Best Ever Baked Meatballs

Here is an easy baked meatball recipe – healthier since they are baked and not pan fried in oil. Use lean meat, ground chicken or turkey to further reduce the fat content. I make up a batch of these to have for dinner one night and keep the rest in the fridge for leftovers or to grab a meatball as a snack when the afternoon hungries hit and when energy is running low. Toss them in some Renata Collective Bang Bang Sauce or Harissa Sauce - SO GOOD! These meatballs are great to add to a broth for soup, to simmer in a tomato or a mushroom sauce served over pasta or rice, or put into a bun for a meatball sub! Yum! 

As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Best Ever Baked Meatballs goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time:  10 minutes / Cooking time: 20 -30 minutes/ Makes: About 2 Dozen Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Olive Oil (to put on your baking pan)

  • 3 Cloves Garlic - minced

  • 454gr (1 lb) Lean Ground Beef

  • 454gr (1 lb) Ground Pork

  • 1½ Cups Panko Breadcrumbs (or gluten free breadcrumbs)

  • 2 Eggs

  • 1 teaspoon Grated Ginger

  • 2 teaspoons Sriracha Sauce

  • 1 Tablespoon Tamari – alternate: soy sauce

  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley

  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric

  • ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika

  • ½ teaspoon Curry Powder (optional, but delicious!)

  • Pinch of Herbamare or Sea Salt 

  • Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper

 How It’s Made

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F.

  • Line a large rimmed baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle some olive oil on the pan to coat it to help the meatballs cook and not stick. 

  • Mince the garlic and set aside so it can create its nutritional magic.

  • In a large bowl combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, eggs, ginger, sriracha, tamari, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, turmeric, paprika, curry powder (if using), salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Add the garlic.

  • With clean hands, gently mix everything together just until it is all incorporated evenly. Don’t overmix it to keep the meatballs from being tough.

  • Take a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. Place the balls on the baking dish/pan.

  • Bake the meatballs for 12 minutes and then turn them over. Bake the meatballs for another 8 minutes and test them to make sure they are cooked through. A meat thermometer should register 160°F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, take a meatball out and cut it in half. It should not be pink in the middle.  If they aren’t ready yet, continue to bake them and check them in 5-minute increments.

  • When done, remove from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes to cool and firm-up before adding them to sauce or serving them as they are.

Enjoy!

Note

  • These meatballs freeze well. Either raw or cooked.  If you freeze them raw, freeze them on the backing sheet and transfer them to a freezer bag or container. When you want to bake them, remove them from the bag, lay them on the prepared baking dish/sheet and put them in the fridge to thaw.  Then bake them as per the instructions above.

  •  If freeing them cooked, let them cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer bag.  Pull out the number of meatballs you want to use and return the rest to the freezer. Let them thaw before you reheat them.

Dinner, Light Supper, Lunch, SnacksRenata RichardsonBest Ever Baked Meatballs, Baked Meatballs, Meatballs, Healthy DinnerComment