This easy meatball recipe makes the best homemade baked meatballs! You can make these ahead and freeze them for a busy day or add them to a big plate of noodles and spaghetti sauce for a simpler delicious dinner.
Easy Meatball Recipe
Sure, it’s easy to rip open a bag of meatballs you bought at the store. But I found this easy meatball recipe that’s almost just as simple. I was looking for some easy recipes with ground beef in my little recipe box I received for our wedding. I thought it was about time I started using these treasured recipes that people gave us before my husband and I were betrothed.
This is a great meatball appetizer recipe since they’re a tasty meatball with the addition of nutmeg. They go great with the little smokies sauce or you can also enjoy them with spaghetti and noodles which is what I did.
Simple Meatball Recipe Favorites
This recipe is easy. Remember, I was looking for easy recipes with ground beef.
It’s made with pantry ingredients. I like fresh green peppers and onions like the next girl. However, sometimes the cupboard is bare and for this easy recipe, you’ll only need ground beef and you spice cabinet. Oh, and some milk. But with two growing boys in the house – we’re never out. You?
It’s great for freezer cooking. I’ve been really wanting to freezer cook more. One day I had the epiphany that sometimes it’s nice to not cook every day and avoid take out at the same time. I decided to dive in and start preparing more meals ahead of time.
Here’s the big news. It’s no more work to make 3 pounds of meatballs, than it is to make 1 pound of meatballs. Why did I not take advantage of this more before?
What I’m saying is, these freeze really well. 🙂
Easy Meatball Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef
- Italian Breadcrumbs
- Nutmeg
- Crushed Onions
- Garlic Powder
- Milk
How To Make Meatballs with Ground Beef
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. I received mixing bowls for Christmas that were perfect for this. To mix, I prefer using my hands. There’s no better way to mix a meatball then to just get in there. Mix thoroughly.
Roll the meatball mix into 1.5 – 2 inch balls. I used my scoop to quickly grab the needed amount and keep them uniform. Roll them between your two hands.
If you’re planning to freeze these, placed them in shallow baking tin.
For Freezer Cooking: Place foil over the basic meatballs and used a Sharpie to create a label. You don’t want to have to look up the recipe for the cook-time later so always label them with the temperature and time.
To Bake Right Away: Bake at 350˚ F for 20 – 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
Basic Meatball Recipe Tips
Should you cook the meatballs before you freeze them? It’s up to you. If I am going to use them to top spaghetti I will freeze them raw and then cook them before serving. If I’m going to throw them into the crockpot with a big jar of spaghetti sauce, then I’ll pre-cook them and freeze them. I just throw them in the crockpot frozen with the sauce and let them cook all day long.
Can you bake meatballs in a crockpot? Bake the meatballs before placing in a crockpot with sauce.
How much ground beef per person? One pound of ground beef will make 22 meatballs with this recipe. I would plan on 1/4 ground beef per person.
What fat content of ground beef makes the best meatball? I used 85% for this recipe. Using a more lean hamburger will make the meatballs more likely to crumble.
If you’re like me and you’ve been looking for a great recipe to make in batches, this easy meatball recipe is it. Grab a jar of spaghetti sauce and make dinner happen. Enjoy!
More Ground Beef Recipes
Easy Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 85% or 80% fat content
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Mix well.
- Roll into 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls.
- Place in baking pan.
- Bake the meatballs in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 - 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2014.
Comments & Reviews
So sorry, but I have another question. Rather than using the teriyaki sauce (see first question listed below), would these go well with the grape jelly, barbecue sauce recipe? It also has chili sauce, ketchup and sloppy joe (Hunt’s Manwich Sauce) in it. You mentioned they have a sweeter taste. Would this make it too sweet? I am coming close to date needed for a rather large crowd, and am yet undecided. I Would bake, freeze and then put in crock pot with sauce on day needed for 4 – 6 hours. I would rather use a store bought frozen meatball but have not found one that I am satisfied with. Do you have comments on this for this one time need for store bought? I would definitely use your recipe at a later date. Thank you so much. I really appreciate.
Hi Carol! How did it turn out? I don’t have a frozen meatball option I could suggest as I typically make my own.
Lynette: I have a question. Could I make these up, bake them and then freeze them for a later date? I have a recipe for frozen meatballs in a slow cooker with a homemade teriyaki sauce. Thought maybe these would be better than frozen meatballs purchased at the store. I guess my question too would be would they withstand 4 hours in the slow cooker after being baked, and would this mixture be good with teriyaki sauce? It is for a fairly large group at a later date, and thought maybe I should ask someone that had made these before. Thank you.
Hi Carol! I’ve never attempted to make these in the crockpot for that long so I can’t give you any insight to my experience. However, I don’t think it would be a problem, since they would have been fully cooked and should hold together well. These meatballs have a sweeter taste, in my opinion, so I think they would go great with a teriyaki sauce. That being said, you may want to “test” to make sure.
Easy and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed this meatball recipe!
About how many meatballs does this make? It says it feeds 16 people but how many per person?
Could you cook these meatballs in the crockpot?
Definitely! I’ve done so in the past. They are definitely crispier in the oven, but cook well in the crockpot as well.
Could I freeze them in baggies then bake in a dish?
Yes! I would freeze them separately first though to avoid them sticking together. Once froze, then put in a baggie.
Thanks for the recipe……These sound really easy to make and tasty.
If I want to cook them frozen, how much longer? 10-15 minutes?
Hi Brenda, I would think that would do it. I don’t make them very big, so it would really depend on how large the meatballs are that you create.
Thanks for the reply. I don’t plan to make them any bigger than shown in the picture.
These are also delightful using ground turkey with a bit of bacon added, and lean pork sausage (bulk ground).
I’ll have to try the extra bacon. I think that would be a hit in my house!
You can throw raw meatballs into your simmering spaghetti sauce and they cook through–and are tender and moist–in about half an hour. I bet you could throw them in frozen too and just give them a bit more time. But you might want a leaner ground beef for that because the sauce can get a bit greasy if you have an 80/20 mix.
Great tip Erika! I might try that the next time we have a busy day.