Easy Pork Meatballs

Pork Meatballs are quick and easy to make! Simple ingredients combine to make these juicy pork meatballs that are oven baked to perfection. Serve them as an appetizer, snack or paired with pasta for an easy main dish idea. Follow my tips to make these pork mince meatballs come out perfectly every time you make them!

Recipes like the Wagyu Meatballs, Cocktail Meatballs and the Honey Sriracha Meatballs work as appetizer style meatballs.

The Meatballs With Polenta In Tomato Sauce, Kottbullar Swedish Meatballs and the Meatball Pesto Pasta offer meatballs in a wide range of sauces.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Simple ingredients: you will be able to get everything you need to make this easy meatball recipe from your local grocery store. Some of them are pantry staples so you might already have a few of the things you need without having to purchase them.
• Versatile: these homemade meatballs work as a great appetizer, snack, pasta and sauce combo, stuffed into a hoagie roll or quick weeknight dinner! They are very versatile and lend themselves to being served in a wide variety of ways.
• Party starter: when choosing a finger food to kick things off for a gathering, you need something that you know will work. It also helps if that something is not going to set you back hours in the kitchen. In less than 30 minutes, you can whip these up before the guests arrive!
• Back to basics: this recipe will suit all skill levels. It involves simple steps such as combining ingredients and rolling the combined ingredients into balls. It is a great starting point for less experienced home cooks who want to get a few recipes under their belt before trying more complex recipes.
• Family favorite: I never met a person who doesn't like a juicy meatball. Or maybe that is that I simply haven't yet 😉. As well as using simple ingredients and being easy to make you can't really go wrong with them. The whole family will love these 'Winner, Winner Ground Pork Meatballs Dinner' 🤣.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make oven baked pork meatballs. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Egg: we use 1 large egg and the reason we use it is because it helps the meatballs to stick together.
• Salt and pepper: we use a little salt and black pepper to help season the pork mince used to make the meatballs.
• Panko breadcrumbs: bright white, popular in Japanese cooking and more often found with the Asian foods than the cooking ingredients, these help absorb moisture to ensure we have juicy meatballs.
• Garlic powder: an excellent pantry staple to use in meatballs. Simply measure from the bottle and add it in.
• Onion powder: as above. Saving time, peeling, chopping and dicing.
• Dried chives: these are the 1st of the dried herbs we use in the meatballs.
• Fennel: a fantastic herb to use with pork. It is a great pairing. A little of this brings so much flavor to the meatballs. 👍😁.
• Paprika: vibrant in colour, yet mild in taste, this spice is made from capsicums. You are looking for 'ground paprika'.
• Pork mince: also known as ground pork. You can use lean ground pork if you wish too. This is a budget friendly cut of meat that is spot on perfect for meatballs. It is freezer friendly too so if you want to keep it in the freezer and then thaw it when ready to use that will work too!

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the easy pork meatballs. We start by gathering the ingredients to make the meatballs.

• Gather the meatball ingredients (Photo 1)
• Use clean hands to combine (Photo 2)
• Portion with cookie scoop (Photo 3)
• Roll into balls (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Pork Meatballs

We start the recipe by gathering the ingredients to make the pork mixture. You will need a large bowl, chopping board and cookie scoop.

Add the ground meat, panko breadcrumbs, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, fennel seeds, salt, pepper and egg to the bowl. Then use clean hands to combine this mixture.

Use a mini cookie scoop to portion the meat mixture onto the chopping board and repeat until all of the mixture is used up.

Then use the palms of your hands to roll the portions into meatballs.

Next, line a rimmed baking dish with aluminium foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Then place each of the rolled raw meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet in one flat single layer.

• Bake the meatballs for 18-20 minutes (Photo 5)

Once you have popped the meatballs onto the lined baking tray, you want to put them on the middle shelf of the preheated oven.

The meatballs will take 18 - 20 minutes to cook and once done you can use tongs to transfer the cooked meatballs to a paper towel lined bowl. This will help to absorb any excess moisture from the meatballs before we serve them. You can see this step in the photo below.

• Transfer to bowl (Photo 6)

Once all of the hard work is done we are ready to serve the meatballs! 👍😁👌.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Sauce is the starting point for meatballs! Would you believe me if i told you I am not using a homemade sauce for these!! 🧐🤣.

That reason is because there is something magical about pork and plum sauce and that magic needed to be paired and plated for this recipe!

I also use this sauce pairing for the Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls. It is sweet and convenient without being a 'same old tomato or barbecue sauce'. It is store bought, it is cheap, easy and has a little zing about it!

For homemade sauce options try the Basil Yogurt Sauce, Parsley Yogurt Sauce or the Herbed Yogurt Sauce.

For sauces with a little oomph try the Mustard Yogurt Sauce, Spicy Yogurt Sauce or the Horseradish Yogurt Sauce.

For citrus sauces try the Lemon Yogurt Sauce, Lime Yogurt Sauce or the Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce.

For a blue cheese option try the Gorgonzola Sauce.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container with a lid. They can be kept in the fridge up to 3 days and are best reheated before being consumed.

How to Reheat

The microwave is your best option to reheat the meatballs. Place them on a plate with cling wrap and heat for 2 - 3 minutes until they are heated throughout.

Or if you are making the meatballs for a party and have made them in advance, you can add them to the bowl of the slow cooker, turn the setting to warm and allow these to heat through prior to serving.

How to Freeze

You can make the meatballs and freeze them separately to the glaze then make that on the day or night you want to serve them.

Allow them to thaw completely before reheating.

Frozen portions of the dish can be kept for up to 3 months.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use cayenne pepper in place of the paprika if you want to make spicy pork meatballs.
• You can use other herbs for the meatballs. Some good options are dried parsley, oregano or basil. (Fresh herbs will work too!).
• Or add some red pepper flakes for a little 'chilli spice'. (1 teaspoon should do it).
• For different proteins you can explore using ground chicken or ground turkey. Both work well when oven baked.
• Add a small amount of fresh ginger for a twist on asian pork meatballs.
• If you want to use regular bread crumbs in place of the panko breadcrumbs you can.
• Or you can use a combination of ground beef and ground pork (as opposed to simply the 1 protein).
• You can garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions to get the party started 😁👍.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• A mini cookie scoop is very handy to use when making meatballs. It allows to them to be uniform size across the batch.
• If you don't have a mini cookie scoop you can use a soup spoon to portion the mixture.
• Spraying the aluminium foil with cooking oil helps to ensure that the meatballs will not stick to the foil.
• Using the paper towel to absorb the moisture means that they are 'dry' and 'clean' when added to the serving plate.
• Add the meatballs to a store bought sweet and sour sauce with rice for an easy dinner idea.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better pork or beef meatballs?

This comes down to personal preference. Beef tends to have a higher fat content than pork does so those meatballs lend themselves to be a tiny bit more juicy than pork meatballs. But they are both fantastic to use for meatballs with great flavour.

What is the ratio of eggs to meat for meatballs?

You need 1 egg for each 500 grams of mince meat to make meatballs.

Do you beat eggs before adding to meatballs?

No. It is not necessary to beat the egg before adding it to meatballs. Use clean hands to combine the meatball mixture till it looks consistent.

😍 More Easy Meatball Recipes

More than 'just meatballs', they offer a budget friendly versatile food that work in a wide variety of situations. Here are some more meatball recipes for you to try:

• Meatballs Alfredo
• Baked Meatball Subs
• Meatball Tray Bake
• Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs
• Meatball Bolognese
• Baked Meatballs In Sauce
• Meatball Tomato Soup

Its time to get your roll on my friend! You can also find all of my dinner recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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