If you’ve been looking for a simple, easy recipe for Oven Baked Beef Meatballs you will love this one.
These Oven Baked Beef Meatballs have been a family favourite for many years and are always a winner. In fact, they are a perfect family meal as adults and children alike love them. They are simple to make and are full of flavour which I provide by adding grated parmesan cheese, finely crushed garlic, parsley and dried oregano.
Until recently I have cooked meatballs in a frying pan. However, this method has several negatives. Cooking the meatballs in a frying pan requires your attention as they must be moved around to ensure even cooking. Invariably whilst moving them around a couple will break up. And inevitably the oil splatters everywhere leaving an enormous mess to clean up. Further, if cooking a large number of meatballs, it is necessary to cook them in batches and this is time-consuming.
It was a revelation when I discovered the ease and convenience of baking meatballs in the oven. Baking meatballs in the oven is by far the easiest and least messy way to cook them. There is no more standing over the stove or cooking in batches, leaving you free to get on with something else. The meatballs remain juicy, tender and full of flavour as the heat in the oven cooks them evenly.
There are no hard-to-find ingredients; in fact, you can find all of the ingredients in your local supermarket.
I use these ingredients:
Minced Beef: My personal choice is to use lean, minced (ground) beef. Although the meat is lean, when cooked in this manner, it will still result in juicy, tender meatballs.
Breadcrumbs: I use whatever bread I have, ideally day old bread, and whiz it into fine crumbs in the food processor. For those requiring gluten-free meatballs, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Egg: I use a free-range egg and this helps bind the ingredients together.
Herbs: I use finely chopped parsley. My preference is for continental (flat-leaf) parsley, as I find the flavour and texture superior to the curly leaf variety.
Additionally, I use dried oregano to achieve an authentic Italian flavour.
Seasoning: I use Maldon sea salt flakes but any sea salt can be added to suit your taste.
I provide further seasoning by adding freshly ground black pepper.
I also add finely crushed garlic and have included it here as it seems to defy definition as to whether it is a herb, a spice or a vegetable.
Parmesan Cheese: To achieve the best flavour I use good quality, freshly grated, Italian parmesan. I use Grana Padano; it’s not as expensive as Parmigiano Reggiano, but it is full of flavour. I must stress that there is no comparison between good quality parmesan which you grate yourself and that which is sold pre-grated.
This is how I make the Meatballs:
To make the meatballs, I add all the ingredients to a large bowl and combine them well. Now you can painstakingly use a fork to combine them, or, like me, use your hands. This achieves a smoother result in considerably less time. And yes, I always wash my hands before doing this; and after, too, of course.
To shape the meatballs I use a round tablespoon measure to scoop the mixture out and then roll it in my hands. You could also use a medium sized ice cream scoop. This will ensure evenly sized meatballs. Further, to prevent the mixture from sticking, I lightly dampen my hands before commencing. Depending on the number of meatballs that you are making you may need to do this several times.
And when it comes time to serve:
- Serve with toothpicks as an appetiser with drinks.
- As a casual, weeknight meal, serve them alone with a salad such as:
– Roasted Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad
– Potato Salad with Peas and Mint - With my Crispy Parmesan Baked Tomatoes;
- Or try Roasted Cherry Tomatoes cooked in the oven with the meatballs and serve both over pasta.
I encourage you to try these Easy Oven Baked Meatballs; once you make them in the oven, you’ll never want to make them any other way. Please let me know if the comments below if you try them.
Enjoy! Alex xx
Oven Baked Beef Meatballs
dried oregano.
Ingredients
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs * can use GF bread
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup Parmesan *
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil spray
Serving Suggestions:
- basil pesto or tomato sauce
Instructions
- Prepare all of your ingredients as you will be mixing them all together at the same time.Make your breadcrumbs, grate your Parmesan, chop your garlic and parsley. (You can do all of this in a food processor if you prefer – it makes it very easy!)Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C when you are ready to bake.
- Add all of your ingredients to a bowl.
- Make sure all of the ingredients are combined well.
- Using a 15ml tablespoon, I like to scoop out the mixture so I have a consistent size of meatball. This ensures even cooking.
- Roll the scoop of mixture into smooth balls.
- Place a rack on a foil lined baking tray. Lightly spray with some olive oil. Place the meatballs on the tray.
- Bake at 180 degrees C (350 F) for 15 minutes.
- Serve the meatballs by themselves, or with a delicious basil pesto or tomato sauce.
Your tip for using lean beef was such a smart healthy idea. These would be so fabulous served with a spaghetti dinner!
Thank you, Heidi!
Yes, so delicious with some spaghetti 🙂 I love them with mashed potato or polenta also!
Hi Alex I was born in Semaphore Adelaide and grew up there I am now living in Cambodia at the moment enjoying the jungle while the world is crazy on this pandemic, I manage a few small holiday properties here with my husband and two dogs I cook and experiment every day here. I have loved quite a few of your receipe’s and thought Id say hi and thank you. Keep them coming
thanks Angela from some where in the jungle
Hello Angela!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
I can imagine Cambodia would be an amazing experience! I am so pleased you have been enjoying the recipes.
Please feel free to reach out if there is anything specific you would like to see on the blog.
Kind regards, Alex
Great recipe. They freeze really well too. I always make a double batch and freeze half – so good!
Such a great idea to make a double batch! I am so pleased you enjoy them!
Delicious
Thank you!
This are so delicious!
Thank you, Christina!
Absolutley love these meatballs! So tasty!
Thank you!
These meatballs are now my go-to recipe for when we have spaghetti and meatball night! What I love most is how I don’t have to stand over the stove to pan fry them! I love the tip about wetting your hands before forming them. It really does help!
Harriet, I agree with you about the convenience of oven-baked meatballs; it is so much easier than frying them and leaves me free to continue making the rest of the meal. So good! 🙂
I love how easy and juicy these oven baked meatballs are! I am such a fan of meatballs and it’s awesome how they can be served as a side, integrated into a pasta dish or even as meal prep!
I absolutely agree with you, Christie. The meatballs are extremely versatile, so many ways to use them. So good! 🙂
These meatballs are so full of flavor, and I love how easy and convenient it is to bake a whole batch. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
I am so glad that you like the recipe Amanda!
These are great, and I love that they are baked and not fried…. set and forget!! Makes it SO much easier, and they are so moist!
Jaimie, it’s so much simpler to bake the meatballs. It leaves you time to get on with other things and the meatballs stay nice and moist. 🙂
The meatballs are so yummy.
I am going to follow your recipe again when I make spaghetti tomorrow.
That’s fantastic Karen, I am delighted you will make the meatballs again!
Maybe the only thing better than a baked meatball is a fried one! Nahhhh – we’ll call it a tie!! YUM!
Haha, Annie, meatballs are always popular. 🙂 But the baked version has the important advantage of creating less mess. That works for me. 🙂