You know we have a thing for meatballs — after all we devoted an entire chapter of our cookbook to meatballs! — and today we’re sharing one of the most classic, most craveable meatball recipes of all — Italian meatballs in red sauce! Juicy and tender, these easy baked Italian meatballs will knock your socks off. Our secret? Using both ground beef and sausage! It makes the baked Italian meatballs truly moist and flavorful. Just add a hearty Italian Chopped Salad or a Simple Italian Salad, a bottle of red, some drippy candles and garlic bread — you’ll feel like you’ve scored an invite to an authentic Italian-American home for Sunday dinner. For even more meatball recipe ideas, don’t sleep on our round up of the 29 Best Meatball Recipes.
Authentic Italian Meatball Ingredients
Beef: 80/20 beef is going to give you the richness and moisture you want your tender Italian meatballs to have.
Sausage: Ground, mild Italian sausage also gives tons of flavor and richness to these meatballs.
Breadcrumbs: Italian breadcrumbs work beautifully here — they’re often labeled “Italian-style” breadcrumbs at the grocery store, and are seasoned with parsley, basil, oregano, and garlic. They’re a great shortcut way to ensure that your Italian meatballs are bursting with flavor.
Parmesan cheese: Freshly greatly with your handy dandy microplane grater, Parm is a must!
Parsley: Fresh parsley brings a lot of flavor and a nice lift of fresh color!
Egg: Eggs are key for keeping your meatballs super, super moist. They bind the filling together, too, and keep them from falling apart as you roll the meatballs, or as they bake.
Garlic: They’re Italian meatballs, right? They’ve got to have fresh garlic!
How To Make Moist, Juicy Italian Meatballs
Mix the meatballs! Grab your favorite big bowl, and add the beef, sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Roll the meatballs. Aim for roughly 2-tablespoons per meatball — aka “golf-ball sized” — but you don’t need to measure.
Bake the meatballs for about 25 minutes.
Make the easy meatball sauce! We’ve upped the ante on the classic Marcella Hazan butter-onion tomato sauce and jumped straight to using a marinara sauce in all its glory and half a stick of butter for richness. Warm the sauce and butter, and stir them together.
Dig in! Sauce + meatballs = heaven!
Tips For Make THE BEST Meatballs
Mix the meat by hand: To have tender Italian meatballs that are moist and juicy and just so succulent, you must must must mix the ground beef and sausage mixture by hand. Why? Because if you overmix the meatball mixture, it can get tough.
Roll the meatballs with a light touch. Keep that tenderness going even when you measure and roll the meatballs.
Keep a little bowl of water next to you as you roll. Why? Keeping your hands damp will help keep the meat mixture from sticking to your hand as you roll the meatballs.
How To Store Or Freeze Meatballs
These baked Italian meatballs are at their most delicious when they’re fresh out of the oven, but they’re also delicious leftover! The meatballs will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you know you’ll have leftovers, wait to toss the meatballs with the sauce until you’re ready to serve them.
To freeze the meatballs, bake them all the way through and then let them cool. Pop them in a zip-top bag and freeze for up to a month.
Meatball Serving Suggestions
Serve the meatballs and sauce straight up in a bowl, with crusty bread on the side to dredge through the sauce.
Serve them over your favorite pasta — of course, spaghetti is the most classic!
Serve the meatballs over a big comforting bowl of creamy polenta.
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Meatballs & Beyond!
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