Italian Beef Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Tender, juicy Italian-style meatballs simmered in homemade marinara sauce. Perfect for pasta, sub sandwiches, or as an appetizer. Makes enough for meal prep or freezing.
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 cup breadcrumbs panko
- 2 large eggs
- 0.5 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 0.25 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 jars 24oz marinara sauce
- 0.5 cup water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, grated parmesan, minced garlic, chopped parsley, italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Mix with a fork until well combined.
- Add ground beef to the breadcrumb mixture and gently mix with your hands just until combined. Do not overmix, or the meatballs will become tough. The mixture should hold together when squeezed.
- Using a 1.5-inch cookie scoop or your hands, form the mixture into meatballs about the size of walnuts. You should get about 24 meatballs total.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add meatballs and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate.
- Pour marinara sauce into the skillet and add water, stirring to combine. Return all meatballs to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until meatballs are cooked through (internal temp should reach 160°F).
- Serve meatballs and sauce over cooked pasta, with crusty bread for dipping, or use for meatball subs. Leftovers freeze beautifully for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Simply thaw and reheat gently.