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A serving of baked meatballs in sauce, with slices of bread.
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5 from 1 vote

Baked Meatballs in Sauce Recipe

These Baked Meatballs in Sauce will indeed become a family favorite!  A delicious and easy one-pot dinner dish --- adults and kids will be asking for seconds!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 5
Calories: 397kcal
Author: Neriz

Equipment

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

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