These baked meatballs can be whipped up in a flash and turn regular, cheap ground beef mince into something super tasty! We’re using just the one bowl to mix our ingredients and then we shape and place them straight into the oven- giving you heaps of hands off time to make your sides (or to just sit back and relax)! They work great as an easy appetiser, or serve them with mash, polenta, or roasted potatoes and vegetables (popped in the oven at the same time!) for a delicious dinner everyone will enjoy!
Lots of Herbs and Spices = Tons of Flavour!
The secret to these amazing meatballs are all the different things that go in to flavouring them- we’re talking lots of different herbs and spice here! Don’t be intimidated by what looks like a long list- most of these ingredients are pantry or fridge staples and you probably already have many of them at home. If you’re avoiding dairy, you can skip on the parmesan, and I’ve provided substitutions for some of the other ingredients in the recipe card below.
Make Your Meatballs in a Flash
Here’s the easiest and most minimal-clean-up-required-way of making these meatballs:
- Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F (180 C Fan) and have your baking trays well lined and next to where you’re working. I line my trays with both foil and baking paper to ensure no leakage occurs so that I can just roll up the foil and throw it all in the bin, with no mess behind!
- Gather, measure out and place all your meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl. I usually grate my onion straight into the bowl first and then add everything else in after.
- Wash your hands and then use them to completely combine all the meatball ingredients together until everything is evenly mixed. I know it can feel a bit messy, but it’s definitely the best way to make sure everything gets mixed properly. And then you can use your already mince covered hands to shape your meatballs! They should be about the size of a golf ball. Place each of them onto your prepared trays and arrange them into evenly spaced rows.
- Once all the meatballs are shaped, place the trays into the oven for 20-25 minutes to bake. Your meatballs should be golden brown and may have a little bubbling around them from some excess liquid or cheese- that’s normal and perfectly fine!
- While your meatballs are in the oven, feel free to prepare your sides. A great time saving tip is to throw some vegetables and potatoes onto another sheet pan to make a complete sheet pan dinner in the oven! Minimal wash up and lots of hands off time = always a win for a weeknight dinner!
- Once you take the meatballs out of the oven, allow them to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!
What to Serve with Baked Meatballs
These meatballs are great on their own as an appetiser if you’re entertaining, but also go great paired with some sides to make a tasty main. Here are some ideas of what to serve with your meatballs:
- Mashed potato: probably my favourite way of serving these, they just go so well with buttery, fluffy mash. Add gravy for even more decadence!
- Chips or roasted potatoes: the best thing about these is that you can throw them in the oven at the same time as the meatballs so it means even less work to do for dinner!
- Roasted vegetables: again, pop these into the oven at the same time and let it all roast for a super easy sheet pan dinner!
- In a sandwich: if you have any left overs the next day, pop these into a bread roll and make a meatball sub for lunch!
How to Store
These meatballs, once baked, can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. They freeze really well, so make a big batch and pop the extras away in the freezer for when you need them. Just reheat in the oven or microwave!
If you make these baked meatballs let me know how you went in the comments below!
Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
- 500 g / 1/2 lb ground beef (beef mince)
- 1 onion grated
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (see note 1)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (see note 2 for substitutions)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F (180 C Fan) and line a baking tray with baking (parchment) paper for easy clean up. Make sure to have this next to where you are mixing your meatballs together so it's ready to go when you need it.
- Grate your onion into a large mixing bowl and then place all the remaining ingredients into the same bowl.
- Wash your hands and then use them to mix your ingredients together until completely combined. Shape the mixture into small golf ball sized meatballs and place them onto your lined baking tray in evenly spaced rows.
- Place your tray of meatballs into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Allow meatballs to cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Chilli Powder: I use any kind that I have on hand- I’ve used anything from chilli flakes, cayenne pepper and even Korean chilli powder (gochugaru).
- Breadcrumbs: Feel free to use the same quantity of regular breadcrumbs or panko. For a gluten free alternative, use 2 tbsp coconut flour instead.
- Nutritional information provided is an estimation only and will depend on your individual ingredients.
Leave a Reply