Easy Homemade Meatballs

Name: The Best Easy Meatballs Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 pound mild Italian sausage; ¼ cup onion (minced); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped); 2 eggs; 1½ cup parmesan cheese (grated); 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning; salt and pepper to taste

By Courtney ODell

4.67 from 30 votes

Dec 04, 2025

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My daughter is super picky – she used to be less fussy about food, but as she gets bigger, the foods she craves gets smaller – except for these Easy Homemade Meatballs! She loves meatballs so much, this is the one recipe I know she can never turn down!

A close-up of a fork holding a meatball covered in tomato sauce with a blurred background of more baked meatballs.

A close-up view of the best easy meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, garnished with chopped parsley and grated cheese.

A bowl of the best easy meatballs, topped with rich tomato sauce and a generous sprinkle of grated cheese.

Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.

At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Perfect Savory Meatballs
- Homemade Meatball Ingredients
- Steps to Make Meatballs from Scratch
Tips For Perfect Easy Italian Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Meatballs
- What to Serve with Meatballs

Perfect Savory Meatballs

These meatballs are super simple, and can be baked, pan-fried, or tossed in the slow cooker – and are totally adaptable!

Homemade Meatball Ingredients

To make from scratch meatballs, we will need the following ingredients:

1 pound ground beef — provides the main meaty base with a tender texture and rich flavor; gives the meatballs structure.
1 pound mild Italian sausage — adds fat, moisture, and seasoning; boosts flavor with fennel, herbs, and natural juiciness that keeps the meatballs from drying out.
¼ cup onion, minced — adds sweetness, moisture, and aromatic depth as it softens inside the meatballs.
2 cloves garlic, minced — brings sharp, savory aroma and classic Italian flavor.
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped — adds freshness, color, and a clean herbal note to balance the richness.
2 eggs — act as a binder to hold the meatballs together, adding moisture and helping them stay tender.
1½ cups parmesan cheese, grated — adds saltiness, nuttiness, umami, and richness; helps bind the mixture and creates a savory crust as it browns.
½ teaspoon sea salt — seasons the meat mixture evenly and enhances the natural flavors.
? teaspoon fresh ground black pepper — provides subtle heat and balance.
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes — adds mild heat and complexity; enhances Italian sausage flavor.
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning — provides an herb blend of basil, oregano, and thyme that deepens the Italian profile.
Salt and pepper to taste — final seasoning adjustment to balance the flavors before forming or cooking the meatballs.

Steps to Make Meatballs from Scratch

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:

Mix Meat

Mix meat, breadcrumbs, egg, and herbs.

Roll Meatballs

Roll meatballs into circles until meat is used up.

A baking sheet with meatballs on it, perfect for easy grape jelly or crockpot recipes.

Cook

Start by searing meatballs in a pan with some olive oil, just to brown them. Put pan in oven to bake, or transfer to baking sheet to cook.

A frying pan filled with keto meatballs covered in a rich tomato sauce, garnished with chopped herbs and a sprinkling of cheese.

Toss in Sauce

Add to sauce and cook until sauce is hot and bubbly.

Close-up of a bowl of meatballs covered in tomato sauce, garnished with grated cheese and herbs. These are the best easy meatballs you’ll ever make, perfect for any occasion.

Serve and Enjoy!

Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley, serve, and enjoy!

Tips For Perfect Easy Italian Meatballs

Mix meatballs in large bowl by hand. While it’s messier, it is best to mix and form meatballs by hand rather than by spoon or mixer – this is one recipe it is best to get your hands dirty!

Use extra parmesan cheese (grated) in place of bread crumbs for an easy low carb keto meatball recipe. While most meatball recipes call for bread crumbs to be included as a binder, I am using extra grated parmesan for a low carb, gluten free, and keto alternative. Plus it’s just easier – I always have grated parmesan cheese on hand but almost never have bread crumbs!

Preheat oven fully before adding meatball skillet. After pan frying / browning meatballs, the meatballs need to go right into a hot oven that has been fully preheated to keep them cooking quickly so they don’t dry out.

Brown in olive oil. Browning meatballs before baking them gives a rich and delicious flavor you can’t get any other way – simply heat a little olive oil on medium high heat until shimmery, place meatballs in skillet, and brown on all sides – about 6 minutes. Meat won’t be fully cooked – which is fine – as it will continue cooking in the oven. Browning meatballs is essential for the best texture and flavor!

Stuff bits of mozzarella sticks into meatballs for a decadently cheesy meatball surprise! If you’d like an extra cheesy kick from this recipe, cut string cheese mozzarella sticks into 1” bites and wrap meatball around mozzarella.

Prep casserole dish or baking sheet with cooking spray. Making sure your pan is well prepared to be nonstick when baking meatballs in oven will save a lot of time and frustration later!

Finish Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. If you’re making traditional meatballs (and not using these in another recipe like my creamy meatball soup) cook your meatballs to done or almost done and then ladle marinara sauce over it and stir to coat.

Keep baking meatballs in marinara sauce until it’s piping hot (I also add shredded mozzarella cheese over the meatballs at this time for a cheesy one pot meatball skillet), then serve.

Slow Cooker Meatballs

If you’d like to make these easy meatballs in a slow cooker, instead of browning on the stove and then baking, please follow the directions below:

Cook on High for 3-4 hours; Low for 6-8 hours. Check meatballs as they cook to ensure they don’t dry out or burn.

Brown meatballs if possible. While this is an extra step, browning meatballs in a skillet quickly before adding to a slow cooker will help keep the meatballs from cooking together, and give it a lovely rich and meaty flavor from browning in the pan first.

Cook to almost done, then add sauce. Don’t add the sauce right away – or it will become oily and will likely separate a bit and over-reduce. Cook meatballs to done or almost done and then add sauce, letting sauce get to piping hot, before serving.

Add ½ cup beef stock for extra flavor and juicy, moist meatballs from the slow cooker (optional).

What to Serve with Meatballs

If you’re looking for delicious easy ideas to serve with these baked meatballs, be sure to check some of my favorite recipes that pair perfectly alongside these meatballs! Also try 10 Minute Broccolini Recipe, Easy No Knead Bread, and The Best Oven Roasted Garlic Parmesan Asparagus Recipe.