How to make meatballs (2024)

What are meatballs made from?

To make meatballs, finely chopped or minced meat such as beef will be seasoned and sometimes flavoured with ingredients like chopped onions, herbs and spices then will be shaped into small balls before cooking. Typically, meatballs will be somewhere between the size of a large cherry and a golf ball. Recipes such as Swedish meatballs and Italian-inspired meatballs are often made with a mixture of both beef and pork, but meatballs can be made with any red meat, game, poultry or a mixture.

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Meatballs pop up in a wide range of different cuisines, and that’s no surprise as they’re simple to serve, easy to eat and a good way of making a relatively small amount of meat go that bit further.

How to stop meatballs from falling apart

Making them with just meat and seasoning alone can result in the meatball becoming dry or falling apart during cooking. For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs. You only need a small amount of egg – it’s there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture.

Filler ingredients like breadcrumbs or flour are important too because they stop the meatballs becoming dry. The breadcrumbs absorb the juices from the meat as it cooks, trapping them within the meatball. Again quantity is important here; too much and your meatball will be more like stuffing or a dumpling.

How to cook meatballs

How long to cook meatballs on the hob

The best way to cook meatballs is to shallow fry them, preferably in a non-stick pan with a little vegetable or sunflower oil. They’ll take around 10-15 mins over a medium heat, depending on their size. Cook until they are no longer pink in the middle and any juices run clear. You’ll need to turn them regularly to make sure they cook evenly and retain their round shape.

How long to cook meatballs in the oven

Meatballs can also be baked in the oven, for around 25 mins at 200C/180C fan/gas 6. This can be easier and allows you to cook a bigger batch at once. However, if the meatballs have a high meat content they can easily become dry in the oven, so it's best to try this with recipes that contain a higher proportion of other wetter ingredients such as finely chopped or grated vegetables.

How to make meatballs with sausages

If you want to cheat, the easiest way to make meatballs is to make them from sausages. Simply squeeze the sausage meat out from the sausage and roll into small balls – you should get about 2 or 3 from each sausage. Sausages should already contain a type of breadcrumb called rusk, so they'll stay juicy and flavourful once fried.

Ready-made meatballs are also available and they are just as easy to cook. Most take around 10-15 mins on the hob or under the grill. Just make sure you turn them regularly to make sure they cook evenly.

What to serve with meatballs

A popular Italian-American classic, spaghetti and meatballs is comprised of meatballs drenched in a tomato sauce served with spaghetti and topped with finely grated parmesan cheese.

Meatballs are often served in a sauce like this – if not tomato sauce it could be with a gravy perhaps, or in a curry. But in most cases, it’s better to cook the meatballs separately first before adding them to your chosen sauce at the last stage. This ensures that the meatball is cooked properly, provides deep caramelised flavour to the outside of the meat and stops them breaking up in the sauce.

How to make easy meatballs with spaghetti

FOR THE MEATBALLS

8 good-quality sausages (approx. 450g pack)
500g pack minced beef
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
plain flour for rolling
3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

FOR THE SAUCE

Here are five more meatball recipes you'll love:

These are some of our favourite meatball dishes. For more inspiration, check out our collection of meatball recipes.

1. Classic Swedish meatballs

Recreate your favourite dish from a certain furniture store! Our quick and easy Swedish meatballs use lean pork and dill for flavouring. You can sub in half of the pork mince for beef mince, if you wish.

2. Red Thai meatball curry

A colourful, zingy curry that the whole family will enjoy. Bursting with flavours of fresh ginger, chilli and red curry paste, it's sure to leave your tastebuds tingling.

3. Three-cheese meatball lasagne

Make this melting meatball lasagne for a comforting dinner party dish. Complete with three different cheeses and punchy flavours from fennel seeds and chilli, this bubbling bake really is worth the effort.

4.

One of our most popular meatball recipes, this simple Italian-style version combines pork sausages with beef mince, parsley and onions, all in a rich tomato sauce. The meatballs and sauce can also be made ahead and then frozen, so you can easily batch cook this recipe.

Take this classic dish up a notch with our .

5. Healthy turkey meatballs

Swap beef mince and breadcrumbs for lean turkey and oats. Serve in a tomato and vegetable sauce with pasta or potatoes for a light dinner.

Find more marvellous meatball recipes...

Our main meatball recipes
Turkey meatball recipes
Spaghetti and meatball recipes
Swedish meatball recipes

FAQs

What are homemade meatballs made of? ›

Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Mix in cheese, eggs, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add bread crumbs and slowly mix in water, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is moist but still holds its shape (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water); shape into meatballs.

Is it better to bake or pan cook meatballs? ›

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior. Baked meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you'll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make a larger batch at once.

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Why are my meatballs falling apart when I fry them? ›

ANSWER: Usually when meatballs fall apart, it's the binder that is the problem. Most meatball recipes call for using bread crumbs and eggs.

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What are traditional meatballs made of? ›

Meat: Some say that it's more old-school for traditional Italian cooks to use a combination of beef, veal and pork to make meatballs (and you can too). Because ground veal isn't as readily available, I prefer to use a half-and-half mixture of ground beef and ground pork for the best texture and flavor.

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What are most meatballs made of? ›

Meatballs. Meatballs consist of finely minced meat, vegetables, seasonings, and binders like eggs and breadcrumbs to help keep them together. They are then cooked and served in a myriad of ways. These can be made from chicken, fish, beef, or pork.

Should I bake my meatballs before putting in sauce? ›

Some people like to drop the raw meatballs directly in a pot of Italian tomato sauce and let them simmer. Some people like to cook the meatballs in the oven first and then put the browned meatballs in the tomato sauce.

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Should you fry meatballs before putting in sauce? ›

You can brown the uncooked meatballs in a sauté pan before adding them to the sauce. You can brown them in the oven. Or you can skip browning altogether and put the raw meatballs straight into the sauce to cook.

What helps meatballs stay together? ›

Breadcrumbs: I add breadcrumbs for texture. I also love substituting them for crushed saltine crackers like we do for this meatloaf. Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked.

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How do you keep meatballs perfectly round? ›

Use a small ice cream scoop to make perfectly round meatballs of the same size. Put some of the meatball mixture in one hand and dish up (with your scooper) equal-sized meatballs and drop them on a baking pan. After scooping, smooth them out into round meatballs by gently rolling in your hands.

How do you keep meatballs from sticking together? ›

Freezing the meatballs in a single layer first means that they won't stick together once frozen. This means you can take out only what you need, which is helpful if you're freezing more than one batch at a time.

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Do meatballs need a binder? ›

The Key to Tender Meatballs

This binder (aka panade) helps add moisture to the meatballs and also prevents the meat proteins from shrinking and becoming tough. (Eggs also contribute to tenderness, so don't skip them!)

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