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Easy Meatballs

Prep 15 min
Total 40 min
Servings 4

While the classic presentation is to serve this meatball recipe on a bed of freshly cooked spaghetti, you can also serve Italian meatballs on a bed of steamed veggies, accompanied by white or brown rice or as the filling of a hearty meatball sandwich. MORE+ LESS-

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated October 1, 2018

Make with

Progresso Breadcrumbs

Ingredients

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1/2

cup Progresso™ Italian-style bread crumbs

1/4

cup milk

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/2

teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4

teaspoon pepper

small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

egg

Steps

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1

Heat oven to 400°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.
2

In large bowl, mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place 1 inch apart in pan.
3

Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until temperature reaches 160°F and no longer pink in center.

Expert Tips

Instead of cooking the meatballs in the oven, drop them carefully into a wide, deep pot of marinara sauce. Gently simmer the sauce, partially covered, until the meatballs are cooked completely.
For evenly-sized meatballs that will cook in the same amount of time, pat the meat mixture into a 6x4-inch square. Cut into 24 squares. Roll each square into a ball.
Mix things up by substituting 1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef. (If using ground chicken, decrease milk to 2 tablespoons.) Bake until no longer pink in center and thermometer inserted in center reads 165°F.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 280
Calories from Fat: 140

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 15g; 23%
Saturated Fat 6g 28% Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol: 125mg; 42%
Sodium: 480mg; 20%
Potassium: 280mg; 8%
Total Carbohydrate: 13g; 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3% Sugars 3g
Protein: 24g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 2%; 2%
Vitamin C: 0%; 0%
Calcium: 6%; 6%
Iron: 15%; 15%

Exchanges:

1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 0 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

Baking, instead of pan frying, these meatballs allows you to speed up prep time and work on the rest of the meal while they’re cooking. Use the baking time to create a first-course antipasto platter of meats and cheeses. Then pull together a Caesar salad, warm up garlic bread (right in the oven in which the meatballs are cooking) or steam some fresh vegetables to accompany the meal. When it’s time for dessert, scoop up dishes of Neopolitan ice cream or fruity gelato, and you’ve created your own Italian feast. This baked meatball recipe has been a go-to classic for generations of home cooks, who rely on its precisely perfect proportions of meat, bread crumbs, milk, egg and seasonings. Once you’ve mastered the basics of how to make meatballs, you can try even more time-tested recipes and modern new twists in Betty’s best meatball recipes collection.