How to make easy weeknight meatballs

Classic Italian meatballs with parmesan cheese are pure comfort food, but they aren’t exactly weeknight friendly. These easy weeknight meatballs will give you all the flavors you’re craving in a fraction of the time.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my easy ricotta meatballs and my one pan meatballs and mushroom orzo recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my meatball recipes in one place.

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Easy weeknight meatballs

Meatballs are one of our favorite go-to dinners. I often make a double batch, so I can stash half of them in the freezer for later. When I am really pressed for time, having meatballs already rolled and ready to cook is a lifesaver.

A quick bake in a hot oven ensures the meatball is tender inside and nicely browned outside. Because they are baked and not fried, there are no greasy splatters to clean up. Like my Thai turkey meatballs, these easy weeknight meatballs are great for leftovers the next day.

What you need to know

What these meatballs are: a quick, stripped down version of Nonna’s Sunday dinner version. What they are not: Meatballs that simmer all day in a pot of Sunday gravy.

These are done in roughly 40 minutes from start to finish – including rolling time. If you have an extra set of hands to roll meatballs, even less. They are easy enough to handle after a workday.

If you use the same scoop that I used to make them, you will have about 10 decent-sized meatballs. You can make them slightly smaller if you like, just adjust the cooking time by a couple of minutes.

Ingredients

If you have a well-stocked pantry, you very likely already have almost everything you need to make these easy beef meatballs.

• Olive oil – You’ll need just a bit of olive oil for rolling the meatballs and for the baking sheet so the meatballs don’t stick.
• Egg – Egg gives the meatballs moisture and helps to bind the mixture.
• Whole milk + breadcrumbs – This combination is called a “panade”. It is a paste that is used to tenderize and bind ground meat. Used in meatloaves, meatballs, etc.
• Salt, pepper, onion powder, dried basil – Spices that we’re using to season the meatball recipe.
• Garlic – I use minced fresh garlic. You can use garlic powder if that’s what you have.
• Finely grated Parmesan – Measure with your heart.
• Ground beef – I use 85/15 mix for meatballs. You can also use 80/20, if that is what is available. I don’t recommend using really lean meat, you need some fat for the meatballs, otherwise they will be dry.
• Flat leaf (Italian) parsley – Fresh herbs brighten up the flavor of everything, and it gives this meal a pop of color.

How to make meatballs

Here’s a quick summary of how to make easy weeknight meatballs. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

1. Add – The first step is to add everything except for the ground beef and the olive oil to a bowl.
2. Mix – Use a heavy duty rubber spatula to mix everything together until it is uniform.
3. Start mixing in ground beef – Add in half of the meat and mix it until it is mostly incorporated. It’s easier to work in the breadcrumb mixture with half of the beef and then add in the other half.
4. Finish mixing – Finally, mix in the remaining ground beef until the mixture looks fairly uniform. Use a 2 ounce scoop to portion meatballs – you should have about 10.

Rolling meatballs

Oil a half sheet pan and lightly oil your hands. Using light pressure, roll the meatballs until they are round and place them on the baking sheet.

Try not to use too much pressure when you are rolling. You don’t want really dense meatballs. Use a light touch so the meatballs stay tender and fluffy inside.

Easy weeknight meatballs FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

• Turkey – You can swap out ground turkey for the beef to make baked turkey meatballs to save a few calories.
• Meatball mixture – To make a classic meatball mixture, use ground beef, pork and veal.

Serving suggestions

Sprinkle them generously with finely grated parmesan and maybe a bit of gooey mozzarella. You can serve them with your favorite homemade or jarred tomato sauce.

If you are serving them with pasta, consider a dollop of ricotta cheese with them. It’s a delicious combination with the meat and tangy tomato sauce.

Helpful tools and equipment

• Heavy duty sheet pans that hold up to high temps without warping.
• Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.

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Originally published 2/22/21, most recent update 3/31/25.