oven-baked meatballs in marinara sauce
Last updated: September 2023
With two key ingredients, these are some of the most flavorful (yet simple) meatballs you’ll make.
These are seriously THE BEST Oven-Baked Meatballs, made even better in a marinara sauce. This isn’t your average meatball recipe (I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom). There are two tricks to this recipe that will elevate the taste that I think are the key to making these extra delicious.
This is another one of my family recipes that I’ve been having since I was a little kid. I’m not going to make this a long blog post about my childhood and meatballs but you can imagine that coming home to these after a day in elementary school was pretty epic. The meatballs become so tender in marinara sauce & pair well over a bed of your favorite pasta with a simple veggie on the side — OR you can serve them without sauce! They’re just as good.
The two key ingredients? Grated onion and fresh breadcrumbs! Yep, you’re literally going to grate the onion with all its juices for the mixture. And breadcrumbs from fresh, dried bread will elevate this recipe so, so much (you can use store-bought too, but trust me on this one).
I can’t wait for you to try this comfort-food delight that’s been in our family for so long!
Check out my Instagram Reel for a quick visual on how I make this recipe!
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef (I use 80/20)
1 grated medium onion WITH juices
1 large clove garlic minced
1 cup breadcrumbs (fresh grated breadcrumbs to elevate recipe)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
DIRECTIONS
To prep fresh breadcrumbs, lay out 3-4 pieces of Italian bread at room temp about 6 hours before you make the recipe. Once they feel dry, throw them in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. If using regular breadcrumbs, skip this step and add in regular breadcrumbs when combining all ingredients (step 4 below)
Preheat oven to 400F
Grate 1 medium onion using a box grater over a plate or bowl to ensure you capture all of its juices.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl
Form into 1-inch rounds and place on a baking tray
Bake for 18-20 min, flipping halfway through (internal temp should reach 165F)
Pat off excess grease with paper towel
Pour jar of marinara sauce (about 24 oz) in pan on low heat & add meatballs, then cover & let simmer for 20 min
Serve over your favorite bed of pasta, and enjoy!
NOTES
Store in fridge for 3-4 days (with or without marinara).
Freeze cooked or un-cooked without marinara sauce for up to 2 months.
When pulling meatballs from freezer and they are already cooked, thaw in fridge overnight and then simmer on the stove top with marinara for about 20 minutes.
When pulling meatballs from freezer and they are not yet cooked, thaw in fridge overnight and follow cooking directions to bake in oven. Then, simmer on the stove top with marinara for about 20 minutes.
Fresh breadcrumbs are not necessary in this recipe but they truly elevate it! Italian bread from the grocery store bakery section will work wonderfully if this is what you chose to do.
Grated onions are truly key in this recipe. You'll grate the onion over a plate/bowl to ensure you capture all of the juices grated as well. This adds incredible flavor to the meatballs that you will miss if you chop the onions.
You can make this same recipe without the marinara sauce!
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Oven-baked Meatballs in Marinara
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
- Store in fridge for 3-4 days, freeze (without marinara) cooked or un-cooked for up to 2 months.
- When pulling meatballs from freezer, thaw in fridge overnight and then simmer on the stove top with marinara for about 20 minutes.
- Fresh breadcrumbs are not necessary in this recipe but they truly elevate it! Italian bread from the grocery store bakery section will work wonderfully if this is what you chose to do.
- Grated onions are truly key in this recipe. You'll grate the onion over a plate/bowl to ensure you capture all of the juices grated as well. This adds incredible flavor to the meatballs that you will miss if you chop the onions.
- You can make this same recipe without the marinara sauce!
