The secret to perfect meatballs in tomato sauce? Adding sour cream and Parmesan to the beef, avoiding breadcrumbs, and handling the meatballs lightly.
I adore meatballs. They are one of the best and easiest ways to utilize ground beef, which is so very convenient and affordable. I always have a vacuum-sealed package or two of ground beef in the fridge or in the freezer, and shaping it into meatballs is a sure way to get the kids to eat it, happily.
When I made these meatballs in tomato sauce for the first time, my family immediately declared them as "your best ever!" and demanded that I only make these from now on. I took that as a compliment. 🙂
The ingredients you'll need
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below:
For the meatballs:
Ground beef: I prefer to use lean ground beef (85/15). I find that extra-lean produces dry meatballs.
Sour cream and egg: These ingredients help the meatballs stay soft and juicy.
Grated Parmesan: Make sure you use finely grated and not coarsely shredded parmesan. The cheese acts much like breadcrumbs would and helps keep the juices inside the meatballs.
Kosher salt and black pepper: I use kosher salt in most of my recipes. If using fine salt, you might want to use less salt.
For the tomato sauce:
Olive oil: I love cooking with this delicious oil, but if you'd rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead.
Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar.
Canned tomato sauce: Pick one with no salt or sugar added. And ideally with no BPA in the can's lining.
Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper. Make sure the spices are fresh! A stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
How to make meatballs in tomato sauce
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. My method is simple. Here are the basic steps:
Bake the meatballs. First, I bake the meatballs in the oven. This takes about 10 minutes in a 400°F oven.
Prepare the sauce. While the meatballs are baking, I quickly cook the sauce on the stovetop.
Simmer the meatballs in the sauce. Then I add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer shortly to allow the flavors to meld. The idea is to avoid simmering for too long, so as not to dry out the meatballs.
The secret to tasty meatballs
The reason these meatballs are so flavorful is that I add a bit of sour cream and Parmesan to the ground beef. I avoid using bread crumbs (I believe they actually detract from the flavor).
And I handle the meatballs lightly so that they remain light and fluffy and don't turn out too dense.
The tomato sauce is excellent too and adds great flavor. Although the younger one (our notorious picky eater!) said that it was a bit too spicy for her.
So depending on your personal preferences in terms of heat, you might consider using just ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
How to serve meatballs in tomato sauce
I like to serve this saucy dish on top of cauliflower rice or microwave spaghetti squash. Mashed cauliflower is also a good choice and it works well to absorb the yummy sauce. Obviously, you can use regular rice or pasta if you prefer.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. I reheat them very gently in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.
More tasty meatball recipes
I do have quite a few meatball recipes that I make often. I usually default to these easy baked meatballs, and I also like these cheese-stuffed meatballs. But I don't limit myself to beef! These pork meatballs are excellent too, as are these juicy turkey meatballs.
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Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- Olive oil spray
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef, 85% lean
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (not fine table salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Tomato Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce, no salt or sugar added
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (not fine table salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly spray it with olive oil spray.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to mix the ground beef, sour cream, egg, Parmesan cheese, kosher salt and black pepper. Wet your hands and shape into 12 meatballs, each weighing about 2oz. Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large, wide pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute, just until golden. Add the tomato sauce, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, oregano and cayenne and bring to a boil.
- Add the meatballs, spooning the sauce over them. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.