Go Back

The Best Oven-Baked Meatballs Recipe (With a Secret Ingredient!)

Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef 80/20
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup ricotta or farmer cheese
  • 1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium-sized casserole dish (mine was 11x7). Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, cheese, crackers, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until well combined (I found that putting on gloves and using my hands was the easiest method).
  3. Roll out the meatballs a little smaller than golf ball sized (my batch made about 20-22 meatballs).
  4. Line them in the casserole dish so that the sides are touching.
  5. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, making sure that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. If you prefer the top to be a bit crispier, you can put them under a low broiler for a couple of minutes.
  6. Allow to cool slightly before adding to sauce (I just simmer a jar of store-bought marinara and add the meatballs to the sauce once they're cooked).