Easy Baked Meatballs
The ONLY meatball recipe you need! The meatballs come out so perfect and so tender. Serve on pasta, polenta, or subs!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- ½ small onion, grated
- ½ cup Panko*
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, Panko, milk, egg, Parmesan, parsley, garlic and basil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-to-1-1/4-inch meatballs, forming about 30-32 meatballs.
- Place meatballs in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 18-20 minutes; set aside.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in tomatoes and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in meatballs until heated through and evenly coated in sauce, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
*Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.