Easy Meatballs
These simple meatballs are quick, easy, and great for meal prepping. You don’t need to chop anything – instead, we’re using pantry spices and seasonings to make them. Just mix, roll, and brown – that’s it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Today we’re keeping things simple and making meatballs without sauce. Meal-prep meatballs, if you will, because having a batch on hand means easy dinners are just a few steps away.
They’re made with beef to keep things easy – so, no sausage or ground pork – just all-beef meatballs that you can use to make different meals.
We’re using simple pantry ingredients for a quick and easy prep time. Ingredients you probably already have on hand, which also means there’s no chopping needed.
And while they are simple, they are delicious – savory, well seasoned, and tender and ready in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- Dried breadcrumbs: you can also use panko if that’s what you have on hand!
- Large eggs
- Dried seasonings: Oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Lean ground beef: Or switch it out for ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
- Olive oil
How to Make Them
- Make the meatball mixture: Combine everything but the olive oil in a large bowl.
- Form the meatballs: Use a scoop to form each meatball (about a generous tablespoon). You can make bigger ones, but they will need a longer cooking time.
- Cook them: Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the meatballs in a single layer. They will take about 10 minutes.
- Serve or store them: Serve them or let them cool and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.
Different Ways to Serve Them
- Of course, the most obvious: warm them up in some homemade marinara sauce or other pasta sauce, add your favorite pasta and garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.
- Use them to make meatball subs – add your favorite tomato sauce, pile them in rolls, and top them with mozzarella cheese.
- Warmed them up in some BBQ sauce and serve them with some roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.
- Or coat them in teriyaki sauce and serve them on some rice with some veggies on the side.
- Use them to make Swedish meatballs or meatball stroganoff.
- They’re not just a main dish! You can also serve them as an appetizer with a dipping sauce like marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, ranch dip, or tzatziki.
Easy Meatballs
These homemade meatballs are quick, easy, and great for meal prepping. Just mix, roll, and brown – that's it!
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Servings: 36 meatballs (approximately)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Mix 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl.
- Add the beef to the bowl and mix until well combined. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the beef mixture (approximately .80 ounce) to form each meatball and set them aside on a large plate.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the meatballs in the pan and brown them on all sides until they are cooked through. Adjust the heat to medium if needed so they don't brown too fast. They will take about ten minutes to cook.
- Serve them right away or store the meatballs in the refrigerator for later. You can also freeze them.
Notes
What’s great about this recipe is that it works with different ground meat – try using this recipe to make turkey meatballs or ones with ground pork or chicken. You can also use Italian sausage or do a combination of any of these.
A pinch or so of red pepper flakes mixed into the meatballs adds a nice kick of heat.
You can bake these instead of cooking them on the stove. This works well if you want to cook them all at once but don’t have a big enough skillet. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them an inch or two apart and then bake them for 15 to 20 minutes a 400°F or until they are cooked through.
Cooked meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for four days. Or you can freezer them in a freezer bag for up to three months.
Nutrition Estimate
Serving: 1 meatball | Calories: 43kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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These are the best easy meatballs and my go-to when I want something low-fuss. I hope you make a batch – I think you’ll like them!
Happy cooking,
LOVE HOW EASY AND GOOD THIS RECIpe is! My go to. I usually make it with 2 pounds of beef, three eggs and salsa and no olive oil! And sprouted oats instead of bread crumbs. Then cook in oven on 400 degree until they smell amazing!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Literally the easiest meatball recipe ever and my family LOVED it! I didn’t have any panko so i just used crushed up saltines and they turned out delicious!! My new go to for spaghetti and meatballs!!
I’m so glad your family loved the meatballs!
Can I bake these in the oven?
Yes, I mention that in the post – here you go: You can bake these instead of cooking them on the stove. This works well if you want to cook them all at once but don’t have a big enough skillet. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them an inch or two apart and then bake them for 15 to 20 minutes a 400°F or until they are cooked through.