These Cast Iron Meatballs are as easy as they are delicious, so no need to worry about the prep time on a busy weeknight. Italian meatballs are just the type of comfort food my family loves; so will yours.
While there's no judgement here if you whip up a batch of meatballs to just eat on their own with a jar of marinara sauce, but should you want to make it a more well-rounded meal, try them in our meatball subs or the traditional spaghetti and meatballs. Both are mouthwatering recipes.
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What are traditional meatballs made of
That depends whose tradition you're asking about. In our case, we're making Italian-style meatballs. For those, the traditional recipe would be a blending of ground pork and ground veal or beef.
By the above definition, our recipe is not wholly authentic but it's pretty dang close. We went with all-beef for a quick and easy meatball recipe.
But Italy isn't the only country that has a famous and tasty meatball.
Meatball recipes from around the world.
Head over to Spain and try Albondigas. Or Mexico's version which add rice to the meat mixture or this Guatemalan version.
And no trip to Ikea is every complete without their meatballs, but you can always go more authentic with these Swedish (Köttbullar) meatballs.
Your culinary passport can take you to Sri Lanka, Greece, India, Denmark, and so many more places. (In fact, stay tuned for our upcoming post that's all about meatballs.)
When you look at those recipes, you'll see the ingredients all wildly vary, so I guess we can say that traditional meatballs are made of ground meat rolled into a ball with binders and seasonings. But each culture seems to have their own traditional meatball.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground beef — we used 85% lean beef. The fat percentage is important when making meatballs; too much and they're shrink to nothing by rending a lot of grease and too lean, they'll be dry and lacking in flavor.
- Seasonings — for this particular recipe we used Italian seasoning blend, parsley, granulated garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Binder — Italian seasoned bread crumbs, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and milk.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Meat — we used ground beef but any ground meat, like ground turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, and so on can be used. Each will lend their own flavor changes.
- Seasonings — This is where you can get creative with the flavor profile, basil, rosemary, thyme, and so on can be used. Minced garlic or garlic powder can be substituted for granulated as can kosher salt for regular table salt.
- Binder — Italian seasoned breadcrumbs are easy and convenient, but regular or Panko breadcrumbs can be used or even day old or fresh bread that has been torn to pieces. I've even seen crackers and oatmeal used as a binder in a pinch.
How To Make Italian Meatballs
Step 1 — Place a large cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 400°F. Softly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add all the meatballs ingredients to a large bowl, including the eggs.
Step 2 — Mix everything together. Mixing by hand is the best way but use whatever method works best for you.
Pro Tip: Take a tablespoon or so of the meatball mixture from the mixing bowl and fry it off in a small skillet before rolling the rest of the mixture into meatballs. By frying off a small portion, you can taste for seasonings and make any needed adjustments.
Step 3 — Roll the mixture into individual meatballs. Set them aside until they are all rolled, as the skillet is still preheating in the oven.
Step 4 — Once they're all rolled, pull the now very hot skillet out of the oven (with mitts or potholders) and quickly add all the meatballs. By preheating the skillet, the meatballs will get a nice sear on the bottom and will brown on the top.
Serving suggestions
- Serve them with spaghetti or any pasta tossed with your favorite sauce and topped with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- Serve the meatballs over a bed of polenta, mashed potatoes, or even rice. Spoon a bit of marinara sauce over the top.
- Grab your favorite hoagie roll or bread loaf and stuff the skillet meatballs in side with any flavored tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Tossing them in the oven so the cheese melts will make these meatball subs extra special.
- Instead of rolling large meatballs, roll them smaller and make dozens for potluck or game day appetizer. Serve them up in a bowl of sauce topped with melty cheese.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! This recipes makes around two dozen meatballs. If that's more than you need for your particular meal, freeze all the cooked, leftover meatballs for up to a couple of months. Make sure they are fully cooled down and then sealed in an airtight container before freezing.
The only accurate way to gauge the doneness of meatballs or any meat is by using an instant-read thermometer. For these all-beef meatballs the internal temperature needs to reach between 155°F-165°F. I used a ThermoPop Thermometer to make sure we had fully cooked, tender meatballs.
By preheating the skillet, when they're added to the hot cast iron, they are effectively being seared. However if you want them to have a nice crust all the way around like you'd have with pan fried meatballs, then yes brown them in a little oil in the cast iron skillet over medium high heat on the stove top before placing them in the oven. Don't heat olive oil for this but use a higher heat oil like avocado oil.
Our Favorite Tools to Make Skillet Italian Meatballs!
Lodge Blacklock 12" Cast Iron Skillet
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BuzzyWaxx Original Blend - Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Seasoning
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Buy Now → Other Easy Italian Inspired Recipes
If you tried these Skillet Italian Meatballs or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Skillet Italian Meatballs
Equipment
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef 85-90% lean
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Place the skillet in the oven and preheat to 400°F.
- Softly beat the eggs in a small bowl.
- Add all the meatballs ingredients to a large bowl, including the eggs and mix it all together. (Fry a small amount of the mixture to taste for seasoning--optional)
- Roll the mixture into individual meatballs. Set them aside until they are all formed
- Once rolled, place them in the hot skillet and cook for 30 minutes. (or until the internal temperature reaches 155°F-165°F.)
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Take a tablespoon or so of the meatball mixture and fry it off in a small skillet before rolling the rest mixture into meatballs to taste for seasonings and make any needed adjustments.
- Meat — we used ground beef but any ground meat, like ground turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, and so on can be used. Each will lend their own flavor changes.
- Seasonings — This is where you can get creative with the flavor profile, basil, rosemary, thyme, and so on can be used. Minced garlic or garlic powder can be substituted for granulated as can kosher salt for regular table salt.
- Binder — Italian seasoned breadcrumbs are easy and convenient, but regular or Panko breadcrumbs can be used or even day old or fresh bread that has been torn to pieces. I've even seen crackers and oatmeal used as a binder in a pinch.
- Serve them with spaghetti or any pasta tossed with your favorite sauce and topped with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- Serve the meatballs over a bed of polenta, mashed potatoes, or even rice. Spoon a bit of marinara sauce over the top.
- Grab your favorite hoagie roll or bread loaf and stuff the skillet meatballs in side with any flavored tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Tossing them in the oven so the cheese melts will make these meatball subs extra special.
- Instead of rolling large meatballs, roll them smaller and make dozens for potluck or game day appetizer. Serve them up in a bowl of sauce topped with melty cheese.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
D
Awesome meatballs!!!
Ned Adams
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!
GJS
Love these meatballs! Simple recipe to follow. Thanks again Dutch Oven Daddy
Edward
What a delicious recipe! My family loved these served in spaghetti!