Ground Beef and Sausage Meatballs

The Decision to Make Meatballs

Before we dig into this, I want to be honest with you guys. In the past, I have tried making meatballs but felt like they never really turned out. Either the flavor was ok but they fell apart, or they held together well but the flavor just wasn’t there.

After mastering the Spicy Breakfast Sausage, I decided it was time to use some of that sausage and attempt meatballs.

Steps for Making the Meatballs

First, I sautéed up some onion, which always makes my bf’s eyes burn.  I don’t know what it is about this batch of onions (and I bought 50lbs of them from the farm last fall!), but every time I cook them, Will’s eyes know, even if he’s on the other side of the house!

Once the onions are sautéed and cooled, I toss all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it all up.  As a fun side note (and you will see this again in the recipe), if you want a gluten-free version, toss some plain oats in a blender and substitute for the breadcrumbs.  I usually use homemade whole wheat bread crumbs or quick oats, but you can use whatever you prefer.

When done, shape into balls 1-1 1/2″ wide.  Depending on how big you make them, you can get 20+ meatballs.  When spacing them out, just make sure they don’t touch.  I don’t know why some say “space them x” apart from each other.”  They aren’t cookies…they won’t rise.  In fact, they’ll shrink.  So just don’t let them touch and they’ll bake up just fine.

And once done, do your best to resist eating them right away!  Of course, you do get to sample at least one before serving.  A good chef always tastes tests. (Though technically, it would be best to cook a small amount of meat up on the stove and taste test the flavor PRIOR to baking all the meatballs when you are trying a new recipe or trying to perfect one).  But we still have to taste test one from the final batch as it comes out of the oven!

Serving Suggestions for Meatballs

Below are some ideas for how to serve the meatballs.  In the future, I’ll post recipes to go along with them!

Print Recipe

Meatballs

Moist and flavorful meatballs made with homemade sausage

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb breakfast sausage Spicy Breakfast Sausage
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/8 tsp salt or cut out completely if your sausage is extremely salty
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 c Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs

Course Main Dish Cuisine Italian Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 20 min Servings people Ingredients 1 lb ground beef 1 lb breakfast sausage Spicy Breakfast Sausage 1 small onion chopped 3/4 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp dried parsley 1/8 tsp salt or cut out completely if your sausage is extremely salty 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 c Parmesan cheese 1/2 c whole wheat breadcrumbs 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Sautée the onion and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, add all the ingredients, including the sautéed onions. Mix well.
4. Shape into small balls about 1-1 1/2" is diameter.
5. Line on a baking sheet making sure that the meatballs do not touch each other.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Serve with pasta, on sandwiches, sautéed veggies, and much more!

Recipe Notes

Any "bread" crumbs can be used whether homemade or store bought, but keep in mind that if you buy pre-seasoned breadcrumbs, it will alter the taste of the meatballs. Ground up crackers is another option if you have some you need to use up.
For a gluten-free recipe, use quick oats or ground up oats (PLAIN ONES!) instead of the bread crumbs.