Baked Meatballs

Over the last couple of years, I've learned how to make a few (slightly) impressive meals: fancy cream sauces or chicken stuffed with cheeses. But sometimes I just want a simple classic and that's when I crave spaghetti and meatballs.

Meatballs, at least in my experience, are deceptively complex. Somehow I never got them right. Cooking them like my dad would (in a pan over the stove) left them unevenly cooked and not even remotely round. It drove me crazy.

So of course Alton Brown, my cooking hero, found the best way to cook meatballs ever. It takes a tiny bit longer since they are baked in the oven, but holy crap it is worth it. Perfectly cooked, perfectly round, and so freaking delicious, these babies are a favorite around my kitchen. 

The best thing to do with the leftovers: Meatball Sandwiches of course!


Baked Meatballs
(Recipe slightly adapted from Alton Brown's Good Eats)


1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, Parmesan, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, and the seasonings (I find nothing works better than your hands for this step). Mix them all together until fully incorporated.

Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs into a small bowl. 

Using a 1.5 ounce scooper (an ice cream scoop is usually about the right size if you don't have a fancy scooper), measure out the meat mixture and roll each scoop into a round ball. Roll each ball into the bread crumbs, coating the exterior entirely and place each ball into a cup in the mini muffin pan. Repeat with all the meat mixture.

Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet to catch any drippings and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.