These are the best baked meatballs! There’s something about mixing the lean turkey meat with the sweet chicken sausage that makes for the perfect texture.They’re extremely flavorful, tender and juicy. This recipe yields up to 60 homemade meatballs depending on how big or small you roll them.

overhead shot of meatballs in a baking dish with a wooden spoon and tomato sauce

 

Hello homemade baked meatballs! AMAZE BALLS!  Perfect in texture, extremely flavorful and they’ll make enough to feed the entire family, and more! If you’re ready for the best meatball recipe, keep reading.

There’s something about mixing the lean turkey meat with the sweet chicken sausage that makes these meatballs juuuuuuuust right.  And OMG this recipe makes a ton.  Like 60 meatballs depending on how big or small you roll them. 

Watch how to make it

overhead shot of meatballs in a baking dish with a wooden spoon and tomato sauce

Little hands are a great help for this one.  It’s great for a Sunday night dinner because it’s comforting, delicious, and smells so good simmering away in that sauce.  

Some of my other favorite meatball recipes include these Ground Chicken Meatballs, Slow Cooker Chicken Meatballs and especially these Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs. It’s always good to mix it up.

To make them, just throw everything into a big bowl, and use a fork to carefully mix the ingredients together.  

Ingredients for meatballs

  • Breadcrumbs
  • Pesto
  • Eggs
  • Onion
  • Carrot
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Fresh basil
  • Tomato paste
  • Garlic cloves
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Ground turkey meat
  • Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
overhead shot of glass bowl with ingredients ready to make meatballs

Like a cake batter, you don’t want to over-mix this either.  It can make the meatballs tough!  So using a fork, or clean hands, mix until just combined.  And yes, a homemade meatball recipe is worth the effort!

Homemade sauce for meatballs

Question of the day. Do you need to make your own homemade sauce? Nope. You can easily use a couple of your favorite jarred sauces, but homemade meatball sauce is easy and delicious. Trust me, you can do this. Here’s what you need for the sauce.

  • Olive oil
  • Onion
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic cloves
  • Tomato paste
  • Honey
  • Cans of crushed tomatoes
  • Dried basil
  • Dried oregano
overhead shot of uncooked meatballs in baking dish sitting on top of tomato sauce

Pop ’em in the oven and let your house smell amazing while you watch TV and salivate over your dinner to come. The fact that it’s a baked meatball recipe, rather than standing over the stove is a huge win in my book!

meatballs in a baking dish with a wooden spoon and tomato sauce
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overhead shot of meatballs in a baking dish with a wooden spoon and tomato sauce

The Best Homemade Baked Meatballs and Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Laney Schwartz
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 60 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven baked
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

These are the best baked meatballs! There’s something about mixing the lean turkey meat with the sweet chicken sausage that makes for the perfect texture.They’re extremely flavorful, tender and juicy. This recipe yields up to 60 homemade meatballs depending on how big or small you roll them.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup pesto
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small onion (grated)
  • 1 large carrot (about 1 cup, finely shredded)
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Large handful chopped basil (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 pound ground turkey meat
  • 1 pound sweet chicken italian sausage (Casings removed. Can also use spicy sausage if you like)

For the tomato sauce

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • More salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs, pesto, eggs, onion, carrot, parmesan, basil, tomato paste, garlic, salt, and pepper. Using a fork, mix together. Add the turkey and chicken sausage and mix until just combined. Cover and put in the fridge while you make the sauce. (You can keep in fridge for several hours and make later)
  2. In a large pan heat the olive oil over medium/high heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, honey, crushed tomatoes, and dried herbs and stir to combine. Bring sauce to a rolling simmer, then turn heat to low and let cook, stirring occasionally, while you form the meatballs.
  3. Form golf ball sized meatballs by lightly rolling them in your hands and set aside. This makes a ton of meatballs, so a little help is nice here!
  4. Once all the meatballs are formed, take two 9×13 inch baking dishes and spoon enough sauce in each to cover the bottom. Add the meatballs to the dishes and spoon the remaining sauce evenly over them. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve over pasta, rice, or just as is with a great salad!

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