We stripped a classic homemade meatball recipe down to its beefy core to create an easy recipe fast enough for a post-work dinner. You can use any ground meat you like; we opted for classic beef, but ground pork, ground lamb, ground turkey, or ground chicken (dark meat for the poultry, please) all work well. Roasting the meatballs in the oven instead of frying them on a stovetop reduces the active cook time and makes cleanup simple—just be sure to stick with larger meatballs as the size allows the meat to brown without overcooking.
Homemade marinara sauce is welcome and doesn’t have to take long (this one comes together in about 30 minutes), but there’s no shame in good store-bought spaghetti sauce (and it certainly cuts down on prep time). Look for jars without added sugar but with olive oil, like Rao’s, which many BA staffers keep in the pantry. Either way, finishing the dish with fresh basil and Parmesan is smart.
Serve these juicy cooked meatballs as a main dish with a good loaf of bread and a big green salad—or grab a hoagie roll and make Italian meatball subs. Craving a big pasta dinner on a leisurely Sunday? Make a full spread with spaghetti, garlic confit toast, and a crunchy deli-inspired iceberg salad.