These baked meatballs in tomato sauce are tender and melt-in-your-mouth with a wonderful tangy tomato sauce. This recipe involves cooking homemade meatballs in a casserole dish until they are cooked through and coated in thickened tomato sauce. These meatballs are excellent as part of a dinner, spooned over mashed potatoes or cooked pasta to absorb the sauce.
To make these baked meatballs in tomato sauce, ground meat is combined with parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, and milk before being shaped into meatballs. Then, they are placed in a casserole dish full of a flavourful tomato sauce mixture and baked in the oven.
What are Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce?
These meatballs are a flavorful compilation of ground meat, parsley, parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic, and more. The breadcrumbs ensure that the meatballs are incredibly tender as does baking them in a tangy tomato sauce which infuses into the meatballs. Tender and full of robust flavor, they are great served over mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice, or used for sandwiches.
Pro Tips
- Feel free to use whatever meat you prefer such as beef, pork, turkey, or chicken. Alternatively, you can use a combination of meat for varying flavors.
- Don’t overwork the meat mixture or else it may result in tough textured meatballs.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to determine when the meatballs are cooked through. They should reach at least 165 F (73.8 C) when they are done.
- Feel free to add other seasonings to the meatballs such as Italian seasoning, finely chopped onion, chopped basil, and more.
- If you can’t find scamorza, you can replace it with mozzarella.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to bake or pan fry meatballs?
Meatballs are great using either method but each one has its own benefits. Pan frying meatballs caramelizes their exterior providing extra texture and flavour. Meanwhile, simmering them in sauce makes them extra tender.
How Do You Make Tender Meatballs?
These meatballs are extra tender due to their binding ingredients involving breadcrumbs, milk, and eggs. All of the wet ingredients soften the breadcrumbs, giving the meatballs a tender texture while binding them together.
What is Scamorza Cheese?
Scamorza cheese is an Italian cow’s milk cheese that is semi-soft. It is often interchangeable with mozzarella although it has a stronger flavor.
How to Store Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
These meatballs can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Alternatively, you can place them in the freezer where they will keep for up to 3 months before being thawed and heated up.
Ingredients
How to Make Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
For the meatballs, in a large bowl, gently mix the ground meat with the parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, and milk until combined.
For the meatballs, in a large bowl, gently mix the ground meat with the parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, and milk until combined.
Divide and shape the mixture into meatballs.
Divide and shape the mixture into meatballs.
Place the tomato sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper, water, and garlic in a casserole dish, and mix them together. Bake it in a 360 F (180 C) oven for 15 minutes.
Place the tomato sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper, water, and garlic in a casserole dish, and mix them together. Bake it in a 360 F (180 C) oven for 15 minutes.
Place the meatballs in the tomato sauce. Bake them for 35 minutes.
Place the meatballs in the tomato sauce. Bake them for 35 minutes.
Top the meatballs and tomato sauce with pieces of scamorza. Continue baking it for another 10 minutes.
Top the meatballs and tomato sauce with pieces of scamorza. Continue baking it for another 10 minutes.
Serve garnished with the parsley.
Serve garnished with the parsley.
;Resize,width=767;)
