Description
These Cheesy Italian Baked Meatballs are juicy, tender, and packed with flavor from fresh herbs and seasonings. They’re seared and then topped with cheese before being baked in marinara sauce for the perfect cheesy saucy meatball.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/4 Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil, plus more for serving
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 25 oz marinara sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Make the meatballs: Add the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, whisked egg, almond milk, onion, parsley, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to a large mixing bowl. Gently mix together until well combined. Use a tablespoon measure to scoop and roll the meat mixture into meatballs. You should be able to make around 20 meatballs.
- Sear the meatballs: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add the olive oil and then add the meatballs to the skillet and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your skillet. Once the meatballs have browned, remove them from skillet.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and wipe down or rinse to remove any browned bits. Return the meatballs to the skillet and pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs. Top the meatballs with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the meatballs: Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges of the skillet are bubbly. If desired, turn the oven to low broil and let cook for 2-3 minutes to help the cheese brown a bit.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and top with grated parmesan and additional fresh parsley and basil.
- Serve the meatballs and sauce with the cooked pasta of your choice. Enjoy!
