I only recommend products I use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

Though I am a southern girl some of my favorite comfort food is Italian. Meatballs are one of those comfort foods. I prefer to bake the meatballs instead of pan frying. They end up being tender all the way through without ending up too tough. The size that my husband shapes them in to makes them the perfect size for appetizers or to pile on to a sub roll for meatball subs. We love this meatball recipe.

I prefer to use ground beef for meatballs but you can use any ground meat or ground meat mix. If you use any other ground meat than beef you should watch the baking time closer because the less amount of fat in the meat the quicker they can overcook and become tough. When it comes to mixing the meat I prefer to hand mix but be careful not to over overwork the meat.

meatball recipe

To make this meatball recipe you'll need: 1 lb. of ground meat, ½ cup of milk, ½ cup of Italian breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, ¼ cup fine minced parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup diced onion, 1 clove of garlic (minced).

how to make meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the milk and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare the rest of the meatball mixture. In a large bowl whisk the egg, parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley.

Add the meat to the egg mixture. This is where you convince one of the kids to hand mix the meat mixture or get your hands down in there. Once that is good and mixed together you'll add in the onion, garlic, and soaked breadcrumbs. As you mix it works better to pinch the meat rather than kneading it like a dough.

Once the meat mixture is ready you can pinch off pieces and roll it in your palms to form meatballs about 1 & ½ to 2 inches in size. Arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet. Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes (at 400 degrees).

On busy nights we can bake these up and just mix them with jar sauce and top with shredded mozzarella and enjoy. They also make great additions to a plate of spaghetti or on their own they are a enjoyable appetizer.