These easy herb-loaded meatballs are made with ground beef, fresh herbs, parmesan, and a few simple ingredients. They’re juicy, flavorful, and baked right in a cast-iron pan for an easy weeknight dinner. Serve them with your favorite marinara sauce over pasta, or enjoy them on their own with crusty bread and a simple salad.
About these herb-loaded meatballs
These meatballs are all about fresh flavor. It’s what makes them so tasty. Fresh dill, basil, parsley, and rosemary keeps these meatballs bright and flavorful, while parmesan adds a salty richness to every bite.
This recipe is easy to adapt based on what’s in your fridge. Use ground turkey instead of beef. Swap up the herbs or use regular Italian breadcrumbs instead of panko. They’ll still be delicious.
They key is browning them in a skillet first to maximize flavor before finishing them off in the oven.
Let’s get technical. When I think about what I want in a meatball recipe, it comes down to this:
Meatball Recipe Musts
- There must be cheese, preferably parmesan, but I can work with mozzarella or ricotta. Cheese is a must for flavor AND because it makes a moist and juicy meatball—and that’s what we’re going for.
- Let there be herbs, as many herbs as you are willing to chop. All varieties welcome. My go-to: dill, basil, parsley, and rosemary (go heavy on the dill and basil and light on the rosemary). Fresh herbs turn a potentially dull, stodgy meatball into a fresh, flavorful dish.
Tips for Making the Best Herb-Loaded Meatballs
- A medium cookie scoop makes the perfect-sized meatball and saves you a ton of time. Plus, your meatballs will be round and uniform in size. I love my Oxo scoop.
- Mix it up! This recipe is super adaptable with easy substitutions. No shallots, no problem, a yellow onion works too, as does ground turkey in place of beef, Italian bread crumbs in place of panko, and mozzarella for the parm. As for the herbs, use your favs or whatever you have on hand.
- When it comes to meatballs, I often take the easy route and pick up one of my favorite store-bought marinara sauces. Pastene and Stefano are my go-to. You can of course whip up a homemade marinara. I’m partial to the Pioneer Woman’s marinara recipe.
*These easy meatballs get bonus points for being kid-approved. I have yet to come across a little person that isn’t happy to see a bowl full of noodles topped with meatballs.
If you give this one a try let me know in the comments below! I love to hear from you.
xo Bri
Looking for more cozy dinner recipes? Try…
- VEGGIE ENCHILADAS STUFFED WITH QUINOA AND BLACK BEANS
- TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE RECIPE
- MUSHROOM PIZZA RECIPE WITH GARLIC AND SAGE
- HEARTY GROUND BEEF CHILI RECIPE
Easy Herb-Loaded Meatball Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ground beef a little more or a little less is fine – sub: ground turkey
- 1 cup fresh herb mixture finely minced 1/3 cup dill, 1/3 cup parsley, 1/3 cup basil, 1 tbsp rosemary or use your own combo – just go light on the rosemary
- 2 shallots finely diced
- 1 cup parmesan Reggiano finely grated – sub: mozzarella cheese
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko crumbs sub: regular Italian bread crumbs
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix with a fork until well combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form meatballs. *I scoop all the meatballs, then roll each one between my palms to make them perfectly round.
- Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Note: any oven-safe pan will do. Add a generous glug of olive oil to coat the base and once hot (a minute or two), add the meatballs to the pan. Let them cook for 1-2 minutes until they begin to brown. Roll the meatballs around, cooking for 1-2 minutes each time, until the meatballs are nearly browned all over.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Add your sauce of choice and serve over pasta.
Notes
Herb-Loaded Meatballs FAQs
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
Yes. Ground turkey works well in this recipe and can be substituted for the ground beef.
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh?
Fresh herbs are what give these meatballs their signature flavor, so I recommend using fresh herbs when possible. If you need to substitute dried herbs, use less since dried herbs are more concentrated.
How many meatballs does this recipe make?
This recipe makes approximately 26–28 meatballs using a medium cookie scoop.
What should I serve with herb-loaded meatballs?
Serve them with your favorite marinara sauce over spaghetti or another pasta. They’d also be delicious with crusty bread, a simple green salad, or roasted vegetables.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @mondaysundaykitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #mondaysundaykitchen!
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