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These tasty Basil Meatballs are packed full of flavor. Toss them in your favorite sauce, or keep them in the refrigerator for a quick protein filled snack.
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5 from 10 votes

Basil Meatballs

These tasty Basil Meatballs are packed full of flavor. Toss them in your favorite sauce, or keep them in the refrigerator for a quick protein filled snack.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

Baked Italian Meatballs:

Spaghetti and Meatballs:

Instructions

To make the meatballs:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Alternatively, if you have an oven safe baking rack that sits on top of a baking sheet, that will create even better meatballs because air will touch the bottoms and allow for even browning.
  • In a food processor, blend parmesan, garlic, basil leaves and red onion until well blended. It should resemble a thick pesto.
    parmesan cheese in food processor for meatball recipe
  • In large bowl, combine basil mixture with remaining ingredients except salt and use hands to mix until all ingredients are well combined. Do not over mix. Once blended, add salt and mix just until the salt is distributed.
    ground beef and pork for meatball recipe
  • Form meatball mixture into small balls, about a tablespoon in size. I like to use a cookie dough scoop to make them all the same size.
    homemade meatballs for spaghetti
  • Space evenly on baking sheet about a half an inch apart. I was able to fit 40 on one baking sheet. You will most likely need to cook them in two batches.
    how to bake italian meatballs
  • Cook in preheated oven on prepared baking sheet until nicely browned, about 30-35 minutes. If you are unsure if they are cooked through, the inside of the meatball needs to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

To make spaghetti and meatballs:

  • To make spaghetti with meatballs, heat sauce in large pot over low heat and drop desired amount of meatballs in sauce. Cook until sauce and meatballs are heated through.
    meatballs in marinara sauce

Video

Notes

I prefer small meatballs for spaghetti but I'll form large balls for meatball subs. You just need to increase cooking time to account for the larger size.
Meatballs can be kept warm in a slow cooker with marinara sauce with the temperature on low if serving a crowd or as an appetizer.
Serving size based on about 1/4 pound of meat per person.

Nutrition

Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 522mg | Potassium: 470mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Calcium: 174mg | Iron: 3mg