Description
This easy baked meatballs and pasta recipe is a perfect weeknight meal that combines juicy, flavorful meatballs baked to perfection and tossed with your favorite pasta and sauce. It’s simple to prepare, hearty, and comforting, making it a family favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2.5 tablespoons milk
Pasta and Sauce
- 1 pound pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 24 ounces pasta sauce of choice
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the meatballs evenly.
- Cook Pasta: Boil and cook 1 pound of pasta following the package instructions, then drain and set aside.
- Prepare Bread Crumb Mixture: In a small bowl, combine the milk and panko bread crumbs, stirring until mixed thoroughly.
- Make Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, parmesan cheese, minced onion, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Add the panko breadcrumb and milk mixture, combining everything well to create the meatball mixture.
- Form Meatballs: Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture per meatball, form approximately 22-25 meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake Meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring they are fully cooked.
- Heat Sauce: While the meatballs bake, warm your chosen pasta sauce in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
- Combine and Serve: Once the meatballs are done baking, carefully add them to the heated sauce and toss gently to coat. Then add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and combine everything thoroughly to serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160°F for safe consumption.
- For extra flavor, consider adding fresh herbs like basil or parsley to the sauce before serving.
- If you want softer meatballs, soak the panko breadcrumbs in the milk for a few minutes before mixing.
- This recipe can be doubled easily for larger gatherings.
- Leftover meatballs and sauce can be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1/6 of the recipe)
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg
