Homemade Italian Meatballs

Homemade Italian Meatballs have just a few simple ingredients, and our recipe will leave your friends and family asking for this recipe again and again!

Homemade Italian Meatballs are a labor of love in our family. It’s the meal that gets made for holidays or potlucks.  It’s the meal we bring to friends and family that need just had a baby or surgery or lost a loved one.  It is our comfort food. 

Mr. Juggling Act is the meatball maker in our home.  He perfected his craft as a teen working in his dad’s pizza shop.  Now, Olivia is learning quickly and getting quite good at it, too.

On Christmas Eve, we put our homemade Italian meatballs with our Homemade Tomato Sauce recipe into the slow cooker.  The meatballs become super tender and the whole house smells delicious. 

Despite everyone nibbling Christmas cookies and the meat and cheese board, everyone always has room for meatballs!  We serve them sometimes with cavetelli or gnocci, which we only have during the holidays.

Homemade Italian Meatballs Shopping List

To make these meatballs, you will need dried basil, granulated garlic, and dried parsley as well as salt and pepper from your pantry. You will also need:

• ground beef
• ground pork
• bread crumbs
• grated Parmesan cheese

You May Also Need:

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• extra large mixing bowl
• rimmed baking sheet

For a list of some of my favorite items to use when cooking, and why I chose them, please visit my Kitchen Resource page.

How to Make Homemade Italian Meatballs

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix really well.  Mr. Juggling Act uses his hands to mix. 
2. If the mixture feels very dense, you can add a splash of water.
3. Roll the meat mixture into 2″ balls. 
4. The mixture will feel a little like dough that needs more flour, more dense. 
5. TIP: Do not overwork the meatballs.  Roll them gently between your palms until they just come together.
6. Arrange the meatballs on a large baking tray. 
7. Add about 1/2-inch of water to the tray to prevent the meatballs from sticking or burning.
8. Bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until meatballs are browned.

More Italian Favorites:

• Eggplant Parmigiana Pasta Bake
• Basil Tomato Sauce and Mini Meatballs

Using leftover Meatballs and Sauce

Easy Meatball Calzone

Flavorful meatball calzones loaded with mozzarella dn colby jack cheeses make an awesome easy weeknight meal and are perfect for parties or game day, too! We love this super delicious and simple recipe.

Get the Recipe >>>

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Tender delicious homemade meatballs are perfect for most any occasion!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Author: Ang Paris

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix really well.  Mr. Juggling Act uses his hands to mix.  If the mixture feels very dense, you can add a splash of water.
  
• Roll the meat mixture into 2″ balls.  The mixture will feel a little like dough that needs more flour, more dense. 
  
• TIP: Do not overwork the meatballs.  Roll them gently between your palms until they just come together.
  
• Arrange the meatballs on a large baking tray.  Add about 1/2-inch of water to the tray to prevent the meatballs from sticking or burning.
  
• Bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until meatballs are browned.
  
• If you wish to freeze some or all of the meatballs, wait until they are completely cooled.  Place them in freezer bag and remove as much of the air as possible.  Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
  
• Cooked Meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  

Notes

If you do not want to use Parmesan cheese, substitute additional breadcrumbs instead.