These Sausage Meatballs have so much flavor with relatively few ingredients—and are perfect for when you want to make one recipe that will feed your family for two meals!
Easy Sausage Meatballs
I love the flavor of Italian sausage and I’ve found that adding some to a batch of meatballs creates the best flavor and texture—without the need to add much else to the mix. This recipe uses inexpensive ingredients and usually makes enough for at least two meals (depending on the number of people in your house of course).
TIP: We like these in tomato sauce and served with pasta, though they are also great in a meatball sandwich or served diced up with a side of bread.
Ingredients
To make this Italian Sausage Meatballs recipe you’ll need:
- ground beef
- Italian sausage (either bulk or the kind in casings)
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- breadcrumbs
- egg
TIP: Be sure to buy uncooked Italian sausage, not the precooked kind.
Can I make these gluten-free?
Sure thing. Just look for gluten-free breadcrumbs and check that the sausage you buy is gluten-free.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the steps involved in this recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Place the ingredients into a bowl, removing the sausage from the casings as needed.
- Mix together with clean hands and form into golf-ball sized balls.
- Bake!
- Place onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
TIP: You can bake them on a greased baking sheet lined or unlined with foil. Using foil will make clean up slightly easier.
What should I serve these meatballs with?
We love them in tomato sauce (though my kids will eat them plain too!) with pasta or as a meatball sandwich. You can serve the elements of a classic meatball sandwich deconstructed to the kids to make sure it’s easy for them to eat.
Tips for Making the Best Sausage Meatballs
- Use raw Italian sausage, not precooked.
- Choose sausage that’s bulk or that comes in casings. Either works.
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and sausage to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge and reheat to serve. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or in a pot of simmering tomato sauce on the stovetop.
- Serve the meatballs in warm tomato sauce with pasta or as meatball sandwiches with bread.
- You may also like my Healthy Toddler Meatballs, my Baked Chicken Meatballs, and my Mini Meatballs with Veggies.
I’d love to hear what you think of the recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
Easy Sausage Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/3 Italian flavored breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 24- ounce jar favorite marinara sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray
- Remove the sausage from the casings if needed. Mix all ingredients well with clean hands in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Portion into small 2-inch meatballs. Place on prepared baking pan and bake for 22-25 minutes.
- Drain on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Serve, or bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a medium pot. Add meatballs and keep warm until ready to serve with pasta or on/with rolls as sandwiches.
Equipment
Notes
- Use raw Italian sausage, not precooked.
- Choose sausage that's bulk or that comes in casings. Either works.
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and sausage to make this recipe gluten-free.
- You can serve them without the sauce if your kids prefer them that way.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge and reheat to serve. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or in a pot of simmering tomato sauce on the stovetop.
- Serve the meatballs in warm tomato sauce with pasta or as meatball sandwiches with bread.
Nutrition
Can i make it dairy free?
Sure, just omit the parmesan.
This sounds SO delicious! Do you think an egg replacement option would work in meatball recipes like this one (e.g 1/3 cup of applesauce)? I’ve only tried with baked goods so I don’t know!
You can simply omit the egg and add 1-2 tbsp milk. The mixture holds together well without the egg if needed. Enjoy!
It shows the calories per serving, but not how many are in a serving. Is a serving one meatball? Does this recipe make ten?
The recipe makes 24 meatballs if you make them the same size I did. So the serving size in the calories is 2-3 meatballs.