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These Italian Sausage Meatballs are tender, full of flavor, and made with just six simple ingredients. I first made them when my son wanted meatballs with his spaghetti and the only ground meat in the house was sausage. They turned out to be a great shortcut, since the sausage brings all the seasoning for you.
More Homemade Meatballs: Easy Homemade Meatballs | Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs | Baked Chicken Meatballs
Before You Get Started
These meatballs are about as simple as it gets, but a few small things make the biggest difference in how they turn out.
- Bake them to 160°F — Sausage needs to be fully cooked, even if it’s going into sauce. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of it.
- Mix with a light hand — Overworking packs the meat tight, and the meatballs bake up dense and tough. Stop as soon as everything looks evenly combined.
- Skip the added salt — Italian sausage is already well seasoned and fairly salty. Between that and the Parmesan, these don’t need any extra.
Which Italian Sausage to Use
Italian sausage is ground pork seasoned with garlic and fennel, which is why this recipe needs so few other ingredients. There are only two choices to make.
Mild or hot: Mild keeps these kid-friendly, and hot adds a gentle kick without any extra spices. You can also do half and half.
Bulk or links: Bulk ground sausage is the easiest to mix. If you can only find links, slit the casings and squeeze out the meat. Four to five links make about a pound.
Chicken Italian sausage or Italian-seasoned ground turkey work too, and readers have had great results with both. Bake them to 165°F, and check a few minutes early since they’re leaner. No sausage at all? Season 1 pound of ground pork with 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon fennel seed, ½ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
RECIPE OVERVIEW
How to Make Italian Sausage Meatballs
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
These come together in one bowl and bake on a single sheet pan, so there’s very little cleanup. Line your pan with foil and lightly grease it before you start.
1. Cook the Onion and Garlic
Heat a little olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the diced onion for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and stir for about a minute, until fragrant. Sautéing them first takes away the raw bite and adds a mellow sweetness to the meatballs.
Let the onions cool for 5 minutes before mixing. If they’re still hot, they can start cooking the egg and sausage.
2. Mix the Meatballs
Add the sausage, egg, panko, Parmesan, and cooled onions to a large bowl.
Use your hands to mix everything together. It’s quicker than a spoon, and it’s easier to tell when everything is evenly combined. The mixture should hold together when you press it.
3. Scoop and Shape
I don’t worry too much about perfect shapes, but I do use a cookie scoop because it makes life so much easier. It’s also easy enough for my kids to use. A 1½ tablespoon scoop gives you about 24 meatballs that are all the same size, so they cook evenly.
Roll each one lightly between your palms and set them on the prepared pan, at least an inch apart.
4. Bake Until Browned
Bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until the meatballs are browned on the outside and reach 160°F in the center. If you don’t have a thermometer, cut one open. There should be no pink left inside.
5. Finish in Sauce (Optional)
Use tongs to move the meatballs to your sauce, leaving the fat behind on the pan. Let them simmer for about 10 minutes so they soak up some of the flavor.
Homemade Marinara Sauce is my favorite here, but a good jarred sauce works just as well.
Ways to Serve Them
Spaghetti night is the classic. Toss the meatballs with pasta and sauce, then add something warm and something fresh to round out the meal.
Make It a Meal: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce | Best Ever Cheesy Garlic Bread | Easy Copycat Olive Garden Salad
They’re also great on a sub roll with sauce and melted mozzarella. Use them in place of the turkey meatballs in my Turkey Meatball Subs for an easy sandwich dinner.
For a party, make them bite-size and set them out on toothpicks with warm marinara for dipping. Hosting a crowd for the big game? My Game Day Recipes collection is full of easy crowd-pleasers like hot dips, sliders, and wings.
Storage Tips
Storage, Freezing & Make Ahead
Refrigerate. Store cooked meatballs in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They keep well with or without sauce.
Reheat. Warm them gently in simmering sauce on the stove, or microwave covered until heated through.
Freeze. I always bake the meatballs first, then freeze them once they’ve cooled. Freeze them in a single layer on a sheet pan, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. They hold their shape this way, and you can drop them straight into simmering sauce from frozen.
Make ahead. Shape the meatballs, cover the pan, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. You can also bake a full batch, use half for dinner, and freeze the rest for subs later in the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my sausage meatballs falling apart?
The mixture is usually too wet or wasn’t packed enough to hold its shape. Make sure you use the full egg and panko, since they hold everything together. Chilling the shaped meatballs for 15 minutes before baking helps them firm up. If you’re adding them to sauce, let them rest for a few minutes after baking so they don’t break when you move them.
Why are my meatballs greasy?
Sausage has more fat than most ground meat, and it melts out as the meatballs bake. That’s normal. Lining the pan with foil keeps the cleanup easy, and moving the meatballs with tongs leaves most of the fat behind. For even less grease, bake them on a wire rack set inside the sheet pan.
How long do I bake mini meatballs for appetizers?
Bite-size meatballs, about 1 inch across, take 12 to 14 minutes at 400°F. Check them at 12 minutes, and pull them once they’re browned and reach 160°F in the center. One pound of sausage makes about 50 to 60 mini meatballs, enough for a party platter.
More Easy Italian Dinners
- Italian Sausage & Tortellini Skillet
- Sausage Tortellini Soup with Spinach
- One Pan Parmesan Meatballs
- Spaghetti Pomodoro with Homemade 15 Minute Meatballs
- Zucchini Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage
- Spinach Baked Ziti
Italian Sausage Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2-3 cloves
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion for 4 to 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix gently: In a large bowl, combine the sausage, egg, panko, Parmesan, and cooled onion mixture. Mix with your hands just until combined. Overmixing makes the meatballs tough.
- Shape: Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop to divide the mixture into about 24 meatballs. Roll lightly and place them on the baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake: Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until browned and the centers reach 160°F.
- Serve: Serve with your favorite pasta and sauce, or simmer in sauce for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Sausage swaps: Hot Italian sausage, chicken Italian sausage, or Italian-seasoned ground turkey all work. Bake chicken and turkey versions to 165°F.
- No added salt: Italian sausage is already salty, so taste before adding any salt to your sauce.
- Mini meatballs: For bite-size appetizer meatballs, shape into 1-inch balls and bake 12 to 14 minutes. Makes about 50 to 60.
- Storage: Refrigerate cooked meatballs in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in sauce.
- Freezing: Bake and cool completely, then freeze in a single layer before moving to a freezer bag. Keeps up to 3 months. Add frozen meatballs straight to simmering sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
I made these today and they are delicious.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Steph.
I was looking for a recipe for ground Italian sausage as I had some to use up. The recipe came quickly together and its very tasty! Thanks so much!
You are so welcome Sue! Thanks for stopping by.
Should I freeze prepared meatballs baked or unbaked?
I always bake the meatballs and then freeze them once they’re cooled. They will hold their shape this way and only need to be defrosted to eat.
thank you! I cannot wait to put these together.
By far the easiest and yummiest meatballs I have ever made. My family loves them.
Thank you Cheryl! and thanks for sharing your positive experience!
Ive made these 3-4x and they turn out so flavorful and tender. Such a hit with my family
Hi Olivia,
So happy that you and your family loved this recipe
Thank you for stopping by!
Delicious and simple! I used chicken Italian sausage from Sprout’s and otherwise followed the recipe exactly except made smaller bite-sized balls to serve with various dipping sauces as appetizer. Disappeared very quickly.
Thank you Texicat!
Thank you for stopping by!
24? I made 70.
I like small bite size meatballs
If you make them smaller than the recipe calls for, you’ll surely get a lot more.
These were great. Mine were a little salty but I think that was due to the sausage I used because there is no salt added in this recipe. I used Bob Evans sausage roll Italian. Delicious otherwise.
It probably was the sausage you used. Italian sausage is typically salty anyway.
This recipe was a lifesaver. Hubs informed me at 9:00 am that he had invited three neighbors over to watch the Wildcard playoffs. Of course there was little to no appetizer food in the house. I had about 1/4 bag of Costco eat balls and a pound of Italian sausage. Made these meatballs and they were a hit. I may never buy Costco’s again.
Cant wait to try this! I have a family pack of sausage at home (its about 14 links) Im thinking half the package should be a pound. I am not home to check but I am hoping lol. Im going to follow the recipe to a T except I will be guessing on the Sausage.
It was very yummy! I made them tonight for my boysnd it was a hit:)
I made italian seasoned turkey meat instead of the sausage and it was perfect. Made with my homemade marinara too. Thank you!
Veronica ???
That’s great Veronica!
I have made theses sausage meat balls about 3or 4 times my family loves them. I like them so much I will not be making traditional meatballs ever.