Oven Baked Meatballs With Sauce - Dish 'n' The Kitchen

Skip to content Oven Baked Meatballs with Sauce Comfort, Home Cooking, Main DishesOctober 5, 2021February 15, 2026 Bernice Hill Get the Recipe

It doesn’t get any better than these Homestyle Italian Oven Baked Meatballs in a rich tomato sauce. Simmer the sauce, bake the meatballs, and let the wonderful aromas draw everyone to the kitchen.

Around here, we’re big fans of meatball everything. Often, when I cook a saucy meat dish I’ll ask myself “Can I turn this into a meatball?” like when I made these Butter Chicken Meatballs.

Or, sometimes I just can’t make the meatballs fast enough, so I use my Instant Pot to make this super quick 20 Minute Meatballs and Spaghetti. Now that’s dinner on the table in a hurry!

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Oven Baked Meatballs with Sauce

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Lean in closer. Italians know how to make amazing meatballs. Yeah, I said it. These Italian style meatballs are nothing like the ping pong balls I grew up with. Sorry mom, you’re an amazing home cook, just not when it comes to meatballs (or broccoli).

These Oven Baked Meatballs in sauce will fill your home with the most mouth watering aromas. They take a bit of time but the scent of them baking more than makes up for the wait. By the time they are ready to eat, your whole family will be eagerly gathered around the dinner table.

What is a Meatball?

Oh sure, we all know what a meatball is; ground meat rolled into a ball. Sometimes they have other ingredients added to the meat mixture, sometimes they don’t. The resulting orbs are then either fried, baked, steamed, or braised to meaty perfection.

Since I have a huge curiosity about food history, I couldn’t help but digging around to find the origin of meatballs. One of the first historical instances of meatballs occurred in China during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC to 207 BC).

Four Joy Meatballs (or Lion’s Head Meatballs) consist of pork mixed with egg and starch, onion and ginger and are still eaten to this day as part of Chinese New Year celebrations.

Later on, the ancient Roman cookbook Apicius, from the first century AD contains many styles of meatballs from the cuisine at the time. Finally, early Persian cookbooks feature seasoned lamb rolled into orange-sized balls and glazed with egg yolk and sometimes saffron. Doesn’t that sound delicious?!

Ingredients for Oven Baked Meatballs with Sauce

• Ground Beef
• Bread Crumbs
• Dried Basil
• Dried Oregano
• Salt and Pepper
• Onion
• Garlic
• Egg
• Bocconcini
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Italian Parsley
• Passata
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Oregano
• Sugar

Whew! I know it seems like a long list for a simple meatball recipe but bear with me. I like the burst of flavour that dried oregano and basil (or Italian Seasoning) add to the meatballs.

Of course you can use fresh, seeing as they’re already part of the sauce ingredients. However, fresh herbs are a MUST for the sauce. It just makes it so much brighter in flavour.

Leave out the halved cherry tomatoes or balls of bocconcini, if you like. You can also replace the cheese balls with shredded mozzarella, provolone, or asiago.

Using a good quality Passata makes all the difference to this sauce. Make your own with ripe red Romas or buy a jar (not can) of passata. It makes the world of a difference in flavour.

What is the Best Meat for Meatballs?

While many recipes call for a blend of ground pork and beef, this meatball recipe is 100% all beef, all of the time. The trick is to find the freshest ground beef (we love ground chuck) at your local butcher shop. The beef to fat ratio is important too (because there’s no pork involved).

For this recipe, the beef to fat ratio is 80:20. This is just enough fat to result in a perfectly moist meatball without it being greasy. The fine bread crumbs and beaten egg also help to give these meatballs their fabulous texture.

How to Make Oven Baked Meatballs

These meatballs are essentially twice baked but don’t worry, they aren’t dry or tough. They simply undergo a quick sear in a hot oven before being immersed into the bubbling tomato sauce. Don’t skip this essential step because it locks in all the moisture!

Preheat oven 400F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl combine the ground chuck with the bread crumbs, a beaten egg, basil and oregano. Season the meat mixture with salt and pepper. If you like a spicy meatball, add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.

Use a spoon to cut and mix the meat until it is well mixed. Be gentle, yet firm as it is very easy to overwork the meat and end up with tough meatballs.

Some people like to make long snakes with the meat mixture, then cut equal parts before shaping it into balls. You can if you like, I’m not that exact. I just spoon up a bit of meat mixture and start rolling.

Eventually you’ll be able to tell if there are any size differences as you roll each meatball. It just takes a bit of practice. Arrange each meatball on the foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet as you finish it.

If you have any meat left over, scan the formed meatballs and add a bit to each one that looks like it may be a bit smaller than the rest.

Bake the meatballs in a 400F oven for 12 minutes, no longer. The idea is to par bake them, not cook them all the way through.

A Simple Tomato Sauce

While the meatballs are baking, make a quick sauce. Saute finely diced onion and garlic in an ovenproof skillet with a bit of olive oil. Add passata, fresh basil, oregano, and allow it to come to a gentle simmer. Stir in the sugar and let it simmer gently over medium low heat until the meatballs are done.

When the meatballs are done par baking, remove pan of sauce from the heat and arrange the meatballs in the pan in a single layer. Place the halved cherry tomatoes and bocconcini in the gaps between the meatballs.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake for 30 minutes, or until sauce has reduced slightly and cheese is melted and golden.

Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped Italian parsley. Serve with cooked spaghetti, as an appetizer on toasted crostini or in a toasted submarine bun. Top with finely grated Parmesan, if desired.

Make Ahead Meal in Minutes

These oven baked meatballs are the perfect make ahead meal. In fact, I often make a double batch so I can freeze the other half. Having easy freezer dinners that you can reheat in minutes is so handy!

I don’t fuss about with reheating them in the oven. Thaw the frozen meatballs out in the fridge or place directly in a saucepan. Add a few tablespoons of water.

Cover and allow the meatballs to heat up slowly on medium low heat. Stir often to prevent scorching. If you time it right, they will be fully warmed up by the time the spaghetti is ready.

Pin Oven Baked Meatballs with Sauce HERE.

Pin Oven Baked Meatballs with Sauce HERE.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill, the heart and soul behind Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Oven Baked Meatballs with Sauce recipe please, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please, tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making! Thank you so much for reading my blog.

Continue to Content Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 42 minutes Total Time 57 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground chuck 
• 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic; finely minced
• 1 egg
• 10 mini bocconcini (fresh mozzarella balls) 
• 5 cherry tomatoes (optional)
• Italian parsley

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1/2 cup fresh basil; chopped
• 2 garlic cloves; finely minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups Passata
• 1/2 cup fresh oregano leaves 
• 1 tsp salt
• ground black pepper to season
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Place ground chuck, bread crumbs, salt, basil, oregano, pepper, garlic, egg in a large bowl. Mix it all together by hand.
3. Divide meat mixture into equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball with your hands and arrange on the foil lined baking sheet.
4. Bake the meatballs in a 400F oven for 12 minutes, no longer.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Saute the onion and garlic with a bit of olive oil in an oven safe skillet.
6. Next, add the passata, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover and simmer over medium low heat as the meatballs are cooking.
7. Arrange the par baked meatballs in the saucepan/skillet.
8. Place balls of bocconcini and halved cherry tomatoes in between the meatballs.
9. Bake for 30 minutes, or until sauce has reduced slightly and cheese is melted and golden.
10. Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped Italian parsley. Serve with cooked spaghetti or as an appetizer on toasted crostini. Top with finely grated Parmesan, if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 909Total Fat: 55gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 294mgSodium: 1899mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 79g

Nutritional calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator.

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30 comments

1. Catherine Davies February 25, 2026 at 2:18 am

   I only made the sauce but it was absolutely delicious! Three teenage boys and hubby all loved it with fresh sourdough bread. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill February 25, 2026 at 9:32 am

      Great! Thanks for letting me know Cath. It’s a favourite around here. Makes great meatball subs too!

2. Hina Munawar December 19, 2021 at 9:44 am

   I don’t like meatballs, but my family loves them. Tried this recipe today and it turned out so good. Will try it again. Thanks

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill December 19, 2021 at 6:20 pm

      Great to hear Hina! Thank you for trying my recipe.

3. Cook Homey October 19, 2021 at 1:14 pm

   I must say I have never made meatballs in an oven. I always make cook them in a pan. But I’ll try this version too 🙂

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill October 20, 2021 at 10:03 am

      Give it a try. I think you’ll be very happy with the results.

4. Anaiah October 17, 2021 at 10:53 pm

   These oven baked meatballs turned out perfect! It was soo flavorful and easy to make for dinner. The kids loved it!

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:13 am

      You can never go wrong with baked meatballs for family dinner.

5. Loreto and Nicoletta October 17, 2021 at 8:43 pm

   Hi Bernice AI am ready with my sub bun. This is how I do it. I cut the end off the bud. Pull out some of the crumb in the middle and pile those meatballs in with plenty of sauce. This is how us airaluans do it! Thanks for sharing!😁🙏👌❤️😋

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:14 am

      Oh heck ya. Make a little nest in the bun for the meatballs. I’m feeling it!

6. Tammy October 17, 2021 at 3:02 pm

   My mouth is watering! What a fantastic meal…you can’t beat homemade meatballs. These are so flavorful!

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:14 am

      They really are such a treat. Thanks for stopping by Tammy.

7. Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer October 17, 2021 at 1:27 pm

   Yes, yes, and MORE YES! Bernice these meatballs were outstanding! I love that you baked them too! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing!!!

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:15 am

      oooh excellent. So glad to hear you enjoyed them Lori.

8. NATALIA October 17, 2021 at 11:20 am

   Thank you for this delicious recipe! It tasted really flavorful and amazing! Super easy to make too! Highly recommend! Will surely make this again!

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:16 am

      Super!! Thank you so much for the rave review Natalia!

9. silvia October 17, 2021 at 10:32 am

   We are meatballs fans, we like to explore new recipes and this one is a keeper. I love the mozzarella balls and the sauce. So delicious.

   Reply

   1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:17 am

      So great to hear from another meatball enthusiast Silvia. Thanks for trying this recipe.

10. Chandice October 17, 2021 at 7:54 am

    Oh my goodness baking them in the sauce definitely makes them moist! Super easy instructions too, thank you. Adding to weekly meal ideas.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:17 am

       Yes, and the pre bake too. Ah, now I’m craving meatballs again!

11. Julia October 16, 2021 at 4:19 pm

    I love that these are oven baked! We always love having meatballs with our spaghetti, but sometimes the amount of oil we use to “fry” the meatballs can be concerning. This had just as much flavor and was just as tender. Delicious!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill October 18, 2021 at 11:19 am

       Yes, pre baking the meatballs and using the correct meat to fat ratio really make these meatballs spectacular.

12. Liz October 14, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    Thank you for sharing a meatball recipe as well. Usually the recipes I find call for frozen meatballs.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill October 15, 2021 at 12:14 pm

       Ah. Yes the best part is using excellent beef to make the meatballs yourself. It makes such a difference.

13. Lauren Michael Harris October 13, 2021 at 2:43 pm

    This is such an amazing way to elevate plain ole’ meatballs! I LOVE the use of fresh mozzarella – definitely making baked meatballs like this from now on!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill October 13, 2021 at 8:50 pm

       They really end up with so much flavour and it’s such a comforting dish. Hope you enjoy them Lauren.

14. Heather October 12, 2021 at 1:54 pm

    No need for oil with these flavour packed bites of goodness!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill October 12, 2021 at 3:08 pm

       Heck no! They are perfect the way they are naturally.

15. Marta October 11, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    An amazing dinner… we loved it with a good garlic bread and pasta. Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill October 12, 2021 at 3:08 pm

       Oh, that would have been so tasty…craving meatballs AGAIN!

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