Juicy Baked Italian Meatball Recipe
Juicy meatballs don’t need to take hours to make! Baked in the oven for less cleanup, these classic Italian meatballs are ready in no time and will be the best you’ve ever had!
Servings: 13 meatballs (roughly)
Equipment
- Cheese grater
Ingredients
- ½ pound cold ground beef 80/20 is best
- ½ pound cold ground pork
- 4 ounces diced pancetta
- ½ cup Italian cheese blend finely shredded works best
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 small yellow onion peeled
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- In a dry pan, add the diced pancetta and cook over medium heat until just crispy. Remove the pancetta pieces from the pan with a slotted spoon, into a medium bowl.
- Use the coarse setting of a cheese grater to grate yellow onion into the same bowl. Leave both the onion and its juices in the bowl.
- Add the cheese blend, panko, garlic, olive oil, Italian seasoning, tomato paste, egg, fennel seeds, pancetta, and salt and pepper to the bowl. Mix until incorporated.
- Then add the beef and pork. Use your hands (best method) or two large spoons to mix together ingredients, until they’re well combined but not over-worked.
- Form ¼ cup-sized balls and place meatballs about an inch apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes, until meatballs reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Serve with your favorite tomato sauce, or however you’d like!
Video
Notes
- It’s okay if the meatballs register at a higher temperature; they won’t be dry.
- While pancetta is optional, it is highly recommended! It adds SO much flavor; you won’t regret it.
- Fennel seeds are also optional but recommended for classic Italian flavor.
- Look for an Italian cheese blend with the other bagged, pre-shredded cheeses.
- Stay away from lean beef and pork if possible, since some fat = flavor and juiciness!
Nutrition
Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg