Are you ready for the best baked meatballs out there? Crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful on the inside, these oven baked meatballs are sure to quickly become a fan favorite! You won’t be able to eat just one.
When cooking for a large family (or, let’s face it, any sized family!) it can sometimes be difficult to come up with a recipe that everyone will eat and love. Here at the Stay at Home Chef household, that fan favorite is definitely spaghetti and meatballs. Not only is it super simple to throw together, but it’s also filling and always delicious. The secret? These oven baked meatballs! Some chefs boil or fry their meatballs, but we swear by this baking technique. You’ll get meatballs that are perfectly crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside every time. These are so good that you’ll want to double or triple the recipe and freeze the leftovers. You’ll have a quick meal on hand that is a guaranteed winner!
Spice Level:
Our oven baked meatballs include a few red pepper flakes. We find that the spice works wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients, and in the end, lends a bit of heat. If you’re really spice-averse, then you can skip it.
No Egg, No Problem!
You may notice that this baked beef meatballs recipe doesn’t call for an egg. That’s no mistake! The ingredients hold up well on their own, without the addition of an egg.
Baking vs Frying vs Boiling:
Again, we love our oven baked meatballs recipe best. But, it all comes down to personal preference. We will mention that frying involves a lot of excess oil, and boiling takes away a lot of the flavor you’ll get from baking. Chef’s choice, as always, but we stand by our baking method!
Should I Sear Meatballs Before Baking?
Some baked meatball recipes will call for you to sear the meat before baking. We’ve decided to keep things simple and have omitted this step completely. We find that if we let them bake for the full 30 minutes, they crisp up really nicely on their own. If you like an extra crispy meatball, leave them in the oven for 35 minutes – just make sure that they don’t burn.
Can I Make This With Ground Chicken?
Absolutely! You can easily turn this baked beef meatballs recipe into a baked chicken meatball – we know because we’ve done it. You’ll want to follow the exact same instructions that you’ll find below, simply replace the ground beef with ground chicken. You can even use ground turkey if you’re interested in giving that a try.
What Can I Use in Meatballs Instead of Breadcrumbs?
If you’re following a gluten-free diet, or are simply gluten sensitive and can’t eat it, there are a few ingredients you can use in the place of breadcrumbs in our baked beef meatballs:
- Oats
- Crushed tortilla chips (make sure to opt for no-added-salt varieties)
- Unsweetened cereal like cornflakes or bran
- Gluten-free crackers (again, no salt added works best)
Troubleshooting: How Do You Stop Meatballs From Falling Apart?
The key is in the binder. In this recipe, that binder is the breadcrumbs or whatever you use to substitute them. You need to find the perfect balance as too many breadcrumbs make for a loose meatball, while too little means that they’ll fall apart. Follow our recipe to a tee and you shouldn’t have any problems.
Serving Suggestions:
There are many different ways to serve up your baked beef meatballs. Here are some of our favorite options:
- On their own
- With spaghetti, homemade marinara, and garlic bread or breadsticks
- On a sub with melted cheese of your choosing
- Pair a salad with any of the above!
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
These meatballs can be frozen. Place on a baking sheet after forming into meatballs and place the pan in the freezer. Once frozen, remove from baking sheet and transfer to a resealable plastic bag for longer-term storage. They will stay good in the freezer for 1 to 3 months.
This is an excellent recipe for meal prepping too! Freeze any extras to use later down the line, or store in the fridge for up to 5 days to get ahead for the week.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store any leftover baked meatballs in an airtight container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, you can reheat them in the microwave at 30-second increments until warmed through.
You could also reheat them on the stovetop in a saucepan with a bit of added marinara sauce. Heat on medium-low until they are completely heated.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious Italian-inspired recipes:
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I haven’t made these yet, but I was looking for a meatball sandwich/sub recipe on your site, but couldn’t find one. Anything special you would put on a meatball sandwich/sub? You always surprise me with your recipes and they’re always so delicious!
You can definitely just use these meatballs on a meatball sandwich. I know a lot of people put marinara which is traditional and maybe cheese, but sometimes I put BBQ sauce with pickled jalapenos and pickled red onions.
Great and easy to make. Kid pleaser. What are the baking instructions for the frozen meatballs? Can they be baked straight from the freezer?
They would just need to cook for 7-10 minutes longer.
I am making your homemade meatball recipe tonight. I love your recipes. I almost always have everything I need in my pantry to follow your recipes.
I wish you sunshine in your day today, I pray the Lord will heal you and make you whole once again. You are a very sweet person and I love your Sunday chats and your cooking videos.
What ratio of fat do you consider to be lean ground beef?
Lean ground beef is considered 80/20 and up.
Can you cook them and freeze them after cooking or does that change the consistency. This would be a great time saver on family trips because I would just have to warm them up.
Yes you can! The only risk you run is drying them out. To keep them moist, you could freeze them in a sauce. A saucepan on the stovetop is the best way to heat them up if you are traveling in something like an RV. You can reheat them in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish. If they aren’t frozen in sauce, add just a tiny amount of sauce or broth and cover with a damp paper towel to trap steam. Heat in 30-second intervals, kind of stirring them in between, to warm them evenly without drying them out.
I just now popped a tray of your meatballs into my oven. I’m so looking forward to having them with my supper tonight. I got slightly less (17) than the recipe calls for. The reason if I’m making meatballs I want meatballs not ping pong balls. I did have to change your recipe up a bit I did not use as much garlic because garlic and I don’t get along to well. Also I had no basil but I did have Italian Seasoning so in it went. Your recipes have never let me down and I have recommended your page to many people. Keep up the great work all of team
What is the sauce for the meatballs?
It’s our famous spaghetti sauce: https://thestayathomechef.com/spaghetti-sauce/
I always bake the meatballs then I squeeze them very gently in paper towels to get the Excess grease out of them.. my mom taught me that trick so the sauce doesn’t get greasy
She alway took the casing off 4 hot Italian sausages and added it to the ground beef mixture.. her meatballs were the best ..