball, shape meatballs and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet or a 9×13 inch pan.
- Bake meatballs: Bake the meatballs for 10-12 minutes or until browned.
While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce:
- Sauté the onion: Heat the oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until starting to soften.
- Season and deglaze the pan: Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cook for another minute or until it smells amazing. Pour the red wine (or broth/water) into the pan, scratching the browned bits off the bottom.
- Simmer the sauce: Add both tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time.
Finish the dish:
- Stir the baked meatballs into the finished tomato sauce. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until bubbly and the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle. You can sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese before baking. If you want a thinner sauce, cover the skillet with a lid in the oven. For a thicker, chunkier sauce, leave the skillet uncovered.
Notes
Ingredient Notes:
Beef: Can also use regular ground beef – a higher fat percentage will still be OK since the meatballs end up in a sauce, they’ll just taste very rich. You can also swap in ground turkey if you prefer. Instead of using dried parsley and garlic powder: You can also use chopped fresh parsley and freshly minced garlic. Wine: If you don’t want to cook with wine, you can just use some broth (or even water in a pinch…) to deglaze the pan. If you want to cook with wine but aren’t sure which one to use, a Merlot or Pinot Noir works great. Tomatoes: I usually only have regular diced tomatoes on hand, so the sauce is perfectly delicious with those. But if you have fire roasted ones, they’ll add even more depth! And if you don’t have any tomato sauce handy, try combining about ⅔ cup water with ⅓ cup tomato paste.Cooking Tips:
To make the meatballs:- there’s no need to combine or beat any ingredients separately – just throw all the ingredients in a bowl!
- use a hand mixer with the hook attachments to combine the meat mix – it’s quick, easy and mess-free
- if you hate touching raw meat, wear disposable rubber gloves to roll the meatballs
- use a cookie scoop to scoop the meat mix, that way you’ll have even meatballs
Danielle says
I’ve made this multiple times and it’s so good! I remember there being carrots in the sauce though, am I crazy?
Ann schroll says
I will let you know how it goes with my family. It smells wonderful and think it will be great. I put Parmesan cheese on the meatballs before putting in sauce. I just stuck it in the oven.
Nora says
I hope it turned out great, Ann!
Sue says
Delicious, best meatball recipe I’ve made, although I did use pork mince, but very tasty all the same, Defford make again.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Sue!
Michelle says
I added fresh ground garlic to the meatballs and sauce, and 2 Tbl of sugar. The sauce was amazing!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Michelle!
Grace says
I love both the Meatballs and Sauce although I do add a little bit of sugar and fresh garlic on top of the dry (personal preference). My only complaint is about the excessive advertisements that force you to constantly scroll past in order to read the recipe and instructions…. Please move advertisements away from the actual recipe and directions… Thank You!
Ron says
Love these meatballs. This is my go to recipe, they’re great with spaghetti, meatball subs or by themselves.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Ron!
Kim says
Made them tonight Absolutely Delicious ??!!! Thank you for sharing!! Yay ,I finally made Meatballs from scratch!!! ??
Grace says
Fantastic Meatballs and sauce were fantastic and so good in fact that Im making the sauce again (using better quality tomatoes this time) I used what I had on hand last time and agh the tinny taste from the cans were a killer.
I would highly recommend this recipe but make sure you USE GOOD Quality canned tomatoes.
Darren says
I’d definitely make these again but add more garlic and some Parmesan cheese.
Tara Matz says
These are amazing!!!!!! I might skip the noodles and eat the whole pan of meatballs and sauce! Yum!
Carmen Aponte says
This meatball and sauce recipe is amazingly delicious. I will definitely share it and make it again. ????
Lindy says
Enjoyed this meal. Only recommendation would be to double the sauce. It is so good and it left me wanting more. I also cut back on the onions in the meat balls. Just seemed like the amount was out of balance. I may have used a larger then was intended onion. Will be making this again (with extra sauce).?
Sis says
I just joined this website yesterday, and made the Easy Italian Meatballs today. Without a doubt, they were out of this world.
The only change I made was to add an extra clove of garlic.
Dee says
Everyone loved it!
I doctored up the sauce a bit but overall an easy and delish recipe
Iriy says
Easy, tender and delicious!!! Made Sunday sauce with ribs, sausage and decided to add these meatballs. Yum!!
Kayla Gates says
Amazing! Turned out well.
Glenda says
Your meatball recipe was a big success with my family. They were easy to make and delicious. A winning combination! Thanks!
Mikayla Johnson says
I made this delightful meal this week for my family and we so enjoyed it! I struggle with meatballs that are dry, this recipe keeps them nice and moist and totally flavorful. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Nora! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Amrita says
I made this with minced chicken and it came out perfect! even used the leftover meatballs to make sliders with bacon on top!Want to try it next with a piece of parmesan in the middle of the meatball. Truly the best meatball recipe ive ever tried.
Laney says
I see the nutrition info, but I don’t see the serving size? Is that for 1 serving of the meatballs (no noodles), assuming you split the meatballs evenly into 6 servings?
Nora Rusev says
Yes, that’s exactly right, Laney! I’ll need to update this recipe so it’s more clear – sorry about the confusion.
Danijela says
Have to say that I made them today for the first time and everybody LOVED them! They turned out amazing and it was so simple.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Danijela!
KarlaM202 says
Thanks for the great recipe ! I doubled the recipe since I had 3# of burger to use up ! I adjusted the spices to suit our tastes-added 1/4 t. cayenne, 1 t. garlic powder, 1/2 t. basil, 1/2 t. oregano, and 1/2 t. crushed red pepper. I used a larger scoop, so they took a bit longer to cook – 14 minutes in my oven. Got 30 nice meatballs for the freezer ! Will definitely be making these again !
Cindy H says
Oh My Gosh!! Sooo good! I made it for my work potluck and they were gone in a flash. Some folks even went back for seconds and thirds.
Very east to make. I actually poured olive oil on my hands to roll the meatballs which made it easy, messy, and SO fun.
Very tasty and very easy. Awesome recipe!!
Danielle j says
Am I crazy? I swear the first 3 times I made this recipe there was a section that said to freeze the meatballs for about 10 minutes to help with the shape and another part that listed shredded carrots in the sauce…
This is a GREAT recipe. I’m just wondering if I’m going crazy or if something changed LOL
Nora says
Danielle, check out the dates at the top of the post! I updated it recently. Noticed the new photos, too? ? You’re not going crazy! I re-tested and simplified the recipe because it was getting so little attention and numerous comments on Pinterest how it sounded too complicated so they didn’t attempt it. I had no idea people were actually making it ? or I would have made a note in the post, which is what I usually do when I update a post this much. Sorry for the confusion! But let me know in the comments when you make a dish from here, it’s greatly appreciated to know there’s actual people cooking my recipes 🙂
Amanda says
This recipe is so easy to make I love it! Your photography is stunning as well! Thanks for sharing!
Renee says
What kind of red wine do you recommend?
Nora says
Hi Renee, I really don’t pay that much attention to what wine I cook with, to be honest. I just pick a dry one that’s not too expensive. Sorry I’m not of more help ?