One of the best things I have learned in cooking in the past few years is to never fry a meatball in a frying pan. The splatter, the grease and the added time it takes is not worth it, compared to the great results you get when baking meatballs in the oven instead. The ability to line up your meatballs on a sheet tray or in a shallow dish and bake them in the oven is so much easier and still gives you tender, moist and browned meatballs that you can eat alone, or add to any dish.Here is my recipe for baked Italian meatballs, that is simple and tastes like classic fresh Italian food, not heavy and not overdone.
TIPS: Use high quality canned tomatoes, specifically Italian San Marzano tomatoes, for the best flavor. Also use freshly grated cheese. Occasionally I will make 4-5 very large (tennis ball sized) meatballs with this recipe, and increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes to cook them through.
Baked Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb mild or hot Italian sausage
- 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs soaked in 1/3 cup water
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1 3/4 cup or 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix the soaked breadcrumbs with eggs, garlic, 1/4 cup of the grated cheese and salt and pepper. Mix in the meat gently (the mixture will be fairly wet).
- Form 2 inch meatballs by hand or using an ice cream scoop, being careful to not pack too tightly. Put the meatballs in a shallow 13×9 dish, leaving space between them.
- Mix 1/4 cup of water with the crushed tomatoes. Pour tomatoes evenly over the meatballs, pouring it on top of the meatballs, not just around them. Sprinkle remaining grated parmesan cheese on top of meatballs.
- Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes until starting to brown and just cooked through. Let rest 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with cooked pasta tossed in some of the meatball sauce, or as a side to any of your favorite pasta. Or, make an amazing meatball sub topped with provolone or mozzarella cheese, placed under the broiler to melt the cheese.
- Enjoy!