A super flavorful Italian style meatball make with a mixture of Italian Sausage and Ground Beef. They bake up golden-caramelized on the outside and super tender and juicy on the inside.
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.
Video
Notes
BREAD - use a soft white bread, sandwich bread, ciabatta, French, Italian, sourdough all work, just make sure to remove the crust. Avoid any breads that are overly seedy or grainy. PARMESAN - lightly pulse chunks of parmesan in a blender or food processor until it resembles pea gravel. See photo: