Juicy and Tender Baked Meatballs

I love making meatballs. It’s always fun to cook with your hands and meatballs really allows you to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. And meatballs are total crowdpleasers. Few friends have turned down the chance to come by for meatballs, so it’s definitely a go-to option when having guests over. One of my favorite ways to serve meatballs is over simple cheesy polenta and the quick simmered tomato sauce (both recipes up on the blog!), topped with a bit of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil.

I’ve spent years perfecting my meatballs recipe, testing variations of ingredients and textures, and I’m pretty happy with the recipe I’ve landed on. While just a tad more labor intensive than some other recipes, this one yields juicy, tender, delicious meatballs every single time. And I’m sharing with you all of my secrets for success, each of which I’ll explain in more detail below.

5 tips for juicy and tender meatballs

1. Use stock gelatin to make the meatballs extra juicy
2. Grate the onion for uniform texture
3. Be heavy handed with the seasoning
4. Use your hands to mix the meat – but don’t overmix!
5. Taste your meat mixture before you form into meatballs

The secret to juicy meatballs

You can certainly play around the meats to use for your meatballs, but I prefer an even mix of ground beef and ground pork for a good blend of meat to fat ratio. I used to use ground veal as well because it adds a certain tenderness to the meatballs but veal is expensive and not always easy to come by. So I’ve started using this chicken stock gelatin trick courtesy of Serious Eats, and I’ve been impressed with how juicy and tender comes out of it. Here’s the trick: In a heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the stock and let sit for about 5 minutes. Microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring once or twice during the process, until dissolved. Then place the bowl in the refrigerator until the stock sets into a gelatin – about 30 minutes.

This is a similar secret to how the Chinese make xiao long bao (aka soup dumplings). The ‘soup’ is created by making stock gelatin, which is cubed and added directly inside the dumpling. So when the dumplings steam , the stock reliquifies and makes the insides juicy (and soupy!). Magical, right? So the same sort of magic applies to the meatballs. But don’t forget to heat the gelatin and chicken stock first so it has time to cool before you assemble your meatball mixture. Note: you can decide to omit the chicken stock gelatin, and still have delicious meatballs.

How to get flavorful but not chunky meatballs

As the stock sets in the fridge, you can get started on the rest of the meatball ingredients. Another trick for flavorful, uniformly tender meatballs is to grate your onions. I used to add in chopped onion pieces in my meatballs—and tested this with both cooked and uncooked onions. But I was never thrilled with the resulting texture of the slight crunch of the onion. So to capture all of the onion flavor (but none of the bite), I use grated onion pulp instead. Simply grate an entire onion over a bowl (best to use a small grate), and incorporate the juices and onion pulp into the meatballs. It takes a bit of elbow grease, but believe me, it’s worth it.

Don’t skimp on the salt

One of the biggest criticisms I tend to have of food is if it is underseasoned. With the low sodium craze of the 90s, some people are afraid of adding in too much salt to their food, but it’s important to remember that a little salt can go a long way. Sometimes all you need is a bit more salt to elevate your guacamole, or heighten your soup flavor, and most importantly, make your meatballs go from good to amazing. So go ahead and be a bit heavy handed with the seasoning.

I find that I often have to use a bit more salt for meatballs than may seem normal, but it’s important to remember there is a lot of meat to be seasoned. If you’re scared of adding too much salt, you can always mix in what feels right first, and then test a small section of the meat before you add in more salt. But I don’t recommend adding in too little salt too many times because then you risk overmixing your meat.

Get your hands dirty

Which leads me to tip #4 –your hands are the best tools to mix together the ingredients and form your meatballs. No fork, or spatula will be able to properly incorporate each of the ingredients. But it’s important that you don’t overmix your meat. Doing so can make the meatballs too dense, so it’s best to mix your ingredients together to be well incorporated but not mashed together. It helps to pinch the meat between your fingers versus kneading or pounding the mixture (it’s not pizza dough!).

Do a taste test

And as noted, don’t forget to test your meat mixture before forming your meatballs. It’s a simple step that takes just a few extra minutes but allows you to adjust the seasoning for your meatballs before you bake them. There’s nothing worse than biting into a perfectly cooked meatball and then realize you didn’t add enough salt. So once your meat is mixed, add a bit of oil to a small pan over medium heat, and cook a small section of the mixture until it’s browned and cooked through on both sides. Taste the patty to see if you enjoy the flavor; adjust the seasoning in the meat mixture as necessary.

With these tips, you’re guaranteed juicy, tender and tasty meatballs every time! Find the step-by-step recipe below. One more tip before you go: Slightly wetting your hands before you form the meatballs will help prevent the meat from sticking to your hands. Alternatively, you can use a greased cookie scoop for perfect portions. Once cooked, serve up the meatballs with marinara tomato sauce on top of polenta or spaghetti, topped with some parmigiana-reggiano cheese and chopped up basil for a perfect meal. Enjoy!