These Baked Italian Meatballs are tender, flavorful and easy to make. This family friendly recipe is perfect for any night of the week. You can even make a double batch so you can have some in the freezer for when you need a quick and delicious meal. These Keto, Paleo and Whole30 friendly Italian Meatballs are sure to be a staple in your home!
*Originally posted 08/2019; updated 06/2020
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 ground beef in my freezer from ButcherBox and I get ground pork from my local grocery store. The grass fed ground beef from ButcherBox is so flavorful and fresh and the pork adds fat to help keep the meatballs tender.
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 Italian meatballs are tender and light. You can get more of the flavor from the meat and seasonings this way too.
Recipe Tips:
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Easy Baked Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pork ground
- 1 lb Beef ground
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbls Italian seasoning
- ½ Tbls Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Pepper Flakes
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ 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 throughTop with fresh parsley
- Let cool slightly and serve over zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or gluten free pasta
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!
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.
This is on constant rotation in my house! It’s so good and so easy!! Definitely a favorite!
So happy to hear this!
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?
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.
Hi! Wondering if would be okay to use all beef. We don’t eat pork. Thanks!
Yes, absolutely 🙂 The pork adds fat, so use a ground beef that isn't too lean.
Hi! Are these easy to freeze?
I have not frozen them before, but I am sure they would be great for it. Just freeze them without the sauce.
Made these today for our family dinner this evening! They were a huge hit!! Thank you so much for sharing this incredible recipe!
Hi Amy! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it, thank you for sharing 🙂
How many meatballs is 1 serving?
The nutrition facts are based off of one meatball, so you can determine how many you want in each serving