If you want a super flavorful meatball that is pretty easy to put together, this Italian Sausage Meatball is the one you have been looking for. It is a perfect blend of Italian sausage, ground beef, garlic, seasonings, and coarsely ground parmesan cheese. They bake up golden caramelized on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Finish them by simmering in marinara sauce and serve them over spaghetti.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that the meatballs are baked, not pan fried. NO pan frying here! I find pan frying meatballs is such a mess and ends up making the meatballs more square than round.
This Italian Sausage Meatball recipe is similar to our Classic Baked Italian Meatball Recipe, but this one includes Italian Sausage for a whole new flavor profile. You are going to LOVE them served with spaghetti! They are also amazing in a Meatball Sub Sandwich.
Ingredient Details
Bulk Italian Sausage – “bulk” just refers to the sausage not being in casing, and instead is ground and on a tray, like ground beef. Any Italian sausage will work here; pork, turkey, sweet, mild, hot. Use whatever kind you like.
Ground Beef – if you can get an 85/15 ground beef that is a great ratio for all meatballs. It has enough fat to be flavorful but not so much fat it will make the meatballs greasy.
Bread – use a hearty white bread, we like Pepperidge Farm Hearty White. Or you can use a ciabatta, sourdough, or Italian bread, all will work. This recipe is great for day old bread. Avoid any breads that are overly seedy or grainy. You will also want to remove any hard crust from the bread and just use the soft inside.
Milk – mixing milk with the bread creates something called a panade. It helps bind the meatballs, but also helps keep them juicy and tender.
Panade
A panade is a mixture of a starch, usually bread, bread crumbs or crackers, and a liquid, usually broth or milk, to keep a meat mixture moist.
We use a panade in all our meatball recipes and burger recipes.
Egg – one large egg will help bind the ingredients together for really tender meatballs that still hold together.
Parmesan Cheese – This is a tip straight from my Italian friend… use a coarsely ground parmesan for your meatballs. It will give you little pockets of melted parmesan flavor throughout. Perfection!
You can achieve this texture by running chunks of parmesan in a blender or food processor, just PULSE it a few times to get this texture. See photo below for the right parmesan texture.
Raw Garlic – minced raw garlic adds amazing flavor to just about any meatball and this Italian Sausage Meatball is no exception!
Seasonings & Herbs- all the usual suspects here; dried basil, oregano, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Using Dried Herbs
Crush dried herbs in the palm of your hand before adding to the recipe. This revives the oils in the herbs and enhances the flavor you taste.
Favorite Meatball Tools
There are three items that I use to make all our meatball recipes amazing!
Large Rimmed Baking Sheet – there are three reasons why you should use a large rimmed baking sheet for making meatballs:
- It allows enough room for the meatballs to caramelize in the oven. If you overcrowd a smaller pan the meatballs will steam and look grey (unappetizing to be sure).
- The low rim of a baking sheet allows the heat to move around the meatballs and for the juices to spread out, again letting the meatballs caramelize and not steam.
- The rim of the baking sheet catches all the juice that releases from the Italian Sausage Meatballs during cooking and ensures you don’t have a mess in your oven at the end of the cooking time.
Parchment Paper – this is a staple in my kitchen for just about all things baked in the oven, sweet or savory! It ensures that nothing sticks/bakes to the pan and yet lets enough heat through from the pan to caramelize the bottom of the meatballs. I don’t find I get the same results using foil.
Cookie Scoop – yep, a cookie scoop! This helps make the meatballs in two ways:
- The scoop will help you portion the meatballs out easily and efficiently.
- It also makes all the meatballs the same size. This is not important for visual appeal, it helps keep the Italian Sausage Meatballs uniform in size which in turn helps them cook evenly!
How To Make Italian Sausage Meatballs
- Combine Bread, Milk, and Egg
- Add Parmesan and Herbs.
- Mix in Ground Beef and Italian Sausage.
- Roll Into Meatballs.
- Bake.
In a large bowl add the bread cubes, milk and egg. Mash it all together with a fork.
Add the coarsely ground parmesan cheese and all the herbs and seasonings. Give it a good mix again.
With clean hands or a fork mix in the ground beef and Italian sausage.
Portion the mixture into equal sized meatballs, roll them into meatballs and place on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet.
Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes. You want to check that the internal temperature of your meatball reaches 165°F with an Instant Read Thermometer.
Adding Marinara
Most likely you are serving your Italian Sausage Meatballs with some type of marinara sauce. We love Rao’s brand in our kitchen! Or if you want to make your own, this Homemade Marinara is amazing.
There are two options for adding the marinara:
- Add your baked Italian Sausage Meatballs to a Dutch oven and cover with a 24 oz. jar of marinara. Pop back in the oven, covered for 15 minutes.
- Or you can warm the marinara on the stove top while the meatballs cook. Stir the meatballs into the sauce once they come out of the oven.
Serving
The most traditional way to serve Italian Sausage Meatballs is by serving them on top of spaghetti with sauce. Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and chopped fresh parsley.
They are also great served more like a chicken nugget- with sauce on the side for dipping. We also love a good Meatball Sub for dinner!
Tomato Cream Sauce
We LOVE to eat these Italian Sausage Meatballs over spaghetti with this Simple Tomato Cream Sauce. Just add some garlic bread and a side salad.
Any way you choose to serve them you can add a side salad, like a Caesar Salad, and some garlic bread for an amazing dinner!
These Italian Sausage Meatballs make a great dinner to take to a loved one (like a meal train), or for a big Sunday Family Dinner. We have also used this recipe on big family vacations!
Storing and Freezing
Store any leftover meatballs in the fridge, in a covered container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F for 15 minutes.
The baked meatballs freeze really well! I have frozen them with or without sauce. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and then reheat.
You can also freeze the raw meatballs for great meal prep! Freeze them individually on a baking sheet for a couple hours, then once frozen, transfer to a zip lock baggie and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
To bake from the freezer, pop the frozen meatballs on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, or until they reach 165°F internal temp.
More Meatball Recipes
We LOOOOOVE Meatballs here at Mom’s Dinner! Everything from Hoisin Meatballs to Chicken Meatballs.
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Baked Italian Sausage Meatball Recipe
Equipment
- Cookie Scoop (optional) (makes quick work of scooping meatballs)
Ingredients
Italian Sausage Meatballs
- 1 lb up to 1.25 lbs. lean ground beef - – 85/15 is a great ratio
- 1 lb ground Bulk Italian Sausage - – mild, hot, pork or turkey all work
- 1 ½ cups torn bread - – crusts removed, see notes
- ⅔ cups milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup coarsely ground parmesan cheese - – see notes
- 2-3 plump garlic cloves - – minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch or two of red pepper flakes
Serving
- 24 oz jarred marinara sauce - Rao’s is a great brand
- 1 lb. cooked pasta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the torn bread pieces with the milk. Use a fork to mash the mixture into a paste consistency.1 ½ cups torn bread, ⅔ cups milk
- Add the beaten egg, parmesan cheese, garlic and all the herbs/seasonings. Stir to combine and let sit for a couple minutes. Pro Tip: crush the herbs in the palm of your hand before adding to the mixture for maximum flavor.1 large egg, ½ cup coarsely ground parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2-3 plump garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, Pinch or two of red pepper flakes
- Add the sausage and ground beef. With clean hands or a fork mix everything together lightly.1 lb up to 1.25 lbs. lean ground beef, 1 lb ground Bulk Italian Sausage
- Using a cookie scoop or a ¼ cup measuring cup, portion out the meatballs onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Roll the portioned mixture into nice uniform meatballs. Pro Tip: very lightly wet the palms of your hands so the meat doesn't stick to your hands.
- Bake at 400℉ for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165℉.
Two Ways to Add Marinara (optional)
- Add your baked Italian Sausage Meatballs to a Dutch oven and cover with a 24 oz. jar of marinara. Pop back in the oven, covered for 15 minutes.24 oz jarred marinara sauce
- Or you can warm the marinara on the stove top while the meatballs cook. Stir the meatballs into the sauce once they come out of the oven.
Freezing from Baked
- Cool the leftover meatballs and transfer to a pan or plate that will fit in the freezer. Freeze the meatballs for a couple hours. Then transfer to a zip lock baggie or freezer safe container.
- To use thaw in the fridge overnight and warm in marinara sauce on the stove top or in the oven at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes until warmed through.
Freezing Raw
- Place the raw meatballs on a pan or plate that will fit in the freezer. Freeze the meatballs individually without them touching. Freeze the meatballs for a couple hours. Then transfer to a zip lock baggie or freezer safe container.
- To bake from the freezer, pop the frozen raw meatballs on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, or until they reach 165°F internal temp.
Recipe Tips and Notes:
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