Italian Meatball Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 4, 2026 
These classic Italian meatballs are made with a combination of ground beef, pork sausage, and veal for that authentic old-school flavor and the best perfectly tender texture. They’re baked in the oven for less mess before simmering in a simple tomato-butter-onion sauce. Serve them for dinner with pasta and grated cheese, with polenta, or loaded into a meatball sub or appetizer-sized sliders.
I honestly think that meatballs are my families ultimate comfort food. From Asian-style meatballs on rice bowls to creamy Crockpot Swedish meatballs no one is ever sad to hear that I’m making meatballs for dinner. They’re such a great canvas for so many different flavors… But sometimes you just want a tender, moist, old-school Italian meatball recipe in a rich tomato sauce. I’ve spent years testing this recipe to create the best, softest, most flavorful Italian meatballs ever. They’re baked then simmered for minimum fuss but maximum flavor, using a trinity of ground meats and a very simple tomato-butter-onion sauce that tastes bright and comforting without overpowering the meatballs.
Bonnie – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I was very skeptical of the sauce…I wanted to add more ingredients but I followed the recipe as directed. So glad I didn’t change anything…this was perfect…my family devoured it. The meatballs were so juicy and tender. The sauce is perfect with the meatballs. My little one is so picky and cleaned her plate! Makes a ton of meatballs to freeze for future meals too! Eating a bowl of meatballs as I post this…I’m addicted! Definitely a keeper. Thank you.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
A mix of meats provide the best flavor and texture – If you’ve made my Greek lemon meatballs you’ll already know this, but using a mixture of at least 2 different meats creates meatballs with next-level flavors and textures. These meatballs have ultra-rich Classic Italian flavor from the combination of 3 meats: ground beef, Italian pork sausage, and veal. Using Italian sausage in particular instead of the ground pork many other recipes calls for helps amp up the flavor and create a better texture as it contains more fat than just another type of ground meat.
The sauce gets nice and meaty with my “sacrificial meatball” trick – I find simmering uncooked meatballs in the sauce doesn’t make the most tender meatball, so I prefer to bake them first then add them to the sauce near the end. But, if you love the taste of ultra-rich unctuous sauce that has meatballs cooked in it, you can mimic this by “sacrificing” 3-4 meatballs, cooking them directly in the sauce while you bake the rest. That way, you have a robust meaty-flavored sauce base, yet still have soft tantalizing meatballs to add before serving. The sacrificial meatballs can then be discarded, or simply mixed in with the rest. (Yes, 3-4 meatballs will be slightly tougher and less tasty than the others if you keep them!) But they are honored and appreciated by all who taste the sauce! *wink*
Meatball lovers, also check out my fabulous Italian meatball soup!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Ground beef chuck, ground veal and ground Italian sausage – It’s the combination of these three meats that give such amazing, old-school flavors. I also find you get the best textured meatballs if you let the meat rest to room temperature before mixing with the rest of the meatball ingredients. You can substitute ground turkey for ground veal, however, that does change the authentic old-school flavor. If making a swap, I suggest adding in ground lamb!
- Milk-soaked breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs are a common meatball ingredient to help with the texture (the egg that binds them tends to make the mixture a bit wet, so the breadcrumbs help with this, even when soaked with milk!) The enzymes in the milk will also help break down the texture of the meat for super-tender meatballs.
- Garlic cloves – I find fresh garlic gives the best flavor here, but in a pinch you could use pre-minced.
- Italian seasoning – For that classic Italian meatball flavor! Buy it or make italian seasoning yourself!
- Eggs – These are the binder that will hold the meatballs together. In a pinch, you can use 1/4 cup of mayonnaise per egg, but the meatballs won’t have the traditional texture and will be a lot softer.
- Grated Parmesan cheese – I prefer to grate my own (even though it will take a while to get 1 cup!) as that way none of the anti-caking agents that are added to pre-grated cheese will end up in my meatball mix.
- Fresh chopped parsley – This will add another layer of herby flavor that is totally different from the dried herbs in your Italian seasoning.
- Canned tomato sauce – Your go-to brand will be fine here!
- Butter – This will add signature richness to the tomato sauce.
- Red onions – I find red onion provides the perfect sweet-savory base for the tomato sauce, but in a pinch white or brown onions will also do. Just add sugar to the sauce to taste if it needs any more sweetness at the end of cooking.
How To Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, serving tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Start the tomato sauce – First, I set a large 7-8 quart saucepot over medium heat. I add the butter to the pot and once it has melted, I add the onion wedges and sauté them for 5-8 minutes to caramelize, soften, and release their sweet juices.
Add the tomato – I then add the tomato sauce. I partially cover the pot and simmer on medium-low for 45-60 minutes, so the butter and onions can work their magic with the tomatoes!
Soak the breadcrumbs – Next, in a large mixing bowl I combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Then I add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, eggs, grated parmesan, parsley, 2 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. I mix well.
Add the ground meat – I add in the ground beef, veal, and Italian sausage, gently breaking the ground meat into small chunks with my fingers as I transfer it from package to bowl. Then, I toss everything together lightly. This pre-mixing process helps to get the ingredients evenly distributed, without overmixing.
Mix – Then, I mix the meatball mixture with my hands until it is evenly combined, but not a moment longer. Overmixing meatballs makes them tough! You want the mixture to be even, but not packed down.
Prepare for baking – Next, I preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and set out a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Shape the meatballs – I use a 2 ½ – 3 tablespoon scoop to portion out the meatballs. I roll them well, but being careful to not press and pack them tightly. If needed, I’ve found that you can use your fingers to pinch any cracks together. I then set them on the baking sheet.
Pro Tip: If you want to try the “sacrificial meatball” trick I mentioned about, throw 3-4 meatballs into the sauce right now and let them season the sauce!
Bake – I bake the meatballs for 20 minutes to set before finishing them in the tomato sauce.
Simmer in the sauce – Finally, I use use tongs to pull the chunks of onion out of the tomato sauce and throw them away. Then I use tongs to move the meatballs into the tomato sauce, pouring the pan juices into the sauce also before giving it a good stir. I allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes before serving warm.
Recipe Variations
- Ditch the sauce – These Italian meatballs are a great all-purpose meatball for other recipes. If you’re not going to simmer them in a sauce, bake them for 25 minutes to fully cook through.
- Creamy tomato sauce – Stir a splash of heavy cream or a spoonful of mascarpone into the sauce at the end of cooking for a rosé-style finish.
- Make it spicy – Sub the Italian sausage for hot Italian sausage, or add red pepper flakes to the mix, or both to add a kick to the meatballs.
Serving Suggestions
Over pasta (bucatini!) with a grating of cheese and perhaps some chopped fresh basil or parsley is the obvious choice for these meatballs (with some garlic bread on the side, obviously!) but this combination would also work really well spooned over polenta, rice, cauliflower rice or mash, or mashed potatoes.
You can also load them into sliced baguettes with mozzarella or provolone cheese for full meatball subs. Give your assembled subs a quick bake in an oven for extra deliciousness!
And, you can serve the meatballs either without the sauce, or in a small dish with sauce and toothpicks for a simple appetizer, or as cute little sliders on rolls.
Storage Notes
Meatballs baked, but not simmered, will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Just be sure to bake them a bit longer though if you’re not planning to simmer!
The meatballs and sauce will keep well together for up to 4-5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can freeze meatballs raw for up to 2 months before baking. Once you’ve formed the meatballs and placed them on a baking sheet, flash-freeze them for one hour until firm. Then transfer them to a freezer safe bag before putting them back in the freezer to store.
Baked meatballs can be cooled, stored in an airtight bag, and frozen for up to 3 months. Plus the entire dish, meatballs and sauce, can be transferred to an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Italian meatball recipe makes roughly 45 golfball-sized meatballs. However, you can double or halve the recipe as needed to make smaller or larger batches. I love to freeze half of what I make to enjoy later!
Yes, you could cook them in a skillet, although that would take a longer time, working in small batches. Plus, they would have a crunchier exterior. Baking them and then allowing them to finish cooking in your homemade marinara sauce will ensure the best textural results.
The simple answer is a very loud YES it’s worth it! A quick bake beforehand helps “set” the meatballs, so they retain most of their juices and stay moist on the inside. When you cook them directly in the sauce, most of the moisture works its way out into the sauce, creating flavorful sauce but bland meatballs. Plus, if the meatballs don’t have an exterior skin/crust they fall apart easily. Baking first, therefore, helps hold in the meatballs’ moisture and flavor, so it doesn’t all escape into the sauce.
Tough meatballs are usually because you’ve over-mixed the mixture or packed them aggressively. You want everything combined, but only just. You want the mixture to be even, but not packed down. Use the lightest touch possible mixing to keep them nice and tender!
Yes, you can. However, it’s good to remember that the dairy enzymes break down and soften the texture of the meat, so the meatballs will be slightly tougher without the cow’s milk.
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Italian Meatball Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Meatballs –
- 1 pound ground beef chuck room temperature
- 1 pound ground veal room temperature
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage room temperature
- 1 cup breadcrumbs regular or panko
- ½ cup whole milk or 2%
- 6-7 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
For the Tomato Sauce –
- 112 ounces tomato sauce 4 large cans
- ¾ cup butter
- 2 large red onions cut into wedges
Instructions
Start with the Tomato Sauce:
- Set a large 7-8 quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the butter to the pot. Once melted, add the onion wedges. Sauté the onion wedges for 5-8 minutes, to caramelize, soften, and release their juices.
- Add the tomato sauce. Partially cover the pot and simmer on medium-low for 45-60 minutes.
Methodically and Delicately Make and Bake the Meatballs:
- Meanwhile, set out a large mixing bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in the bowl. Then add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, eggs, grated parmesan, parsley, 2 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix well.
- Add in the ground beef, veal, and Italian sausage. Gently break the ground meat into small chunks with your fingers. Then toss it with the milk and herb mixture to coat the meat chunks. This pre-mixing process helps to get the ingredients evenly distributed, without overmixing.
- Now mix the meatball mixture with your hands until evenly combined, but not a moment longer. (Overmixing meatballs makes them tough! You want the mixture to be even, but not packed down.)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set out a large rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
- Use a 2 ½ – 3 tablespoon scoop to portion out the meatballs. Roll them well, but do not press and pack them tightly. If needed, use your fingers to pinch any cracks together. Set them on the baking sheet. (At this point, you could cover and chill the meatballs for up to 2 days. Or you could freeze them.)
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes to set. (The meatballs will finish cooking in the tomato sauce. If you plan to use the meatballs in a different way, bake them for 25 minutes to fully cook.)
Simmer the Meatballs in the Tomato Sauce:
- Now use tongs to pull the chunks of onion out of the tomato sauce. Discard the onions. Then use tongs to move the meatballs into the tomato sauce. Pour the pan juices into the sauce and gently stir. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.
How many meatballs does this recipe make?
I was very skeptical of the sauce…I wanted to add more ingredients but I followed the recipe as directed. So glad I didn’t change anything…this was perfect…my family devoured it. The meatballs were so juicy and tender. The sauce is perfect with the meatballs. My little one is so picky and cleaned her plate! Makes a ton of meatballs to freeze for future meals too! Eating a bowl of meatballs as I post this…I’m addicted! Definitely a keeper. Thank you.
I just finish this recipe
I omitted the cheese intentionally
I cooked them on a rack on top of my cookie sheets so then can drip
They are absolutely delicious, I tested one and I had to old myself back for not eating them all.
I made approx 75 meatballs.
Second time making them, I make larger meatballs so I have about 20-25 meatballs which I added 10 minutes additional cooking time in oven. Great recipe & meatballs are not dry or tough at all. Looking forward to dinner tonight
Made these yesterday, followed all directions except didn’t have veal so used a little more beef. They were great and the sauce was right on. Thought the butter and onion wedges sounded a little strange, but it turned out perfectly. Put half the meatballs in the sauce after baking and froze the other half raw, about 20 – 20. Just wondering how you would cook the meatballs after freezing. Would you defrost first, or bake from frozen, what temp, how long, etc. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Again, this was a really great recipe, thanks so much!
How many meatballs does this recipe make?
Hi Barry!
This recipe makes 45 meatballs. It’s enough for a large family dinner, or you can use some now and freeze some for later. :)
These meatballs are so soft and delicious! Such a great idea for meal prep!
Such a really comforting dinner! Everyone at my house loved it!
Hi, can I substitute almond milk for dairy and rolled oats for breadcrumbs?
Hi Cassie,
Yes, you can. However, it’s good to remember that the dairy enzymes break down and soften the texture of the meat, so the meatballs will be slightly tougher without the cow’s milk.