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    Raspberries and Kohlrabi » Recipes » Dinner Recipes

    Meatballs with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef

    Published: Mar 30, 2020 · Modified: Aug 5, 2023 by Erica Schramek

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    These homemade meatballs with Italian sausage and ground beef are easy to make and full of rich flavor.

    The best meatballs should be tender, juicy, and full of flavor. This homemade meatball recipe is great for more than just a plate of spaghetti and homemade pasta sauce.

    Try adding these flavorful meatballs to soups and casseroles, creating meatball subs, or serving them as an appetizer. You could also top them with this delicious spinach pesto or your favorite sauce.

    This recipe makes a large batch of homemade Italian meatballs. Serve some for dinner and freeze the rest for another night.

    Here are some other meatball recipes you will want to try: chicken pineapple meatballs, chicken apple meatballs, and sage chicken meatballs with brown butter sauce.

    Stack of meatballs on a black plate.
    Stack of meatballs on a black plate.

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    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Directions
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Tips
    • Making Meatballs Ahead of Time
    • Storing Leftovers
    • Freezing Uncooked Meatballs
    • Freezing Cooked Meatballs
    • How to Reheat Frozen Meatballs
    • 📖 Recipe
    • More Recipes to Try
    • 💬 Comments

    Why You Will Love This Recipe

    • These perfect meatballs use everyday ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen. Serve them as a family meal or bring them to a party,
    • Baking meatballs is a hands-off easy way to cook them and is much easier than cooking them in a pan on the stove. Simply place the meatballs in the oven, set a timer, and walk away. No standing over a hot stove constantly turning and rotating meatballs in a skillet to keep them from burning.
    • This easy recipe is freezer-friendly and is a great make-ahead meal.
    Meatball ingredients on a dark surface.

    Ingredients

    Breadcrumbs, Milk, and Egg: Adding additional binders, liquids, and eggs to meatballs helps them to hold their shape and makes sure they are still tender once they have been cooked. Adding a binder to meatballs prevents the meat proteins from shrinking and becoming tough.

    This recipe uses breadcrumbs soaked in milk. There are several other options for added binders and liquids. Other binder options include torn-up bread, crackers, or for a gluten-free option try pork rinds.

    Yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk thinned with a little water are good alternatives for milk.

    Parmesan Cheese, Fresh Parsley, Onion, Garlic, Worcestershire Sauce, Basil, and Oregano: This meatball recipe uses parmesan cheese, parsley, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, basil, and oregano to enhance the flavor. You could also substitute Italian seasoning for the herbs.

    You can change the seasonings or spices based on what you have on hand or how you’ll be eating the meatballs.

    • For Asian-inspired meatballs try swapping out the parmesan, parsley, basil, and oregano for hoisin sauce and fresh ginger.
    • For Greek-inspired meatballs try swapping out the parmesan cheese for feta cheese.

    Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which is saltier than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.

    Ground Meat: Meatballs can be made with several different types of ground meat. Try a combination of ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb, ground turkey, ground chicken, ground veal, or ground buffalo. The fattier the meat you use the more tender your meatballs will be.

    My favorite for tender juicy meatballs is a combination of ground beef and ground pork. You can use sweet Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage depending on your preference.

    This combination of meats is readily available and provides just the right amount of fat to create a great meatball.

    If using leaner meats like ground chicken or turkey, you will need to be more careful about cooking times to prevent the meatballs from becoming dry and tough. You can also add a little extra fat like a tablespoon of olive oil or some raw chopped bacon.

    See recipe card below for exact quantities.

    Directions

    Follow the directions below to prepare this simple recipe.

    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheight.

    Bread crumbs soaking in milk.

    In a small bowl soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. The breadcrumbs will absorb the milk and become soggy.

    Parsley, onion, parmesan, and garlic in a blender.
    Chopped parsley, onion, parmesan, and garlic in a blender.

    In a food processor pulse the parmesan cheese, parsley, onion, and garlic until finely chopped.

    Meatball ingredients in a glass bowl.
    Meatball ingredients mixed together in a glass bowl.

    Add the breadcrumb/milk mixture, onion mixture, ground meat, egg, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire, basil, and oregano to a large mixing bowl.

    Mix with your hands until just combined. Do not overwork the meatballs. Mixing the ingredients by hand allows you to ensure the ingredients are combined completely without overworking the mixture. Overworking the meat mixture creates tight tough meatballs.

    Uncooked meatballs on foil.
    Cooked meatballs on a baking sheet.

    Shape the mixture into one inch meatballs using approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each meatball. When shaping the meatballs keep them loose. Rolling and squeezing them into tight balls will create tough overworked meatballs.

    Place meatballs in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake meatballs in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.

    Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheight. You can also cut a meatball in half to make sure the meat is no longer pink.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you know when meatballs are fully cooked?

    The easiest way to know when meatballs are fully cooked is to use an instant-read probe thermometer. When fully cooked the internal temperature of meatballs should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit. An instant-read probe thermometer is an essential kitchen tool. This one from ThermoWorks is my favorite. It is recommended by America's Test Kitchen and is super fast and accurate.

    How can you tell if meatballs are done without a thermometer?

    If you don't own a thermometer, cut a meatball in half. If it is still pink in the middle the meatballs need to cook for longer.

    Tips

    • Do not overwork the meatballs. Mixing the ingredients by hand allows you to ensure the ingredients are combined completely without overworking the mixture. Overworking the mixture creates tight tough meatballs.
    • To test and adjust the seasoning, microwave a small amount of the meatball mixture until it is fully cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
    • When rolling the meatballs, lightly oil your hands to keep the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands.
    • Shape into evenly sized meatballs so that they all cook at the same rate.

    Making Meatballs Ahead of Time

    This is a great recipe for a make-ahead meal.

    Shape the meatballs and place them in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet, being careful to not squish them together. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day. When ready bake according to the directions in the recipe below.

    Storing Leftovers

    Store leftover meatballs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave.

    Frozen meatballs in a ziplock bag.

    Freezing Uncooked Meatballs

    1. Follow steps 1 through 6 in the directions below.
    2. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    3. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours until the meatballs have frozen.
    4. Transfer the meatballs to a zip-top bag and label it with the contents and date.
    5. Uncooked meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.
    6. Thaw meatballs in the refrigerator overnight before following one of the cooking methods described below.

    How to Cook Frozen Meatballs

    Freezing Cooked Meatballs

    1. After cooling the meatballs place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    2. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours until the meatballs have frozen.
    3. Transfer the meatballs to a zip-top bag and label it with the contents and date.
    4. Meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.

    How to Reheat Frozen Meatballs

    Frozen meatballs can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator and reheated in a simmering sauce or warm oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Meatballs can also be reheated directly from the freezer in a simmering sauce or warm oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

    Stack of meatballs.

    📖 Recipe

    Meatballs on Sheet pan

    Meatballs with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef

    Author: Erica Schramek
    These homemade baked meatballs with Italian sausage and ground beef are easy to make and full of rich flavor.
    4.50 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 25 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Dinner Recipes
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 40 Meatballs
    Calories 83 kcal

    Equipment

    • food processor
    • large mixing bowl
    • sheet pan

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
    • ½ cup milk
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese cut into pieces
    • ½ cup fresh parsley
    • 1 large onion peeled and quartered
    • 3 cloves of garlic
    • 1 pound of ground beef
    • 1 pound of ground Italian sausage
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheight.
    • In a small bowl soak the ½ cup panko breadcrumbs in the ½ cup milk. The breadcrumbs will absorb the milk and become soggy.
    • In a food processor pulse the ½ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup fresh parsley, 1 large onion , and 3 cloves of garlic until finely chopped.
    • Add the breadcrumb/milk mixture, onion mixture, 1 pound of ground beef, 1 pound of ground Italian sausage, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon dried basil, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano to a large bowl.
    • Mix with your hands until just combined.
    • Shape the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs using approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each meatball.
    • Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
    • Bake for 18-20 minutes. Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheight. You can also cut a meatball in half to make sure the meat is no longer pink.

    Notes

    Making Meatballs Ahead of Time

    Shape the meatballs and place them in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet, being careful to not squish them together. Cover and refrigerate for up to one day.

    Storage

    Store leftover meatballs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 83kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 181mgPotassium: 81mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 91IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Recipes to Try

    • Four Cheese Lasagna
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    • Chicken Fajitas
    • Chicken Apple Meatballs
    • Frozen Pork Chops
    • Kielbasa, Pierogies, and Sauerkraut

    Thanks for Reading!

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    If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below! You can also snap a picture and post it on Facebook be sure to tag me @RaspberriesandKohlrabi.

    Stack of meatballs on a black plate.
    Stack of meatballs on a black plate.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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    1. Brenda Lord says

      April 01, 2023 at 11:40 pm

      I made these tonight, exactly as written. They were so tender and delicious! My soon to be 92 year old mother said, “these are at 10“! I added them to a little homemade marinara sauce and simmered them for about 15 minutes after I took them out of the oven, delicious! Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Erica says

        April 02, 2023 at 12:45 am

        Thank you so much. I am so happy you and your mother liked them.

        Reply
    2. Linda says

      August 17, 2023 at 2:13 am

      5 stars
      The meatballs were quite tasty and easy to make. I particularly like the fact that they are baked in the oven. A keeper recipe.

      Reply
      • Erica Schramek says

        August 17, 2023 at 2:36 am

        Yay! I am so happy you liked them.

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Erica

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    I am a self-taught cook and the writer, recipe developer, food stylist, and photographer behind this blog.

    I love helping others discover their love for food, just like I have. I'm all about cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Some of my recipes are quick and easy, while others require a little extra love and effort.

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