Italian Pork Sausage Meatballs Recipe and Video

Name: Italian Pork Sausage Meatballs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 lb ground mild Italian sausage; 1/2 tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 2 small eggs, beaten; 1 cup panko bread crumbs; 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped

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This Italian sausage meatball recipe is easy and fast. Pork meatballs are oven baked with fresh parsley, eggs, and panko bread crumbs (gluten free or regular).

Sheet pan lined with aluminum foil with cooked meatballs with basil on it. Top view. — *Cooked Italian Sausage Meatballs. Cook directly on the sheet pan or use foil or parchment if you don't want to do the dishes.*

Serve sausage meatballs with your favorite Italian sauce or as a mini poppable appetizer with a flavorful dipping sauce.

Add some tomato sauce and serve this sausage meatball recipe in a sandwich, hoagie style. I love it in my puttanesca sauce recipe.

Baked Sausage Meatballs Vs. Seared Sausage Meatballs

This Italian sausage meatballs recipe is easy because they're baked. Having said that, sausage meatballs can also be seared and cooked in a pan if preferred.

Two pounds of meatballs is a lot, and I find it easier and just as good to bake them on a sheet pan and not deal with the extra time and mess of the stovetop.

Meatballs have enough fat in them that they can be cooked directly on the baking sheet. Baking directly on the pan should give sausage meatballs a seared looked on the underside and a baked look on the top. See video.

Aluminum foil or parchment paper keep the sheet pan clean so you may not have to wash it.

Ingredients on a white table: white plate of ground sausage, one cracked egg in a white bowl, ½ cup panko bread crumbs, container of salt and pepper, and fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley). — *Put any fresh herbs that you like in meatballs. These are oregano, rosemary, and parsley. Substitute a pinch of dried herbs if you don't have any fresh herbs.*

Sausage Meatballs are Versatile

The herb choice does not matter in a meatball recipe. If you are feeling basil, tarragon, sage, oregano, rosemary, then use that instead of parsley.

Don't have fresh herbs for your meatballs? Substitute 1 teaspoon dried instead.

The meat type does not matter in any meatball 🙂 Don't have sausage? Try ground lamb, turkey, chicken, or beef.

Looking for a gluten free meatball recipe? Substitute a gluten free panko or pulverize oatmeal in a food processor. I've substituted gluten free oatmeal many times in this sausage meatball recipe.

Stainless steel bowl of mixed sausage, parsley, eggs, and oats. Top view. — *Mixed sausage, parsley, eggs, and panko bread crumbs.*

What are Panko Bread Crumbs and What do They Do?

Panko is a Japanese crustless bread crumb that is lighter (less dense) than regular bread crumbs. Panko is lower in calories, but most importantly they are larger bread crumbs that produce a lighter texture than regular breadcrumbs. Having said that, any breadcrumb will work in a pinch 🙂

Bread Crumbs help bind the meatball together so they don't fall apart. Same with the egg. It helps bind the meat together.

12 browned sausage meatballs in a clear glass rectangle pyrex on a white wood table. — *The underside (part touching the pan) will sometimes sear while the top does not, especially if cooking directly on the sheet pan with no foil. Plate it with whichever side you prefer to see.*

Italian Sausage Meatballs FAQS

Can you use regular sausage meat instead of Italian for meatballs? How about sweet Italian sausage?

Any ground sausage will work for meatballs. Breakfast sausage has different herbs - I always think of sage. Italian sausage makes me think of fennel or Italian seasonings. Hot sausage makes me think of spicy chili flakes. I have heard sweet Italian sausage be used interchangeably with mild but always double check that there is no added sugar just in case.

Is ground sausage meat already cooked?

No ma'am. No sir. You're thinking of ham, pepperoni, salami, packaged andouille or kielbasa links (that say cooked on the package) etc... Ground sausage, whether it's in the case or not, needs to be cooked.

Things In My Kitchen:

13 x 18 baking sheets - for bakin' the meatballs. I use these "jellyroll" sheets for baking nearly everything.
3 quart mixing bowl - Nothing fancy but perfect mixing bowl for batters, salads, meatloafs, or veggies.

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Italian Pork Sausage Meatballs

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EatSimpleFood.com

This Italian sausage meatball recipe is easy and fast to make and oven baked with fresh parsley, eggs, and panko bread crumbs (gluten free or regular).

Author: Beckie Hemmerling
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6
Category: Main Dish
Method: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

2 lb ground mild Italian sausage
½ tsp salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 small eggs, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, mix sausage, salt, pepper, eggs, bread crumbs, and parsley.
Form 1 ½" sausage meatballs and place on a lined baking sheet.
Bake for ~13-15 minutes or until cooked through.

Notes

Don't have fresh herbs? Substitute 1 teaspoon dried instead.
Don't have sausage? Try ground lamb, turkey, chicken, or beef.
Gluten free? Substitute a gluten free panko or pulverize oatmeal in a food processor.
Meatballs have enough fat in them that they can be cooked directly on the baking sheet. Aluminum foil or parchment paper keep the pan clean so you may not have to wash it. Cooking directly on the pan should give them a seared look on the underside and a baked look on top.

Serving Suggestion

Serve these meatballs as an appetizer as is or with a dip like horseradish and sour cream sauce or basil pesto or serve it with some homemade gnocchi or regular spaghetti with a flavorful tomato or puttanesca sauce.

Italian Pork Sausage Meatballs