These easy meatballs are made with lean ground beef and fresh herbs, in a simple San Marzano tomato sauce. It’s a very forgiving recipe; if rushed for time, use dried herbs instead of fresh ones (simply reduce herb quantities by half). It’s also very freezer-friendly. This is a large batch recipe, making about 30 meatballs, perfect for leftovers!
Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
Easy meatballs with fresh herbs, in a San Marzano tomato sauce
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Ingredients for Meatballs
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced (+ 1 cup for sauce)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (+5 cloves for sauce)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped (+1 tsp for sauce)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (+1 tsp for sauce)
- 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped (+1 tsp for sauce)
Ingredients for Tomato Sauce
- 2 cans (28 oz each) San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, milk, eggs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, 1 cup of onions, Worcestershire sauce, crushed red pepper, 2 minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp each of thyme, oregano and basil.
- Form ~1.5 oz meatballs and pack tightly.
- Place meatballs on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 165℉ (minimum).
- While meatballs are baking, prepare the tomato sauce and cook your pasta (if serving with pasta).
- Tomato Sauce: In a large pot, sweat remaining 1 cup of onions and 5 minced garlic cloves with olive oil until they're soft. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. Once sauce has finished cooking, add 1 tsp each of the fresh herbs and cook for another minute. Season to taste.
- Add meatballs to the sauce. Serve over your favourite pasta.
