Oven-Baked Meatballs With Savory Herbs and Tender Centers
By Lucas Morgan
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Baking spaced meatballs at 400°F on the baking sheet lets hot air brown their surfaces rather than steam them, while a brief rest helps their juices settle back in. These homemade beef or turkey meatballs are seasoned with parsley, oregano, garlic, onion, and a small diced yellow onion for a tender, savory bite.
The mix uses one pound of ground beef or turkey, an egg, dried parsley, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, diced yellow onion, and breadcrumbs. Mix only until ingredients come together; that keeps meat from being worked into a dense texture. A cookie scoop and wet hands help form consistent 2-inch balls without mixture sticking. The small onion adds sweetness, while breadcrumbs add texture during baking.
Leave one inch between the balls so air can circulate and their outsides brown instead of steaming. They should emerge golden brown and cooked all the way through after 18 to 20 minutes. Crowding the pan is the main browning mistake; on a dark-coated sheet, flip them halfway through so the bottoms do not blacken. Use parchment or a glass dish if you do not want crisp bottoms.
Serve the meatballs with favorite sauce over pasta or on their own. The article also suggests grape jelly and BBQ sauce for an appetizer. For leftovers, cool them before covering so trapped steam does not soften their browned exterior as much.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Spacing the 2-inch balls one inch apart promotes air circulation, so their surfaces brown in the oven instead of becoming pale from trapped steam.
- Mixing only until the ingredients come together prevents the ground meat from being overworked, which the recipe identifies as the cause of tough, dense meatballs.
- Wet hands or a cookie scoop keep the mixture from sticking during shaping, helping produce evenly sized balls that bake at a similar pace.
- A 400°F oven and 18-to-20-minute bake give the meatballs time to turn golden brown while cooking all the way through.
- Flipping halfway through on a dark-coated sheet limits overly dark bottoms, addressing the pan-specific browning issue noted in the recipe.
- Resting the baked meatballs for a few minutes lets juices redistribute, which the article says makes the centers more tender and flavorful.
Ingredients
- •1 lb ground beef or turkey
- •1 egg
- •1.5 tsp dried parsley
- •1 tsp dried oregano
- •1 tsp garlic powder
- •1 tsp onion powder
- •0.25 tsp salt
- •0.25 tsp black pepper
- •1 small yellow onion (diced small)
- •0.25 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 400°F.
- 2
Prepare a baking sheet with foil or cooking spray.
- 3
Combine the ground meat, egg, spices, onion, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl, using hands or a silicone spatula to mix.
- 4
Roll the mixture into 2-inch balls and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- 5
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked all the way through.
- 6
Serve with your favorite sauce over pasta or alone.
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