This easy and adaptable baked meatball recipe is a perfect make-ahead staple.
This is not the most exciting recipe, but it is one that I really wanted to post because I make it all the time. All. The. Time. These baked meatballs are super adaptable, so you can add whatever spices you like. For example, if I want to make them for spaghetti, I might add spices like oregano, basil, and fennel. And the really, really best part about these meatballs? You can make them ahead.
Make-ahead techniques
- Mix up the meat mixture, form into meatballs and refrigerate. If you are going to use the meatballs for a dinner, the meatballs should be fine for a few days in the fridge.
- Mix up the meat mixture, form into meatballs and freeze raw. If you do this, make sure to freeze them in a single layer (on a platter or a baking sheet) so that they do not stick together. Thaw them before you bake or toss them (frozen) directly into a crock pot with your favorite marinara sauce.
- Bake the meatballs and freeze them. You can reheat the meatballs in the microwave, or you can thaw them in the fridge and reheat them in the oven or in a skillet. My favorite thing about making them this way is that I can reach in the freezer, pull a few out for my lunch, and I am ready to go.
Easy Baked Meatballs
SODIUM COUNT: 87 per serving; 522 mg in the entire recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef*
- 1 small onion ((finely chopped))
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup plain panko bread crumbs
- Black pepper ((to taste))
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, using your hands to thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
- Shape the meatballs into 30 1-ounce meatballs. Each meatball will be roughly golf ball sized. If you wet your hands the meat is less likely to stick to your hands. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
- Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Serve the meatballs immediately or freeze them for use later. They are great on their own, but also work in marinara sauce or your favorite gravy.
Notes
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Per serving (Yield: 6 servings, 5 meatballs each): Sodium: 87.1 mg, Calories: 187.3, Total Fat: 6.7 g, Saturated Fat: 2.9 g, Cholesterol: 99.5 mg, Carbohydrates: 6.1 g, Fiber: 0.5 g, Sugar: 1.1 g, Protein: 24.2 g.
Per meatball (30 meatballs total): Sodium: 17.4 mg, Calories: 37.5, Total Fat: 1.3 g, Saturated Fat: 0.6 g, Cholesterol: 19.9 mg, Carbohydrates: 1.2 g, Fiber: 0.1 g, Sugar: 0.2 g, Protein: 4.8 g.
* For nutritional information I used 95/5 lean ground beef. If you use a higher fat beef, the meatballs will have higher calorie and fat content, but the sodium should not change too much.
Nutrition
- Calories: 187
Check out these Spiced Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce if you are looking for meatballs with a little more zing.
I haven’t tried your recipes yet but they all look wonderful and I’m excited to try them. At 47 my husband was just diagnosed with heart failure after having no previous medical history. All of your low sodium recipes are exactly what I was looking for. I appreciate your blog and just wanted to say thank you.
Great recipe. I added garlic powder, oregano, and Mrs. Dash. I put it with whole wheat pene pasta and Silver Palate low sodium marinara.
★★★★★
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef? Can I add spices like garlic or onion powder without changing the sodium count? I’m new to this low sodium cooking. Thanks
Ground turkey would be fine. Spices like onion or garlic powder are fine and won’t increase sodium. The label will usually list ingredients, and as long as it doesn’t list salt, you are probably okay. I have a post with some tips about “sneaky sodium” that includes some info on spices. It might be helpful since you’re new to this – https://www.sodiumoptional.com/sneaky-sodium/.
Thank you so much for this recipe and others. I made these using ground turkey, diced mushrooms, instead of onions, made bread crumbs from zero sodium bread and paired it with Zoodles and no salt added tomato sauce. They tasted great.
★★★★★