Italian oven baked meatballs are a great dinner idea that will surely please everyone. Baking the meatballs in the oven makes this recipe easy and the homemade pasta sauce is amazing.
If there was ever a dish that can conjure up good memories or make you feel so happy after eating, it is Italian meatballs with pasta. Maybe it is all of the movies that show off this dish or knowing it is a dish that is the essence of homemade goodness.
Perhaps it is that dish that you grew up with where the amazing smells of it cooking all day long emanated from the kitchen. Whatever the reason, this is a dish that can bring smiles!
Cooking the Meatballs:
I have tried many different recipes for meatballs over the years from cooking the meatballs in the sauce, to browning them in a pan first then adding them to the sauce….. You get the point 🙂 These methods have all been very good but I wanted something that was a little easier and still tasted amazing.
For this recipe, I like to cook my meatballs in the oven first then add them to the pasta sauce later. I add olive oil to the meatballs before they cook to help them get that nice crust that pan frying them.
For the photo you see of the meatballs, I used a cast iron pan to cook the meatballs. I also will cook the meatballs on a large sheet pan, especially if I am doubling the recipe to make extra for another night.
The ingredients you will need to make these Italian baked meatballs are:
- ground beef (or a mixture of beef and pork)
- panko bread crumbs
- egg
- Parmesan
- garlic
- olive oil
- milk
- basil
- oregano and Italian parsley
All of these ingredients are mixed together and rolled into a ball and then baked off in the oven.
When you are rolling your meatballs, gently rolling them is key to having tender meatballs. I like to say that if a meatball looks really smooth then it was over rolled. You will notice that my meatballs have some texture on the outside.
The ingredients you will need to make the pasta sauce for the meatballs are:
- San marzano tomatoes (canned)
- garlic
- olive oil
- onion
- basil
- red pepper flakes (it will not make it spicy)
- oregano
This Italian baked meatball recipe is sort of a hybrid of all the ways I have learned to make meatballs and sauce. The flavor of the meatballs and the sauce cooked this way is amazing.
I even threw in my favorite Italian restaurant’s trick to this one as well with the touch of butter at the end (though this is totally optional).
For more Italian Pasta Recipes:
I hope you give these a try and see for yourself why I love it so much!
Italian Oven Baked Meatballs with Pasta
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 lbs of lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 1/2 cups of dried bread crumbs preferably panko
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for the table later
- 2 tbsp of finely chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp of finely chipped fresh basil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
Sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 small yellow onion spanish finely chopped
- 2 28 oz cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil best quality you can find
- 1 tsp of salt and pepper and more to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp salt plus more to taste
Pasta
- 1 box of spaghetti you can use a whole box of ziti, penne or rigatoni as a substitute
- a handful of salt for the pasta water
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine your dried breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for a couple minutes to let the bread crumbs absorb the milk
- Next add 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of chopped basil, 2 tbsp of chopped parsley and 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan and mix well.
- Now, take in the amazing scent!
- Next add your ground beef and beaten eggs along with 1 tsp of salt and pepper
- With your hands gently work all of the ingredients together.
- Grab a large sheet pan (or oven proof heavy bottom pan) and place next to your bowl.
- Start grabbing your meatball mixture and gently roll your meatballs into round balls about the size of a small scoop of ice cream and place on your sheet pan.
- Repeat this until all the meatballs are made.
- Once all the meatballs are on the sheet pan, drizzle them all with a little olive oil which will help them get that nice outer crust when cooking.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the meatballs are nicely browned and crisp.
Sauce Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add your olive oil, red pepper flakes, onions and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften.
- Now add your canned whole tomatoes and with a potato masher or with a large spoon, begin gently pressing down on the whole tomatoes so they begin to break apart. Be careful because the juices will shoot out of the tomatoes when you do this so proceed slowly!
- Next, add 1 tbsp of fresh basil, 1 tbsp of salt and 1 tsp of dried oregano and stir well.
- Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn down heat down to low and allow to gently simmer for at least one hour.
- Once your meatballs are fully cooked, with a flat spatula carefully begin removing them from the sheet pan and adding them into the pot of red sauce.
- Make sure you coat all the meatballs with the sauce.
- Now go ahead and add your tbsp of butter and gently mix that into the sauce.
- Cook for another 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and see if it needs any salt.
Spaghetti
- Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove.
- When the water is boiling salt it well and follow the instructions on the box of pasta for cooking to al dente.
- Once the pasta if cooked drain the pasta and place it back into the pot.
- Add 1 ladle of the red sauce to the pasta and mix well to prevent it from sticking to itself.
Serve
- You can plate this family style by placing your pasta in a large platter style bowl and scooping out the meatballs over top and then pour your sauce right over that.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
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