Learn how to bake meatballs easily, so they come out of the oven perfectly. Serve these easy baked meatballs as a main dish or set them atop a plate of spaghetti!
Original post: March 2017 | Updated: April 2023
Why This Recipe Works
If you hear me say, “Oh-my-gosh!” while pulling something out of the oven, it’s because whatever it is that I’m pulling out is not what I expected it to be. Most of the time that means it isn’t as fluffy or pretty or lightly browned as I’d envisioned.
The first time I pulled these delightful little balls of meat out of the oven, however, my words were a declaration of unexpected splendor. Here are a few other things I love about these meatballs:
- These are the best baked meatballs and are so satisfyingly delicious that you’ll hardly be able to stand it.
- This baked meatball recipe is done in 30 minutes!
- Very little prep is required.
- They’re the perfect side dish or main dish, either eaten solo or placed on top of a heaping plate of cooked noodles and spaghetti sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
Ground beef – You may use a leaner meat like lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or venison. For a meat mixture with more flavor, use ground beef, ground pork or a combination of the two.
Crackers – Ritz crackers taste so incredible in this recipe, but feel free to replace equal amounts of crushed saltines or bread crumbs.
Eggs – Eggs act as a binder in meatloaf, so if you cannot eat this ingredient we have a great substitution option. Combine 1/4 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal and use this amount for every 1 egg called for in the recipe.
Milk – Any type of milk can be used in this recipe. Almond, skim, 1%, 2% or whole.
Ketchup – Ketchup helps to add flavor to the meatballs, so use your favorite variety.
Onion – Chop the onion very finely to avoid an end product that falls apart easily.
Cheese – Cheese is added to enhance flavor. Use a grated variety of Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.
Other favorite flavorings – Fresh parsley, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic (or garlic powder), salt and ground black pepper
How To Make Oven Baked Meatballs
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well using a wooden spoon or your hands.
Step 2
Form golf-ball-sized balls out of the meatball mixture and place in a single layer, 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
Serve as a main dish or atop a plate of spaghetti!
Recipe Notes
- Replace the ground beef with turkey for a slimmed down recipe.
- To make these gluten free, either omit the crackers entirely or replace them with a GF variety.
- Add heat to the meatballs by adding cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cooking time may vary if you increase the size of the meatballs.
- If the meat mixture seems dry and crumbly before you roll into balls, drizzle olive oil or a little bit of milk into the bowl and mix together.
- Create Italian meatballs by adding up to 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form the balls for best results and to ensure consistency in sizes.
What To Serve With Meatballs
Meatballs are super easy to make and they have a huge return on flavor, making them the perfect party food. If you are looking for ideas about what to serve with meatballs at a party, read on!
Internal Temp For Meatballs
Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the meatball to ensure that the internal temperature of the meatballs is 160 degrees fahrenheit.
Best Homemade Meatballs
Here are a few other options for making delicious homemade meatballs:
- Crockpot meatballs require only a few ingredients with only a few minutes of prep. They are super easy to make, totally packed with delicious flavor and great for game-day parties or holidays. Let your slow cooker do all of the work for you!
- Instant Pot meatballs are the easiest, quickest, most delicious way to cook meatballs! Done in 30 minutes, your pasta will be happy to have this delicious perfection sitting atop it. Dinner made easy for you and your family!
- Easy Thai Baked Chicken Meatballs are the perfect flavor-packed dinner or appetizer. They are super easy to put together and bake in under 30 minutes.
How Long Are Leftover Meatballs Good For
How long are leftover meatballs good for? If you have leftovers staring at you from inside your refrigerator and you don’t know whether to toss or eat.. read on!
Can You Freeze Spaghetti and Meatballs
Read on for our best tips about how to freeze spaghetti and meatballs so you can enjoy it later.
What To Do With Leftover Meatballs
If you have leftovers on your hands and you need inspiration about how to use them, here are a few leftover meatball recipes:
- Create meatball subs. Add homemade marinara sauce to make it extra delicious.
- Sandwich them between small buns to create meatball sliders.
- Chop them up and add to your next pasta dish.
- Throw them onto your next pizza, along with your favorite pizza sauce or pasta sauce.
- Toss them together with bbq sauce and eat cooked meatballs as a main meal.
- Simmer with broth, vegetables and pasta to create a meatball soup.
Can Dogs Eat Meatballs
When dogs are able to tolerate whichever type of meat is used and the meatballs don’t contain onion or garlic, they can safely consume them.
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How to Bake Meatballs in the Oven
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking with parchment paper and set aside. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well using a heavy spoon or your hands.2 lbs ground beef, 1 cup Ritz crackers, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup onion, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup Italian parsley, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- Form golf-ball-sized balls out of the meat mixture and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Serve as a main dish or atop a plate of spaghetti!
Notes
- Replace the ground beef with turkey for a slimmed down recipe.
- To make these gluten free, either omit the crackers entirely or replace them with a GF variety.
- Add heat to the meatballs by adding cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cooking time may vary if you increase the size of the meatballs.
- If the meat mixture seems dry and crumbly before you roll into balls, drizzle olive oil or a little bit of milk into the bowl and mix together.
- Create Italian meatballs by adding up to 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form the balls for best results and to ensure consistency in sizes.
I see other people have commented on the meatball recipe saying that they used grape jam instead of apricot preserves and so on. You never mentioned grape jam or apricot preserves in this recipe. Am I missing something?
Not at all. They are referencing that’s what they had on hand, so they used it vs going out and purchasing the apricot. But from the collective responses, any jam flavor really works well!
Nice article, thank you for the sharing
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Your meatloaf recipe is the only one my family will eat! It’s amazing. We use homemade grape jam in place of the apricot preserves and it’s wonderful. I was wondering how much of the sauce you would make to go with these meatballs in the crockpot? I know they will be a hit at out Christmas Day appetizer luncheon. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
We also use Frosted Flakes in place of the Ritz. That was my husband’s idea. Turns out great!
Seriously such a great idea! Wow! I’ll have to try this next time.
Megan
Michelle, you just made my day. I love this! Grape jam seems to be a common replacement for the topping, so I’m glad you liked it.
Ok so your question about reproducing the sauce for a meatball crockpot creation has my juices flowing. I’m totally going to create a recipe based on this very thing. I’m not sure amounts yet, but stay tuned and THANKS for the inspiration! Let me know how your version turned out if you give it a whirl for Christmas.
Megan