These Homemade Meatballs with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef are easy to make and full of rich flavor. No messy pan-frying required.
These meatballs are tender, juicy, and full of flavor. They are great for more than just a plate of spaghetti and Chunky Garden Pasta Sauce.
Try adding these flavorful meatballs to soups and casseroles, creating meatball subs, or serving them as an appetizer. They are also delicious topped with this delicious Pesto without Basil or this Apricot Barbecue Sauce.
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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. No standing over a hot stove constantly turning and rotating meatballs in a skillet to keep them from burning.
- These Meatballs with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef are freezer-friendly and are a great make-ahead meal. This recipe makes a large batch of meatballs. Serve some for dinner tonight and freeze the rest for another night.
Here are a few other meatball recipes you will want to try: Chicken Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs, Apple Butter Meatballs, or Sage Chicken Meatballs.
Recipe Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make these Meatballs with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef.
Breadcrumbs, Milk, and Egg: Adding additional binders in the form of liquids and eggs to meatballs helps them to hold their shape and adds moisture making sure they are still tender once they have been cooked. Adding a filler like breadcrumbs to meatballs prevents the meat proteins from shrinking and becoming tough.
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 packs more densely 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 Italian Pork Sausage. This combination of meats is readily available and provides just the right amount of fat to create a great meatball.
Tip: 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 the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
Dried Herbs: You could also substitute Italian seasoning or fresh herbs by doubling the amount.
Bread Crumbs: Other binder options include torn-up bread, crackers, or for a gluten-free option try pork rinds.
Milk: Butter milk or yogurt or sour cream thinned with a little water are good alternatives for milk.
Ground Beef: The proportion of fat isn't too important. I typically use either 85/15 or 80/20.
Italian Sausage: For spicier meatballs substitute Hot Italian Sausage for the Mild Italian Sausage. If you can't find bulk sausage buy the links and remove the casings.
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.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a small bowl soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. The breadcrumbs will absorb the milk and become soggy.
Step 2: In a food processor pulse the parmesan cheese, parsley, onion, and garlic until finely chopped.
Step 3: Add the breadcrumb/milk mixture, onion mixture, ground meat, egg, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire, basil, and oregano to a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: Mix with your hands until just combined.
Step 5: 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
Step 6: Bake meatballs in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.
Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). You can also cut a meatball in half to make sure the meat is no longer pink.
Tip: 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.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions
Make-Ahead: 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: Store leftover meatballs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or the microwave.
Freezing Uncooked Meatballs
- Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours until the meatballs have frozen.
- Transfer the meatballs to a zip-top bag and label it with the contents and date.
- Uncooked meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.
- Thaw meatballs in the refrigerator overnight before following one of the cooking methods described below.
Learn The Best Ways to Cook Frozen Meatballs.
Freezing Cooked Meatballs
- After cooling the meatballs place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours until the meatballs have frozen.
- Transfer the meatballs to a zip-top bag and label it with the contents and date.
- Meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
To Reheat Frozen Cooked 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.
Recipe FAQs
Adding additional binders in the form of liquids and eggs to meatballs helps them to hold their shape and adds moisture making sure they are still tender once they have been cooked.
This meatball recipe uses two pounds of meat and will typically make forty golf ball sized meatballs.
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 165°F (74°C).
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.
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.
Expert 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.
- To keep the meatballs from sticking to your when rolling them into balls, spray your hands with a little nonstick cooking spray.
- 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.
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📖 Recipe
Meatballs with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
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 mild 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°F (200°C).
- 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 mild 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 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 the meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). You can also cut a meatball in half to make sure the meat is no longer pink.
Linda says
The meatballs were quite tasty and easy to make. I particularly like the fact that they are baked in the oven. A keeper recipe.
Erica Schramek says
Yay! I am so happy you liked them.
Brenda Lord says
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!
Erica says
Thank you so much. I am so happy you and your mother liked them.