Perfectly seasoned homemade meatballs are oven baked, then combined with a simple tomato sauce. Finished with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and aromatic basil, this easy meatball recipe is sure to be something you’ll want to make again and again. So comforting and simply delicious!
Is there anything more comforting than a big pan of homemade meatballs with sauce? I think not.
Whether it’s for a cozy weeknight supper or to be enjoyed as a big family meal on Sunday with some pasta, this is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.
I don’t know about you, but I’m always in the mood for good eats (especially during the winter months). We make a lot of stick to your ribs comfort food, like hunter’s chicken, chicken, sausage and peppers, baked gnocchi and meatballs.
What’s your favourite comfort food recipe to make?
How To Make Homemade Meatballs With Tomato Sauce
- In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs with milk. In another (larger) bowl, combine ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, onion powder, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, garlic and the bread crumb/milk mixture. Stir with your hands to combine.
- Form the ground beef mixture into meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs until fully cooked through.
- Add San Marzano tomatoes, tomato paste, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper to another bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour the tomato sauce into a large sauté pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, stirring to ensure they are well coated. You can then garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and basil, if you like. (Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
The Tomato Sauce
Let’s talk tomato sauce. The meatballs are easy to prepare, just like this simple tomato sauce. It’s light, quick and yummy.
There are just six ingredients, including canned tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper.
Because there are so few ingredients, you want to use the best quality ones you can, meaning good canned tomatoes (I absolutely love San Marzano tomatoes here) and great balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar in tomato sauce really adds something special, if you ask me. I just love it!
I didn’t add any garlic to this tomato sauce as the meatballs are garlicky as they are. However, if you like, feel free to add some garlic to the sauce as it cooks.
How Do I Know if the Meatballs Are Seasoned Enough?
Want to make sure that the meatballs are seasoned to your liking? I love how these are seasoned, but if you want to make sure they’re good for your taste buds you could always test some out by cooking some of the mixture.
Grab a little bit of the seasoned meatball mixture and fry out in a skillet until fully cooked through. Give it a taste. If you like it, you’re good to go and start forming the meatballs. If not, you could always add a little more seasoning to taste.
How Do You Keep Meatballs Moist?
To keep the homemade meatballs moist and delicious, mix in some milk-soaked breadcrumbs. You don’t need too much. I used ¾ cup of bread crumbs mixed with 3 tablespoons of milk for 1.5 pounds of ground beef.
Do You Turn Meatballs When Baking?
No, simply place the meatballs on a parchment paper-line sheet pan and bake until fully cooked through. Easy!
What Temperature Should Meatballs Be Cooked To?
When cooking ground beef, it should reach a minimum internal cooking temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to be sure.
How Many Meatballs Per Person?
Well, I guess that kinda depends on how big of an appetite one has and what you are serving with it. Generally speaking, I would say that around 4 to 6 meatballs per person should be plenty.
Tips for Making the Best Meatballs
- The key to making meatballs is don’t handle them too much. I mean, form them but don’t overly handle them. You don’t want to compact them too much so they’re dense.
- Ensure your meatballs are around the same size so they cook evenly.
- Don’t skimp on the fresh parsley! This adds brightness to the dish.
- While I used onion powder in the meatballs, I highly recommend using fresh garlic. It adds tons of flavour to these Italian meatballs.
- Cook the meatballs (of course), but don’t overcook them. You want them nice and moist and straight-up delicious! That’s where an instant-read meat thermometer is quite handy.
How To Serve Meatballs and Sauce
- Enjoy as is. Imagine serving up a big pan of meatballs in sauce and laying it in the centre of the table. Talk about yummy!
- Serve with crusty garlic bread to mop up that delicious sauce.
- Toss the tomato sauce and meatballs into cooked pasta.
- Mix with cooked gnocchi.
- Pile onto some sub buns (with mozzarella cheese) for a meatball sandwich.
- Meatballs are also great with a Caesar salad.
More Yummy Comfort Food Recipes
- Chicken and Sausage With Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce
- Farro With Vegetables and Sausage
- Cheesy Baked Gnocchi Casserole
If you make these easy homemade meatballs with tomato sauce, be sure to leave a comment below!
This homemade meatballs recipe was originally published in January 2018 but has been updated.
Homemade Meatballs With Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Homemade Meatballs
- ¾ cup bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, grate on small hole on box grater
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Tomato Sauce
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, roughly crush the tomatoes to break up a bit before using
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 to 6 basil leaves, torn or chopped
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish Ideas (optional)
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Torn or chopped fresh basil leaves, or use parsley
Instructions
Homemade Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and milk. Set aside for a minute or two until the bread crumbs absorb the milk.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, onion powder, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, garlic and reserved bread crumb/milk mixture. Stir with hands to combine.
- Form ground beef mixture into balls. Use a small cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons of the meat mixture per meatball) to measure the meatballs, then roll them with your hands into balls. Place the meatballs onto the prepared sheet pan as you are finished rolling them. You'll yield about 25 to 26 meatballs, approximately.Note: If you don't have a small cookie scoop, no worries. Basically, you want about 1.5 tablespoons of the ground beef mixture per meatball.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 to 22 minutes or until they're fully cooked through (they should no longer be pink, be brown throughout and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the centre of the meatballs when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer). When the meatballs are about halfway done, start to make the tomato sauce.
Tomato Sauce
- Add San Marzano tomatoes, tomato paste, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper to a bowl and stir to combine, then pour into a large sauté pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.Note: Canned tomatoes can vary in salt content (and everyone has a different preference for salt). You can add more salt to taste, if necessary.
Combine the Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
- Once the meatballs are cooked, stir them into the tomato sauce, then garnish to taste (if desired) with grated Parmesan cheese and basil. Serve and enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Nicole | Culinary Cool
You can never go wrong with meatballs, especially when they’re hand-made and swimming in a delectable tomato sauce. I think I need this in my life right right!!
Girl Heart Food
Totally!!! You really do 😉 Thanks Nicole.
Dana Sandonato
These look so scrumptious and saucy! Though my diet is 95% pescetarian, I do have a bite or two of homemade meatballs when I make them for my husband, or when my Dad visits. Quality control 😉 Haha.
Girl Heart Food
Hehehe….gotta have quality control 😉 Thanks Dana!
Miriam
This just looks like the ultimate comfort food and thank you for the tip to add parmesan rind to the tomato sauce, I did not know about that! We have watched so much on Netflix over the holidays, The Punisher sounds great – we have not seen that yet! Have a nice weekend, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
It really is 🙂 The parm adds such a lovely flavour. Thanks Miriam! Have a wonderful weekend too!
Loreto Nardelli
Hi Dawn, being Italian means not being a stranger to anything in tomato sauce including meatballs. The way you have done them here has my mouth watering. I love the way a hot skillit just browns the outside releasing all those wonderful juices, then when you think you have skyrocketed to flavor town in comes a rich tomato sauce to coat those babies and now we have reached Nirvana. I would get a nice ciabata bun cut it in half and load it with these meatballs and a healthy amount of sauce. Maybe some arugula and fresh mozzarella and we are set to board the crazy food train. Great job on this recipe dawn. Have a wonderful week!
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Girl Heart Food
Hi Loreto! Reading your kind comment certainly put a big smile on my face! Thank you so much – that means a lot!! And a sandwich with these sounds perfect right about now 🙂 Have a wonderful week too!!
Scarlet
I love skillet meatballs. I have always used egg instead of milk. I have to try your recipe next time and compare. They sure look delicious!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Scarlet! Hope you enjoy them 🙂
Neha
Oh I love meatballs with pasta during winters. And this one here looks delicious. Also amazing pictures!
Neha
Oh I love meatballs with pasta during winters. And this one here looks delicious. Also amazing pictures! I adore cast iron utensils just as much as you do. 🙂
Katie Crenshaw
I love these meatballs, Dawn! They look incredibly delicious! It is fantastic that you can make them in a skillet!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Katie 🙂 I love my cast iron skillet!
Agness of Run Agness Run
This is the ultimate lunch recipe which my family will love, Dawn! What kind of milk do you use for this recipe?
Girl Heart Food
I typically use 2% milk, but whole or a lighter version would be a-ok too! Thanks so much Agness 🙂
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
My husband loves meatballs, so I’m always looking for different recipes to try! And I really love the sound of parmesan rind in the tomato sauce. I’ve never heard of that, but it sounds great! Pinning for later (which will probably be this weekend!)
Girl Heart Food
The parm is awesome in there, Leanne! Hope you guys enjoy 🙂 Thank you!
Christina
Yasss! I’m excited you posted this recipe because meatball sandwiches are one of my husband’s favorites! He always orders meatball sandwiches when we dine out for lunch, but I don’t think I’ve ever made him this type of sandwich at home! I’m going to surprise him with this recipe, I can’t wait to see his reaction!
Girl Heart Food
YAY! Hope you guys like it, Christina 🙂
Ashika | Gardening Foodie
Yumeeee…this looks so good Dawn I have to try this recipe out this weekend…and thank you for the tip about using the parmesan rind, that is a really great idea ?
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Ashika!! The parm rind really does add a lovely flavour 🙂
Megan Marlowe
Oh, how I wish it were Spring! The rain melted out snow as well but now it’s back again 🙁 I’d like to drown my sorrows into a huge bowl of these meatballs. There is just something to be said about homemade meatballs. These look like perfection!
Girl Heart Food
I know, I know!! I totally agree 🙂 Thanks Megan!
Sarah
YES to the Parmesan rind in the tomato sauce! I put them in my tomato soup too. SO GOOD! This looks awesome!!
Girl Heart Food
So good, right?! Thanks a bunch, Sarah 🙂
Alicia Taylor
This weekend, we are treating my parents to a homemade spaghetti. My dad loves meat sauces. I will have to try my hand at making these homemade meatballs for him! Happy Birthday Daddy! Thanks for the tip on not handling them too much. I probably would have made a mush out of them otherwise and then wonder what went wrong.
Girl Heart Food
How nice!! Hope you guys like them and happy birthday to your dad 🙂
Jeni @ Biscuits & Booze
This looks like such a hearty, comforting, weeknight friendly meal!
I am watching the return of the Victoria series on PBS. I’m a sucker for a period piece!
Girl Heart Food
It sure is 🙂 Oh – I’ll have to check that one out! Thanks for the recommendation, Jeni!
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C
Your meatballs look delicious! You did a good job of keeping them round. Mine always look cone-shaped when I cook them on the stove first. Lol!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Andrea!! I bet they still taste delicious 😉
David @ Spiced
We had a super warm, rainy weekend here, too, Dawn…of course, then it got cold and turned all of that rainwater into a sheet of ice. Gotta love the winter, right? But, hey, on the bright side, winter means amazing comfort food, and these meatballs just sound like something that need to happen around here! You’re talking my kinda food language here! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Yay for comfort food and I’ll take all I can this time of year 🙂 Thanks David!
Shashi at SavorySpin
Dawn, we had unusually warm weather this past Friday, but Saturday it blew away and we were back into operation 2-jackets-required-when-venturing-outside! It’s been a crazy winter here in my neck of the woods!
But – stick-to-your-ribs and delicious meatballs like these would get my mind of that nasty weather outside. Love how flavor packed these are and finishing these off in the oven must make that sauce all sorts of concentrated delicious!
I need to check out The Punisher on Netflix, I usually love most Marvel shows but hadn’t seen this yet – I’m currently in the first season of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown – ever watched that?
Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday and are staying warm! xoxo
Girl Heart Food
Haha! I got so exciting for the warm day, but then I remembered that it’s only just the start of winter. Oh well! The sauce is pretty amazing, I must say, and just what I want when it’s cold out (or any other day for that matter, lol). Parts Unknown? Freakin’ LOVE it!!! So good!! Stay warm too, my friend! XOXO
Adina
So delicious! I make lots of meatballs, everybody just loves them, so it is great to find new ideas, in this case the use of parmesan. Thank you for the Netflix tip, we got Netflix recently and haven’t watched regular TV at all ever since. So much nicer without the advertising and not having to watch the same movies on repeat… We’ve already found some good series, but it is very hard to choose, isn’t it, there are so many… 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Adina! The parm really adds lots of flavour 🙂 Yay for no commercials, right?? Have a great week!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
My husband will be very happy if I make this for him! He complains about the lack of meatballs in his life, haha! These look delic and you know I’m a fan of anything in a cast iron!! I haven’t seen the Punisher yet but have you watched Luke Cage? You might like that series if you’re a Marvel fan! PS – send me your spring weather!! XO
Girl Heart Food
I’m sure he would be 😉 They are pretty delish!! I haven’t seen Luke Cage, but heard it was good – will have to add to my list 🙂 Haha – I’d love to, but it’s freezing rain here today….ugh! Thanks Katherine! XO
Milena | Craft Beering
My boy would flip out over these:) He loves meatballs and tomato sauce is his favorite:) I usually make meatballs with yogurt+baking soda or beer soaked bread crumbs and have never tried soaking the breadcrumbs in milk. Pretty excited to try next time I make some. Chris salutes you for using San Marzanos:). Have a wonderful week, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Yay!! Yogurt sounds really good in them! Haha – I LOVE San Marzanos! My fave!! Have a wonderful week too, my friend 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Yes please to skillet meatballs Dawn! We LOVE meatballs here! We’d be fighting over the last one. They look delicious! Happy Monday.
Girl Heart Food
Same here, Mary Ann! Haha! Thanks so much and happy Monday to you too 🙂
Kevin | Kevin Is Cooking
LOVE meatballs, (actually doing a series on them) and these would be gone in no time!
Girl Heart Food
I do too, Kevin! Can’t wait to see what you have in store 🙂 I’m sure it’ll be awesome! Thank you!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I get all my show recommendations from you so I don’t have any to share, haha! But I’m still watching ER reruns lately and loving every episode :). These meatballs look DIVINE! And I want to cover everything in that sauce. Have a great week, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Hahaha!! I’ve never watched ER, but somehow feel like I’m the only one!! Thank you Kelsie! It is pretty delicious 😉 Have a great week too!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Now this is some delicious comfort food! My husband is the master of making meatballs in our house and it’s always such a deliciously cozy dish! Your version looks so warm and hearty. Would love a big plate of this for lunch today! Pinned! Hope your Monday is off to a great start!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Gayle!! I bet they are amazing! Have a wonderful week 🙂
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What’s it been? 24….28 hours since I knew these gorgeous orbs would be revealed? Not good for my heart! I love love love your recipe, my friend! And the note to add the rind to the sauce is a brilliant one! I want Sunday dinner at your house! Cheers! XOXO
Girl Heart Food
Haha! You’re too too kind, Annie!! You’re always welcome!! XOXO
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I love meatballs! And I love skillets. So I’m doubly loving this one 🙂 Looks perfect!
Girl Heart Food
Happy to hear that, Jennifer! Me too 🙂