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    Home » Mains

    Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

    Published: Feb 25, 2021 · Updated: Mar 20, 2022 by Neriz · This post contains some affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Excellent one-pot dinner dish!  These flavorful baked meatballs in tomato sauce will indeed become a family favorite.  Adults and kids will be asking for seconds!

    An overhead shot of a skillet of Baked Meatballs straight out of the oven.

    Meatballs are always a crowd-pleaser.

    That's why they're great as appetizers or snacks, but they tick all the right boxes when served as a main dish --- cooked in the oven, with tomato sauce.

    I used my Italian mini meatballs recipe for this but replacing fresh parsley with dried ones.  I reckon this is alright since there are other herbs in the sauce anyway.  

    So, give this baked meatballs in tomato sauce recipe a try and let me know what you think, yeah?

    Oh! If you haven't tried cooking meatballs in the oven yet, you cannot go wrong starting with this one. 🙂

    LOOKING FOR MORE EASY WEEKNIGHT DINNER RECIPES? THEN YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT THESE POSTS!

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    Ingredients

    An image showing all the ingredients you need to prepare baked meatballs in tomato sauce.
    • Ground meat - a mix of ground beef and ground pork is perfect for making this baked meatballs recipe.
    • Breadcrumbs - prepare half a cup but note that you might not be using all of it.
    • Garlic - this is for the sauce, so fresh garlic would be excellent.
    • Oil - for lightly frying the meatballs. You can use olive oil or any other vegetable oil.
    • Herbs - I use dried parsley for the meatballs and dried oregano and basil for the sauce.
    • Egg - you need this to bind everything to form meatballs.
    • Sugar - just a tiny bit to balance the tanginess of the tomato sauce. Feel free to skip this if you are OK with the tomato sauce that you are using.
    • Tomato sauce - just use your favorite brand.
    • Parmigiano Reggiano - freshly grated, if possible.
    • Mozzarella - drained and grated to top the baked meatballs.
    • Salt and ground black pepper - for seasoning.
    A plate of meatballs cooked in the oven, with tomato sauce, served with some toasted bread.

    Preparation

    Start preparing your baked meatballs in tomato sauce by combining all the meatball mixture ingredients: mixed ground meat, salt, pepper, dried parsley, egg, Parmigiano Reggiano, and breadcrumbs (photo 1).

    Mix until evenly combined

    First part of latest collage (Mar22) showing how to prepare baked meatballs in tomato sauce.

    Use a tablespoon to take a portion of the meatball mix and start forming the meatballs with your hands -- this recipe generally makes about twenty-five meatballs (photo 2).

    Place a skillet over medium-high heat and pour oil.

    Once the oil is ready, start browning the meatballs (photo 3).

    Set browned meatballs aside and cover with aluminum foil.

    Preheat oven to 200°C (375°F).

    Second part of latest collage (Mar22) on how to make baked meatballs.

    Remove some of the oil left in the skillet, leave only about two to three tablespoons of oil.

    Add garlic into the skillet and cook until fragrant (photo 4).

    Add tomato sauce, dried oregano, dried basil, sugar, and season with salt and pepper (photo 5).

    Cover with a lid and bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer for ten minutes.

    Second part of a collage of images showing the step by step process on how to cook meatballs in the oven.

    Add the meatballs and mix (photo 6).

    Add remaining Parmigiano Reggiano, followed by the grated mozzarella (photo 7).

    Cook meatballs in the oven for twenty-five minutes, and make sure you place the skillet in the lower part of your oven.

    Turn the oven off but keep the skillet inside for five more minutes.

    Take baked meatballs in sauce out of the oven and serve.

    A closer shot to a skillet of baked meatballs, highlighting the cheese on top, with bread on the background.

    Helpful tips

    • Do not add all the breadcrumbs at once.  Start with half of it first, then if the mixture is still too wet, slowly add the rest of the breadcrumbs.  

    You might not need to use the entire thing.

    • You can certainly use a baking dish instead of a cast-iron pan.
    • Cover the top of the baked meatballs with an aluminum foil if you feel that it's getting too dark, too soon.
    A closer shot of a serving of baked meatballs in tomato sauce, highlighting the texture of the cheese and sauce.

    Recipe variation

    • You can add or use different kinds of dried herbs in the sauce: parsley, rosemary, fennel, whichever you preferred.
    • If you want a slight heat in your tomato sauce, add some chili flakes as well.

    FAQs

    Is it OK to put raw meatballs in the sauce?

    Although the meatballs are not cooked yet when they're added back to the sauce, they are not that totally raw either.

    They've been browned earlier, and while cooking the tomato sauce, the meatballs are still hot, covered with aluminum foil.

    What goes with meatballs instead of pasta?

    Crusty bread or toasted bread slices will be great.

    It does not have to be garlic bread -- the meatballs and the sauce are packed with flavor, so you need something that will not clash with that.

    So what are you waiting for? Give these baked meatballs in tomato sauce a try now! 🙂

    Happy cooking!

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    An overhead shot of a skillet of Baked Meatballs straight out of the oven.

    Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

    Excellent one-pot dinner dish!  These flavorful baked meatballs in tomato sauce will indeed become a family favorite.  Adults and kids will be asking for seconds!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 397kcal
    Author: Neriz

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowls
    • Measuring cups
    • Measuring spoons
    • 10.25 Cast Iron Skillet
    • Rubber spatula

    Ingredients

    For the meatballs:

    • 1 lb mixed ground meat (beef and pork), about 1/2 kg
    • 1 large egg
    • 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
    • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, (1/4 cup first, then 3 tbsp, etc.)
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1 tsp dried parsley
    • 4 tbsp olive oil

    For the sauce:

    • 1 & 1/2 cups tomato sauce
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 tsp dried basil
    • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
    • 3/4 cup mozzarella, grated
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    Instructions

    • In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients: ground beef, ground pork, salt, pepper, dried parsley, egg, Parmigiano Reggiano, and breadcrumbs.  
      (Take note that you might not need the entire 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs.)
    • Mix evenly.
    • Take a tablespoon of the meatball mix and start forming the meatballs with your hands -- this recipe typically makes 25 meatballs.
    • When almost finished forming the meatballs, place a pan over medium-high heat.
    • Add oil, and once ready, gently add the meatballs to start browning them --- this will be in batches.
    • Set browned meatballs aside and cover with aluminum foil.
    • Preheat oven to 200°C (375°F).
    • Carefully remove some of the oil left in the skillet, leave only about 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil.
    • Add garlic into the skillet and cook until fragrant.
    • Add tomato sauce, dried oregano, dried basil, sugar, and season with salt and pepper.
    • Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
    • Adjust heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
    • Add the meatballs and mix.
    • Add remaining Parmigiano Reggiano and the grated mozzarella.
    • Place skillet in the lower part of the oven for 25 minutes.
    • Turn the oven off but keep the skillet inside for 5 more minutes.
    • Take baked meatballs in tomato sauce out of the oven and serve.

    Notes

    • Cook's Tip #1: Make sure you do not add all the breadcrumbs in the meatball mix at once.  Start with half of it first, then if the mixture is still too wet, slowly add the rest of the breadcrumbs.  Chances are, you do not need to use the entire thing.
    • Cook's Tip #2: Feel free to use any oven-proof dish that you have instead of a cast-iron pan.
    • Cook's Tip #3:  Do not hesitate to cover the top of the baked meatballs with an aluminum foil if it's getting too dark, too quickly.
    • Variation #1: Add or use different kinds of dried herbs in the sauce: parsley, rosemary, fennel, whichever you preferred.
    • Variation #2: If you want a spicy tomato sauce, add some chili flakes together with the rest of the seasonings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 1053mg | Potassium: 625mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 574IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 4mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenn

      February 27, 2021 at 9:59 pm

      5 stars
      These look fabulous!

      Reply
      • Neriz

        March 14, 2021 at 12:10 pm

        Thank you Jenn! 🙂

        Reply

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