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Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes

Italian Sausage Meatballs (in oven)

Modified: Oct 15, 2025 · Published: Jun 10, 2021 by Nicole B. · Leave a Comment
4.60 from 5 votes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
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These baked Italian sausage meatballs are made with oregano, garlic, panko, Parmesan, egg and a bit of sour cream for a mildly tangy flavor. They are moist, tender and make a delicious appetizer or main course. The preparation is easy, you pulse all ingredients together in the food processor for maximum convenience and minimum messiness.

Pasta with meatballs and tomato sauce.

Recipe ingredients and notes:

  • Panko bread crumbs work great in this recipe. The coarse texture of the crispy crumbs loosens up the meat and keeps the meatballs from getting too dense.
  • Sour cream adds moisture and a hint of tang that works well with the flavors of the sausage meat.
  • It's easiest to use bulk Italian sausage meat (meaning loose meat, without casings) for this recipe. But if you only have sausage in casings on hand, you can use those. Just remove and discard the casings.
Garlic, oregano, egg, sour cream, Parmesan, panko and sausage meat.

Use the food processor to mix the ingredients:

Bulk Italian sausage meat is really hard to break apart by hand but the food processor does a phenomenal job of it. It also mixes all ingredients well without overworking the mixture.

Meatballs ingredients in a food processor.
  1. Add all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.
Sausage meatball mixture in a food processor.
  1. Pulse a few times until combined, scraping down the sides between pulses.

Serving ideas:

  • Serve the meatballs with cocktail picks as an appetizer with a dipping sauce of your choice. (This charred scallion aioli or this spicy burger sauce are delicious!)
  • Make the meatballs a main course and serve them with pasta and tomato sauce.
  • These meatballs are also great on sandwiches and even salads.

Full Recipe

Pasta with meatballs and tomato sauce.
Author: Nicole B.

Italian Sausage Meatballs (in oven)

4.60 from 5 votes
These moist and tender baked Italian sausage meatballs are full of flavor and easy to make with a food processor.
Print Version (does not include images) Pin Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Servings: 32 meatballs
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 466
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Equipment:

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • garlic press or knife and cutting board
  • baking sheet
  • aluminum foil or silicone baking mat
  • food processor
  • rubber spatula
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients:
  

  • 1 pound mild bulk Italian pork sausage meat
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup full-fat sour cream

Method:
 

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
  3. Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse a few times just until combined, scraping down the sides in between pulses.
  4. Transfer the mix onto a work surface.
  5. Using your hands, roll about 32 meatballs (about 1 tablespoon each).* Set onto the prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake the meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. (13 to 15 minutes).
  7. Serve the meatballs as an appetizer with a dipping sauce. Or, make the meatballs a main dish and serve with pasta and tomato sauce.

Recipe notes:

*It's important to keep the size of these meatballs at about 1 tablespoon. Making them much larger than that tends to make them tough.
Storage instructions: These meatballs taste best fresh out of the oven but you can store them, if you want. Transfer any leftover meatballs into an airtight container and store in the fridge. Reheat in the oven or in a cast iron or nonstick pan.
Freezing: Let the fully baked meatballs cool, then transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze. To reheat, transfer the frozen meatballs into a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F. until heated through (about 20 minutes).
Did you make this recipe?Please consider leaving a review- THANK YOU!

Nutrition (estimate only):

Calories: 466kcalCarbohydrates: 22.4gProtein: 27.1gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14.6gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 1265mgPotassium: 132mgFiber: 2.2gSugar: 1.9gCalcium: 198mgIron: 4mg

More delicious meatball recipes:

  • These meatballs with cilantro are made with lots of fresh and aromatic ingredients.
  • These meatballs with cinnamon are great with marinara sauce.
  • For recipes that use frozen store-bought meatballs, check out this meatball casserole and these frozen meatball-stuffed shells.

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Hi there!

I'm Nicole, the cook and photographer behind this website (which I started all the way back in 2013). You'll find lots of delicious recipes here, all centered around spices.

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