Meatball Recipe in The Oven

A meatball recipe in the oven is the easiest meal prep hack. This baked meatball recipe comes together quickly and makes extra for your freezer.

It serves as the perfect appetizer for any holiday. Serve as is or in your favourite sauce. I share my simple 3 ingredient meatball sauce in case you don’t have one.

If you’ve never baked meatballs then prepare to love it! It makes little mess and has great flavour.

Ingredients Needed to Bake Meatballs in The Oven

• Ground beef: I like to use 90% ground beef but 80% is good too. I like 90 because it doesn’t bake down as much as 80 does.
• Ground Pork: I use plain, unseasoned ground pork or substitute it for more ground beef. It adds nice fat to the meatballs because pork has more and softer fat.
• Eggs: Binds the meatballs together. 
• Potato: This adds nice texture, moisture and taste. You can easily omit this without altering the recipe. 
• Flour: It helps to absorb some of the fat and also holds the meatballs together.
• Salt & Pepper: It needs both and keeps the taste simple and balanced. Salt brings out the flavours in the meat.
• Parsley: My favourite herb to go with ground beef and adds a bit of colour. Good beef doesn’t need much seasoning.
• Worcestershire Sauce: I add this to give it a wonderful unique taste.

How to Bake This Meatball Recipe in The Oven

Learning how to bake meatballs in the oven is simple and such a great meal prep hack. I often prepare mine in advance and store them in the fridge until I’m ready to use (up to 3 days).

Step 1: Season & Mix

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

• In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and parsley. Then add in the Worcestershire sauce and the eggs. Whisk the seasoning into the eggs using a fork or a whisk. 
• Mixing these first ensures that the seasoning is mixed more evenly through your ground meat. 
  Add the egg mixture to the ground meat and stir by hand or with a wooden spoon until combined.
  

Step 2: Shape Meatballs

• Using your hands or a cookie scoop, form the meat into meatballs. I use about 2-3 tablespoons of meat to make one meatball. Spread them evenly onto the prepared baking sheets.

Step 3: Bake Meatballs 

• Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 160F. 

Step 4: Add to Sauce (if using sauce)

I like to place my sauce into a glass serving dish and just throw it in the oven or the microwave to heat it up. After it is hot I add the meatballs 10-15 minutes before serving.

Easy Meatball Sauce Recipe

The ingredients you need are:

• Chili sauce, cherry or strawberry jelly and a bit of apple juice. 
• Combine ¾ cup chili sauce with ½ cup of cherry jelly and a ½ cup apple juice. Mix tog and heat in the oven until hot. 
• Then add in the meatballs. Wait at least 10 minutes before serving. 
  

How Do I Keep Meatballs Moist While Baking?

The most important thing to do is to not overmix them. Mixing by hand is best or with a wooden spoon. If they are overmixed they can become dry when baked.

I also like to add in finely grated onion, potato and sometimes carrot to help keep moisture. The eggs also lend moisture to the meatballs. 

Do I Need to Cover Them With Foil? 

It’s best to bake meatballs uncovered so that you get a crisp outer layer. Foil will trap in steam and prevent that from happening.

When reheating your meatballs in the oven you can cover with foil to help keep them from drying out. Just uncover them for the last few minutes of baking.

How To Reheat Leftover Meatballs

Oven: Reheat your leftover meatballs by baking them in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350°F. Place the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet. 

Microwave: Or heat in the microwave until heated through.

Stovetop: If your meatballs are in a sauce, you can definitely heat them up in a saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until heated through.

How To Freeze Raw Meatballs

First season and mix your meatballs like normal. This method works with any meatball recipe. Shape meatballs and place them on a parchment lined tray. Cover with cling wrap then place in the freezer for about 6 hours.

At this point the meatball will be solid enough to transfer to freezer bags. Place as many meatballs as you will need for one meal in a bag. I do 5-6 per adult and always add a few extra. Because we tend to eat as many as I make over here.

Freeze the bags of meatballs until you’re ready to use them. Then when you are ready simply place the meatballs on a cookie sheet, thaw for an hour or two and bake.

Can I Freeze Cooked Meatballs?

Yes you can freeze them in meal sized portions. Once they are cooled, place them in freezer bags or containers and freeze.

Or flash freeze them on a cookie tray and then place them all together in a container or freezer bag

What to Serve Baked Meatballs With

These meatballs are great to serve with rice or noodles. Sometimes I serve them with my easy oven baked fries or potato wedges.