Make a batch of these easy Italian meatballs and you'll have enough to serve over pasta with tomato sauce one night and make a batch of Italian wedding soup on another night. The meatballs can be prepped and stored in the fridge for 3 days or frozen for later.
PREP TIME 20 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 18 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 38 minutesminutes
YIELD 60meatballs
Ingredients
For the Italian Meatballs
2.2lbsground beefusually sold as the family/budget package
1/2cuppanko breadcrumbs
1/2cupplain Green yogurt
3/4cupgrated parmesan cheese
3tablespoonsminced garlic
2tablespoonsdried parsley
2tablespoonsdried basil
2tablespoonsdried oregano
1tablespoononion powder
2teaspoonskosher salt
For the Tomato Sauce (Pick One!)
1(24 oz) jar of your favorite prepared tomato saucemarinara, ragu, roasted garlic, etc.
1(15 oz) can of plain tomato sauce1 - 2 tsp of Italian herb blend, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients with a fork to fluff the meat as you go. You may need to switch to using your hands to work all the seasonings into the meat.
Pinch off slightly smaller than golf ball sized portions of meat and roll them between your hands to form the meatballs.
Set aside rolled meatballs in a clean baking pan or baking sheet. You should get approximately 60 - 65 meatballs from 2.2 pounds of beef.
Place the meatballs in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before using.
After that time you can brown them in a skillet with a bit of olive oil or butter to use in a recipe
For freezing instructions, see the notes below.
Basic Cooking Instructions
To cook the meatballs, add 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the meatballs to the pan and brown them on all sides for 5 - 8 minutes.
Add the prepared tomato sauce or the canned tomato sauce with seasonings to the skillet and stir.
Let the meatballs simmer in tomato sauce for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Recipe Notes
Freezing Instructions
If you plan to freeze the meatballs, you can skip the tomato sauce and freeze them right after they have been rolled.Flash freeze them on parchment paper for 1 hour and then transfer them to an airtight container for freezing longer term, up to 6 months. Thaw frozen meatballs in a single layer in the fridge overnight before using in your final recipe or use directly from frozen if the recipe calls for it.