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Healthy Baked Italian Meatballs in Sauce

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These Baked Italian Meatballs are tender, flavorful and easy to make. This family friendly recipe is perfect for any night of the week. These Keto, Paleo and Whole30 friendly Italian Meatballs are sure to be a staple in your home!

*Originally posted 08/2019; updated 06/2020; 2022

close up shot of a bite taken out of a baked Italian meatball in sauce

I make these meatballs on a regular basis. They don’t require a lot of effort and I can get other things ready while they are baking away in the oven. My kids love them and they are made with ingredients that I feel good about.

The base for these baked Italian meatballs is ground beef and pork. I always have both in my freezer from ButcherBox. The grass fed ground beef is so flavorful and fresh and the pork adds fat to help keep the meatballs tender.

step by step process shots of the easy baked Italian meatballs

You will notice that I don’t add any eggs or breadcrumbs. You don’t need them! We are making meatballs here, not meatloaf. Adding those in can make your meatballs super dense and heavy. These baked meatballs are tender, light and so flavorful.

Baked Italian meatballs in a red sauce topped with fresh parsley and served in a white bowl

Recipe Tips:

  • Make Roasted Spaghetti Squash to go with the meatballs for an easy and healthy meal
  • Use a cookie dough scoop to get equally sized meatballs, this way they will bake evenly
  • Prepare a double batch so you can freeze some for another day – to freeze, let the meatballs cool completely and store in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge and cook in the sauce as instructed
  • These Italian meatballs would make a great meatball sub! Top with some mozzarella for the perfect bite
baked Italian meatball on a fork being held over a bowl of meatballs in sauce

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Easy Baked Italian Meatballs

Sara
These Baked Italian Meatballs are tender, flavorful and easy to make. This family friendly recipe is perfect for any night of the week.
4.97 from 27 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 24 balls
Calories 105 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Pork ground
  • 1 lb Beef ground
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbls Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 Tbls Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper Flakes
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
  • 2 cups Marinara Sauce
  • 2 Tbls Fresh Parsley

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400'
  • Combine all the ingredients (except sauce and parsley) in a large bowl and mix well
  • Use cookie dough scoop or spoon to scoop mixture into your hand. Roll into about 18-24 meatballs
  • Place in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and cover with marinara sauce and bake for another 20 minutes or until completely cooked through
    Top with fresh parsley
  • Let cool slightly and serve over zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or gluten free pasta

Notes

Nutrition facts are auto-calculated and can vary based on ingredients and brands used
WW SmartPoints are based on the Blue Plan and are calculated in the app
*points per meatball

Nutrition

Calories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 7gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 229mgPotassium: 186mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 209IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
Keyword gluten free, keto, paleo, whole30
Tried this recipe?Mention @thebetteredblondie

14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this the other night for my family and it was amazing. Would using all pork make a huge difference? I’m trying to use up all the pork in my freezer. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Alana, I am so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed them 🙂 I have never made them with just pork, but I don’t see it being a problem.

      Reply

  3. Following an AIP diet and I can omit the fennel and pepper in the actual meatballs. However, the diet includes no nightshades which would be the sauce. How important is the sauce to the dish?

    Reply

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Kimbra, it depends on how you are serving them. I love to use them as spaghetti and meatballs, so they sauce is important. But they are just as flavorful on their own baked without the sauce.

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Made these today for our family dinner this evening! They were a huge hit!! Thank you so much for sharing this incredible recipe!

    Reply

    1. 5 stars
      The nutrition facts are based off of one meatball, so you can determine how many you want in each serving

      Reply

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