Healthier Oven Baked Meatballs

These healthier oven baked meatballs are made with lean ground pork and no oil at all, but they’re still juicy and delicious. They’re perfect for adding to soups, stews or pasta sauces or you can simply enjoy them in a meatball sub!

Crisp on the outside yet still juicy inside, these healthier oven-baked meatballs are just perfect if you love all things meatballs but want a skinny, low-fat alternative.

Even though there’s not a drop of oil in these meatballs that are also made with very lean meat, they’re still melt-in your mouth delicious.

By making meatballs in the oven instead of frying them, you can enjoy them guilt-free. Serve them as part of a grazing platter, with spaghetti, or in an Italian-style meatball stew.

Why you’ll love these baked Italian meatballs?

• They’re super easy to make. It only takes about half an hour to have a batch of these pork mince meatballs ready
• They’re easy to customize. Whether you want pork and beef meatballs or just ground pork meatballs, this recipe works both ways. You can also make them even healthier by using lean turkey mince.
• Leftovers are super versatile. You can use any leftover meatballs into soups, stews or in your favourite meatball sub.

What goes into these low fat meatballs?

Ground pork — I use lean ground pork with less than 5% fat for these meatballs.

You can also use a ground pork and beef mix or even go for 100% ground beef.

If you want your meatballs extra juicy, you can use ground pork or beef with higher fat content.

Italian breadcrumbs — This is an important ingredient because it absorbs the juices from the meat and stops the meatballs from becoming dry.

Egg — It’s best to use a room temperature egg. The purpose of the egg is to bind the meatball mixture together.

Milk — Full-fat (whole) milk is best for meatballs.

Parmesan cheese — You can use freshly grated Parmesan or the shop-bought type that’s already grated.

Garlic — I love freshly crushed garlic in meatballs, but you can substitute it with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.

Italian seasoning — You can use a mix of dried oregano and dried basil instead of Italian seasoning.

Fresh parsley — For an extra herby flavour, use both fresh parsley and dill.

How to make pork meatballs in the oven?

Preheat the oven at 200°C (400°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Alternatively, spray a bit of oil on a non-stick pan.

Place the ground pork in a large bowl and add all the other ingredients on top.

Mix well to combine, then divide into 20 meatballs. Use a scoop or simply shape them by hand.

Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes until browned.

Leftovers and storage

• Leftover meatballs will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
• Reheat them in the microwave, covered, until heated through. It’s best to do it one minute at a time. You can also place them on a baking sheet and reheat them in the oven.
• You can freeze the meatballs before or after they’re cooked. Place the meatballs on a cutting board and freeze for 1-2 hours.
• Once they’re just frozen, divide the meatballs into freezer bags, label them with the date and place them back in the freezer.
• The meatballs will keep well for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Recipe notes and tips

• You can use a slice of milk-soaked bread instead of the breadcrumbs. This will make the meatballs juicier.
• If you don’t mind frying the meatballs, you can do so in a large non-stick frypan. Fry the meatballs in a tablespoon of olive oil for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until browned.
• You can also make these meatballs in the air fryer. Preheat your air fryer at 200°C (400°F). Place the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer, set it to 190°C (380°F) and cook for 12-13 minutes or until browned.

If you liked these healthier oven-baked meatballs, have a look at some of my other recipes with meatballs:

• Easy Italian Meatball Soup
• Easy Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs

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