Italian Meatballs
These Italian Meatballs come complete with marinara sauce and are a classic comfort food! Juicy meatballs made from scratch, smothered in a delicious homemade marinara sauce. Serve over pasta for the perfect Italian dinner.
Servings: 7
Calories: 327kcal
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1½ pound ground beef
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder optional
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Sauce
- 3 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup beef broth or red wine
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make Meatballs: In a large bowl mix all the meatball ingredients together so that everything is well incorporated. Form the meatballs into small 1 inch balls. Use a small cookie scoop to make this easier. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- Make Sauce: In the meantime melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium, add chopped onion and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add the tomato sauce including the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir. Add the meatballs to the saucepan and make sure to toss them around a bit they are fully covered in sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Serve: Serve with mashed potatoes, spaghetti or your favorite side dish.
Notes
- Recipe yields around 28 meatballs. Nutritional information assumes 4 meatballs and sauce per serving.
- Make sure when you're cooking your garlic, not to burn it! This will throw the entire flavor of the dish off.
- You can use different proteins such as ground pork, ground chicken or turkey, or you can even combine them.
- Feel free to incorporate any of your favorite spices/seasoning to make these to your liking!
- These Italian meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
- You can also freeze these meatballs with the marinara sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 992mg | Potassium: 722mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 753IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 4mg