Mom’s Meatballs and Marinara Sauce is a classic Italian dish that never disappoints! Serve over pasta or on nice crusty Italian bread topped with mozzarella cheese for a killer meatball parmesan sammie!
Nothing beats a classic.
This recipe for Mom’s Meatballs and Marinara Sauce is one of my go-to dishes that never fails to satisfy everyone at the table.
I know quick and easy dinner dishes are always at a premium on everyone’s menu. I get it. I’ve been there on those busy nights.
I’ve been making these meatballs and marinara sauce for years. Too many to count. So I’m the actual “mom” for this recipe.
Sometimes I pan fry the meatballs for a crispier exterior, but when I’m in a hurry, I often bake them on a sheet pan until they’ve browned a bit, and then I just throw them in the sauce to finish.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
They’re tender and juicy with just the right amount of Italian seasoning.
The meatballs freeze perfectly. You can freeze them raw and then just remove from the freezer and throw them into your sauce to finishing cooking when you want to enjoy. Or you can bake the meatballs ahead, wait for them to cool and then add them to a freezer bag, then when you throw them in your sauce the night you want to enjoy them they’ll take less time to cook.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- ground beef
- Italian flavored panko crumbs
- grated Parmesan cheese
- dried parsley
- garlic
- Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- milk
- eggs
- olive oil
- yellow onion
- San Marzano style chopped tomatoes in purée
- San Marzano style crushed tomatoes
- coarse kosher salt
- red pepper flakes
- granulated sugar
- fresh basil leaves
Step-By-Step Instructions
The first step is to make your meatballs. In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Using a small 1 1/2-inch scoop, form balls.
Place the meatballs on the prepared sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the meatballs halfway through. Remove from oven and add to marinara sauce to finish cooking.
The second step is to make your marinara sauce. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
You will add all the remaining ingredients except the basil leaves and stir until well combined. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the torn basil leaves and the meatballs and continue to cook until meatballs are warmed through.
You can serve these with a side of pasta or get some fresh baked rolls and serve the meatballs and sauce on a sandwich, perhaps topped with some mozzarella cheese.
Either way, it’s a classic that can’t be beat.
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Mom’s Meatballs and Marinara Sauce
Do not over mix the ingredients for the meatballs or you’ll have a tough meatball.
I used one 28-oz. can of San Marzano style chopped tomatoes in purée and one 28-oz. can San Marzano style crushed tomatoes.
I use my 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop to scoop my meatballs. The recipes makes about 12 meatballs. If you have a larger crowd, you can double the meatball and sauce recipe.
The meatballs and marinara sauce freeze well too.
Mom's Meatballs and Marinara Sauce
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground beef, you can also substitute the ground beef with meatloaf mix which is a combination of beef, pork and veal
- 1/2 cup Italian flavored panko crumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
Marinara Sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28-oz. can San Marzano style chopped tomatoes in puree
- 1 28 oz. can San Marzano style crushed tomatoes
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 12 torn basil leaves
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Using a small 1 1/2-inch scoop, form balls. Place the meatballs on the prepared sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the meatballs halfway through. Remove from oven and add to marinara sauce to finish cooking.
Marinara Sauce
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Add all the remaining ingredients except the basil leaves and stir until well combined. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the torn basil leaves and the meatballs and continue to cook until meatballs are warmed through.
Yay ! We are so into the season of making several batches of spaghetti sauce ( Marinara sauce )for winter days ! Perfect timing, Mary Ann !
So are we Davorka. It’s my husband’s favorite comfort food dish!
Nothing better than a simmering pot of marinara sauce on the stove. This would make a delicious meal any day of the week. I love those meatballs too!
We agree Kathy! It’s a family favorite here.
Looks absolutely perfect! I could eat this every night, I think. Classic comfort food that never fails to fully satisfy :)
So could my husband and boys Jennifer!
This is ultimate comfort food, Mary Ann! We adore meatballs in this house and I can not wait to try your recipe!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do Marissa!
This has me craving a simmering marinara sauce and meatballs over spaghetti, Mary Ann! Maybe with a slice of warm garlic bread on the side! Absolutely classic comfort food!
One of our faves Katherine!
Comforting dishes like this are my favourite!! This is delicious – and brings back some nostalgic memories of a similar dish my Dad would make :)
This has been a family fave for quite a while Alex!
Homemade meatballs are the best!! Yours looks so good Mary Ann !! I had the best meatballs at my friends place. I tried making it myself several times. But it tasted like his. I never bothered to make it again. But you are making me think..
Thanks so much Rahul! Hope you give my recipe a try!
Looks delicious! thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome Radwa!
Family recipes are always the best! This looks ultra comforting, Mary Ann! I wanna jump into that pot! Pinned :)
It’s one of our faves Dawn!
Well you know how I feel about meatballs! And so cute that you’re the Mom on this one!! These look amazing, Mary Ann!!
Thanks so much Annie!
Meatballs in marinara sauce are the ultimate comfort food. Now that I have my kitchen back I can start cooking again.
Have fun! It’s beautiful Gerlinde!
Hi Mary! I made this for my significant other during Valentine’s day and it was WONDERFUL. In particular, she loved the meatballs. I did let the sauce reduce a bit longer and had to use a little bit of oregano as a sub to parsley (didn’t have any). I used a linguine for noodles and everything came together very well. Thank you for sharing this recipe – I will definitely be making this again!
Hi Domenic! So happy you both enjoyed it!! And thanks so much for following along here at the beach house!
This was so easy, and so, so Delicious!!! My husband raved thru the whole meal, and that never happens. This one goes in the recipe box for sure.
Yay! We just had this for dinner the othet night Helen. It’s our son Casey’s favorite! I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it! It’s my Lasagna Bolognese for our other son tomorrow night!
Best recipe ever !! Thank you for explicit directions!
Your comment made my day Elayne! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for following!
Made the sauce to pair with another recipe and it was so flavorful! I was a little worried it was too chunky but it was absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing!
So happy you enjoyed it Krystal! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
I made this tonight after searching for the easiest straightforward recipe for s&m I could find. Made a few changes based on my gluten free diet and taste. I crushed Siete tortilla chips for my breadcrumbs. I used ground beef and veal as opposed to pork. Used gluten free linguine. I didn’t end up using milk for the meatballs and it still came out perfect. I think it would have been too soft for my liking if I did. I did end up cooking the meatballs an extra 25 minutes in the oven because they were cooked but still pinkish in the middle. So I poked a hole in each and they came out perfect. Everything else I followed. The marinara sauce was good and it all tasted fresh! Definitely better than the jar stuff! Thank you for this easy to follow recipe and a new meal to my regime!
You’re so welcome. So happy you enjoyed them and could make some changes based on your diet!
thanks for the recipe! made without garlic and onion to make it lower in FODMAPs. turned out delicious and my family loved it!
So happy to hear that Angelie! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Thanks for this recipe MaryAnn! Made it tonight and it was a hit with my boyfriend! Moist delicious meatballs and zesty sauce. Easy to follow instructions.
So happy you both enjoyed it Lizzy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Just made this today first time, smells and tastes delicious.. Happy Husband 😬😋
Great to hear!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Fantastic flavor and so easy. I get 26 meatballs using my 1 1/2” scoop (slightly rounded). Perfect size for us. For camping, I like to prepare my food ahead of time so all I have to do is ‘boil in a bag’ type meals. I put 8 meatballs (cut in half) in my bag with 1/2 cup marinara for 2 small subs. Then I freeze them flat. The packets stack neatly in the freezer section of my compressor cooler. These are perfect for fall camping.
We’re campers too Melody and I often bring these and/or my chicken meatballs for our trips! Thanks so much for your feedback and for taking the time to drop a comment! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
These are great! If I want to freeze, would you recomend freezing the marinara and the meatballs separately or would it all be okay in one ziplock?
Hi Grace. I usually freeze the meatballs in a separate Ziploc freezer bag and the sauce in an airtight container. So happy you enjoy the recipe!
How long should the baked meatballs cook in the simmering sauce?
Hi Beth. The meatballs will be cooked in the oven. You’ll just add them to the sauce til they’re warm. Enjoy!