Best Italian Oven Baked Meatballs Recipe + Video (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

You can bake meatballs at both 350°F and 400°F. Baking at a higher temperature (400°F) will result in a golden brown outside and juicy inside in a shorter amount of time. A 350° F oven will still result in a juicy center too, it will just take longer to cook all the way through.

Browning in the oven at high heat is neater than frying and, if you're making meatballs in quantity, both faster and easier than skillet searing. Baking them on a rack set over a baking pan ensures even cooking, and using your oven's convection setting (if you have one) yields nicely browned surfaces.

How long does it take to cook meatballs in the oven? Depending on the oven temperature and size of the meatballs, they cook in about 20-25 minutes. For our baked meatball recipe we use a temperature of 375°F so they cook faster and each meatball is perfectly browned.

Letting your meatballs cook on the stove in a simmering sauce is the way to go. You'll end up with the most tender meatballs because as they simmer they soak up so much of that tomato sauce.

Tenderizing the Meat:

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

Because meat shrinks when cooked, mince proteins are likely to separate and crumble unless bound together. Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart.

One of the most common is using a very lean grind of beef. While this is desirable from the health perspective, it means the recipe needs to be adjusted to compensate for the reduced amount of fat. Various ingredients can be substituted to give a moist result. Overcooking is another common cause of dry meatballs.

Chill your meatballs: refrigerating your meatballs an hour before cooking helps them hold their shape throughout the cooking process. They can chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking, making meatballs a great make-ahead dish, too.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

A good rule of thumb is to bake meatballs for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit. Every oven is different so the cooking time will not be the same for everyone. You will know the meatballs are ready when the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165 degrees.

Why are my meatballs tough? ›

Don't overmix. When meatballs are tough, it's often because they've been overworked.

Add Milk for Moisture

A little bit of milk will add moisture to your meatballs. (Many people think it's the eggs that add the moisture, but their role is to bind the meat, breadcrumbs, cheese and herbs.)

Although the meatballs are not browned first, they still cook though in the sauce and it is safe to add them to the sauce raw, as long as the sauce is kept at a simmer until the meatballs are cooked through. Cooking the meatballs this way means that they stay quite tender even when cooked.

As to why that occurred in this case and what you can do about it: you've provided a list of ingredients that includes a lot of moisture, with very little to help bind everything together. Eggs contain a lot of water, and onions will release quite a bit as they cook too.

Either way, you need to cook the meatballs in simmering sauce to finish cooking them. Meatballs, being a ground-meat product, must reach a minimum internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) for food safety. Use an instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen^® or Classic Thermapen to temp the meatballs in the sauce.

Shake the meatballs in the pan as they cook too, don't flip them. This will give you that lovely round meatball shape with a crispy, browned exterior. Alternatively, bake your meatballs in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on their size.

Don't overmix. When meatballs are tough, it's often because they've been overworked.