This Easy Italian Meatballs in Sauce Recipe is one that my Italian best friend taught me to make and it’s so good! These meatballs are baked in the oven in sauce and perfect for pasta, subs and perfect for just eating with a fork!
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My best friend, Nicole, is American-Italian and her husband, Mario, is 100% Italian. Mario is also a fantastic cook and pizza maker. Nicole also has some pretty great Italian cooking talents we love trying both of their kitchen creations and learning how to make some of their Italian favorites.
Both of their families are from southern Italy around Torregaveta and Naples. This is the Easy Italian Meatballs in Sauce Recipe that they use and love! I’m so glad that they shared it with me.
Ingredients For Easy Italian Meatballs in Sauce Recipe:
- ground beef
- ground pork
- Italian bread crumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- shredded Italian cheese blend
- eggs
- salt
- dried parsley
- minced garlic
- bacon bits
- crushed tomatoes
- pasta sauce
- dried basil
Ingredient amounts and entire recipe directions in recipe card below with print option!
I Can’t Eat Beef Or Pork, Can I Make Turkey Meatballs?
Of course you can! I love using ground turkey to make meatballs. I have a great recipe on the blog for Turkey Meatballs! You can use those meatballs in this recipe and bake them with the sauce.
Do I Cook Meatballs Before Putting Them Into The Sauce?
Not for this recipe. For this recipe, the meatballs are going to cook in the sauce.
How to Make This Easy Italian Meatball Recipe:
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Preheat oven 400F and let beef and pork slightly come to room temperature.
You don’t have too BUT if you try to mix everything by hand right from the fridge, you’re hands are going to freeze! -
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, shredded Italian cheese, eggs, salt, dried parsley, minced garlic and bacon bits.
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Mix everything together until completely combined. Mixture should easily stay together when smashed into a ball. If mixture is too dry add another egg, or if it is too eat and goopy, add a bit more bread crumbs.
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Take 3 tablespoons of meat mixture and roll into golf ball sized meatballs.
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Place meatballs in a baking dish or casserole dish. Nicole likes to use these disposable pans / trays when she’s making a ton of meatballs for easy clean up!
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NOTE! You can use any pasta sauce, homemade marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes that you want. Nicole loves homemade sauce and for crushed tomatoes she likes to use Furmanos OR Tuttorosso Tomatoes.
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We opted for canned sauce for this recipe tutorial for the meatballs to make it simple.
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Pour crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce over all of the meatballs.
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Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of dried basil on top.
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Cover with foil.
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Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
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Once they’ve been baked they are ready to be eaten!
Y’all, these meatballs are so good! I think they may be some of the best meatballs that I’ve ever had.
Nicole makes fried meatballs too that are pretty good but these Meatballs baked in sauce are AMAZING!
These meatballs are perfect on their own with a fork and a bit of bread however, they are also great for things like:
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Meatball Subs
You can also serve these over mashed potatoes,
What to serve with meatballs:
Meatballs are also great as the main Entree!! Here are some side dishes to go along with homemade meatballs.
- Fluffy Homemade Rolls
- No Knead Crusty Bread
- Bacon Cheese Nibbles
- Crispy Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Parmesan Garlic Knots
Easy Italian Meatballs in Sauce Recipe FAQ
1. Are these authentic Italian Meatballs? We’re going to call this particular recipe authentic American-Italian Meatballs. This is how Nicole and her husband’s (Mario) family in Italy make them but we substituted a few ingredients that are easier to find in local American grocery stores.
2. Can I use fresh basil instead of dried? YES! Nicole actually prefers fresh basil but my basil plant was bare. She likes to use 5 basil leaves scattered on top of the sauce before baking the meat balls instead of the dried basil I use.
3. Can I use something other than bacon bits? Yep! We used bacon bits but crispy prosciutto is preferred!
4. How long do you bake meatballs in the oven? Bake these meatballs at 400F for 1 hour and 30 minutes total.
5. Can you freeze these meatballs? I haven’t frozen this recipe but I have frozen small meatloaves to reheat before so I would think it would be similar.
If you want to freeze them before cooking them, just mix the mixture, roll them into balls and place them on a baking sheet. Pop the baking sheet and meatballs into freezer for about an hour to flash freeze them. Once they’re froze, you can put them all into a freezer safe bag and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to bake them. Of if you want to bake them first, follow the directions but make sure to use a disposable baking tray or one you don’t mind leavening in the freezer. Then just bake, cool, wrap and freeze.
More Italian themed recipes that you might like:
Easy Italian Meatballs in Sauce Recipe
Easy Italian Meatballs in Sauce Recipe
This Easy Italian Meatballs in Sauce Recipe is one that my Italian best friend taught me to make and it's so good! These meatballs are baked in the oven in sauce and perfect for pasta, subs and perfect for just eating with a fork!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon dried parsley
- 4 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup bacon bits
- 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes
- 48 oz pasta sauce
- tablespoon dried basil
Instructions
Preheat oven 400F.
Let beef and pork slightly come to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Parmesan cheese, shredded Italian cheese,
eggs, salt, dried parsley, minced garlic and bacon bits.
Mix everything together until completely combined.
Use 3 tablespoons worth of meat mixture for each meatball.
Take 3 tablespoons of meat mixture and roll into golf ball sized meatballs.
Place meatballs in a baking dish or casserole dish.
Pour crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce over all of the meatballs.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of dried basil on top.
Cover with foil.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 50 Serving Size: 1 meatballAmount Per Serving: Calories: 127Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 293mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g
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Have you frozen these after they were baked?
I haven’t frozen this recipe but I have frozen small meatloaves to reheat before so I would think it would be similar.
If you want to freeze them before cooking them, just mix the mixture, roll them into balls and place them on a baking sheet. Pop the baking sheet and meatballs into freezer for about an hour to flash freeze them. Once they’re froze, you can put them all into a freezer safe bag and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to bake them. Of if you want to bake them first, follow the directions but make sure to use a disposable baking tray or one you don’t mind leavening in the freezer. Then just bake, cool, wrap and freeze. For my mini meatloaves I always bake them first and then wrap each one in foil and freeze it.