Homestyle Beef Meatballs
The difference between a good meatball and a dense one is handling. Keep the mix loose, use a panade to hold moisture, and don't compact the meat. These bake rather than fry, so they're a low-effort weeknight job.
- Cut
- Ground Beef
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 6
- Season
- Year-Round
- Method
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 lb Alaron Farms ground beef
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 yellow onion, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 cups tomato sauce, for simmering
What You'll Need
- Large mixing bowl
- Sheet pan with rack
- Large saucepan or Dutch oven
- Cookie scoop (optional, for even sizing)
Before You Start
- Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes until softened — this panade is what keeps the meatballs tender.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a rack over a sheet pan.
- Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater so it disappears into the mix.
Method
- 01
Combine gently
Mix the soaked breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmesan, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley in a large bowl. Add the beef and mix with your hands just until everything comes together — overmixing makes them tough.
- 02
Roll
Roll into 2-inch balls, about 24 total. Use a light touch and don't compress them. A cookie scoop helps keep them even.
- 03
Bake
Arrange on the rack over the sheet pan and bake 18–22 minutes, until browned and cooked through. The rack lets the fat drip away and keeps the bottoms from steaming.
- 04
Simmer
Warm the tomato sauce in a large saucepan. Add the baked meatballs and simmer gently, partly covered, for 10 minutes so they absorb the sauce.
Kitchen Notes
- No fresh breadcrumbs? Pulse a slice of stale bread in a blender. Panko works too, but soak it longer.
- Baking on a rack rather than searing in a pan means less mess and no splatter burns.
- For food-safety guidance, ground beef should be cooked through — follow the USDA's current minimum internal temperature recommendation for ground beef.
- The meatballs freeze beautifully before or after simmering.
How to Serve It
- Over spaghetti, in a sub roll with melted mozzarella, or straight from the pot.
- A shower of extra Parmesan and torn basil at the table.
- Serve with roasted broccoli or a simple Caesar alongside.
Storage & Leftovers
- Refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 3–4 days.
- Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat gently in sauce on the stovetop.
Using Another Cut?
Ground Beef + Ground Pork
A 50/50 blend is richer; keep everything else the same.
More recipes with this cut
Farmhouse Smash Burgers
Thin patties pressed hard onto a screaming-hot griddle for maximum crust — the burger that made ground beef interesting again.
Weeknight Beef Tacos
Seasoned ground beef, warm tortillas and a table everyone builds themselves — dinner in twenty minutes with almost no cleanup.
Sunday Beef Chili
A deep, slow-simmered chili built on ground beef and toasted chiles — the kind that's better on the second day.
Ground Beef, delivered from the farm.
Choose the Alaron Farms box that fits your household, set your delivery rhythm and tell us how your family likes to cook.