I think I’ve hit the September Challenge jackpot with this one, folks. When I had my first bite of these Skillet Meatballs and Marinara I literally moaned and let out a quiet “Oh, hell yeah…”
These super easy skillet meatballs only have four ingredients and they come together in just a few minutes. If you want to be extra fancy, you can add a little grated Parmesan to the meatball mix, or even some frozen spinach (thaw and squeeze out the moisture first). But if you ask me, they’re insanely delicious just the way they are and I’m a big fan of the easy, no-fuss prep.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Use Italian Sausage for Fast, Easy Meatballs
I like to use Italian sausage to make my meatballs because it already comes with all the seasoning inside the meat, so you really don’t have to add anything more. Just a little breadcrumbs and egg to hold the meatballs together, and some diced onion for good measure.
Can You Freeze the Meatballs?
Yes! Meatballs freeze very well. You can either freeze them uncooked, or just after you cook the meatballs in the skillet. I like the idea of freezing after cooking, so you can just toss the frozen meatballs into a pot of sauce to heat through whenever you want.
Take Another Short Cut
If you want to make this recipe even faster and easier, you can definitely just use a jar of store-bought sauce instead of making your own, and probably for about the same price.
Perfect for Meal Prep
This is one of my favorite meal preps. The meatballs and marinara hold up really well in the refrigerator for about 4 days. I like to pack them up with cooked pasta all in one container, but if you’re picky about pasta, you may want to pack the pasta separate so they sauce doesn’t continue to soften the pasta.
Skillet Meatballs and Marinara
Servings 6 (4 meatballs each)Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 lb. Italian sausage (mild, sweet or hot) ($3.23)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs ($0.48)
- 1 large egg ($0.32)
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced ($0.19)
MARINARA
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced ($0.18)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes ($2.00)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 1 tsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.06)
PASTA
- 12 oz. pasta (any shape) ($1.00)
Instructions
- To make the meatballs, squeeze the Italian sausage out of the casing and into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg, and diced onion. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until combined. Form the mixture into about 24 ping pong ball sized balls.
- Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Add the olive oil and tilt the skillet to coat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on the outside (a couple minutes on each side). Work in two batches if needed to give the meatballs room to movel around. Once the meatballs are browned, remove them from the skillet to a clean plate.
- Add the second half of the diced onion to the skillet, along with two cloves of minced garlic. Sauté in the leftover oil and fat from the meatballs until soft and transparent. Once soft, add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Stir until the tomato paste mixes into the crushed tomatoes.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and gently stir to coat them in sauce. Place a lid on the skillet and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes. Cook the pasta while the meatballs simmer.
- Drain the pasta and serve each bowl with pasta, four meatballs, and a scoop of sauce.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Skillet Meatballs – Step by Step Photos
Italian sausage is great because it has a ton of herbs and spices already mixed in, which means less work for you. I usually buy Johnsonville sausage, but noticed this store brand which was far less expensive. This package is 1.5 pounds, so I portioned off 1/2 lb. and froze it for later. You only need one pound of mild, sweet, or hot Italian sausage for this recipe.
This extra little 1/2 pound of sausage is going to come in handy later on in the month!
Add 1 lb. Italian sausage to a large bowl along with 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, and 1/2 of an onion (finely diced).
Use your hands to mix until everything is evenly combined.
Start forming the meat mixture into ping pong sized balls. I wanted at least 24, so I could have six servings of four meatballs. I ended up getting 26 meatballs.
Heat a large skillet over a medium flame. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, then tilt the skillet to make sure it’s coated in oil. Add the meatballs to the skillet and brown on all sides. This is a fairly quick process. You don’t need to cook them through, just until they are good and brown. They will simmer in the sauce later and finish cooking inside.
I worked in two batches to make sure the meatballs had room to roll around. Once browned, remove the skillet meatballs to a clean plate. (If you want to use a store bought sauce, don’t remove the meatballs, just pour the sauce on top and let them simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.)
In the same skillet, add the other half of the onion (also diced) and two cloves of minced garlic. Sauté in the leftover oil until softened.
Add one 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and 1 tsp brown sugar. Stir and heat these ingredients until the tomato paste has mixed into the crushed tomatoes.
Add the partially cooked skillet meatballs back to the sauce and stir gently to coat them in sauce.
Place a lid on the skillet and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes (turn the heat down slightly if needed to let it simmer gently). While the meatballs are simmering, cook the pasta.
To each bowl of pasta, add four meatballs and a scoop of sauce.
I portioned all of Skillet Meatballs and Marinara out ahead of time to make meal time easy. I may freeze a couple portions of this as well (but I have a feeling they’ll all get eaten quickly!).
NOM. My new favorite! <3
Tried the recipe for the first time and not impressed with it as written
1. The meatballs need salt and pepper
2. I replaced the spices in the recipe with Italian seasoning and the amount was not enough. The sauce tasted bland
3. The amount of sauce is not enough for the number of meatballs. Should double it
I will have to continue my search for a good meatball recipe
Good Morning – This recipe looks yummy! Found this recipe via a search for skillet meatballs.
Just a quick question at this point: will this recipe be equally as delicious with hamburger? Just so happens I have a couple of pounds of organic hamburger in my freezer. Then next time I would use the Italian sausage. Thanks.
The Italian sausage is packed with herbs and spices that end up flavoring the meatballs, so if you’re using plain ground beef you’ll definitely want to add in a bunch of Italian seasoning to make up for that. :) You’ll also want to consider the fat content of the meat you’re using. If you’re using a lean ground beef, the meatballs won’t be quite as juicy and tender as the meatballs made with Italian sausage.
Hi Beth – Thank you for writing back to me. I bought the Italian sausage yesterday and will be trying your recipe this weekend. The hamburger I had would have been too lean. I am looking forward to it!
Wow wow wow. I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for quite sometime and I stumbled back across it the other day and decided I needed to give it a try. Honestly this meal turned out so delicious! Meatballs were a hit with everyone (including a picky eater) and the sauce was to die for! So simple yet so flavorful! I love how budget friendly this dinner is as well. I ended up using 1 lb of ground mild Italian sausage because my store didn’t have the links but it turned out perfect!
Don’t pass on this homemade Marinara sauce for store bought; it’s just a few ingredients and totally worth it, trust me :). Anyways I’m having leftovers for lunch and I can’t wait. Thank you!
Going to use the recipe next time for meatball sliders!
This was so good! Tasted great with fresh pasta!!
Hi Beth – luv this recipe! Make it alot during the week-Was wondering how u think it would hold up in the crockpot? I was thinking of doubling it (because its that good) and putting in the crock for hands off simmering while i go off shopping haha so i can have it ready when i get back ;) how long do ya think?
I think the meatballs and marinara would be just fine in the crockpot. I wouldn’t suggest the pasta in there as it may absorb too much.
This recipe is so good. We love it with homemade garlic bread and salad. Yum! I make it with store bought marinara and I don’t brown them. (I have a hard time with breakage when I brown them). So I just pop them in the sauce raw and cook until done. Very tender and filling.
I want to add that I’ve been making these in the instant pot lately. I pour a jar of sauce in the bottom and then pile the meatballs on top. 8 minutes later perfect meatballs.
I forgot to add into last comment that my husband likes these better with ground beef so we use organic ground beef instead. Works great.
I made these with lean ground beef and your recepie was unbelievably delicious. The only thing I changed was, I used Progresso Garlic & Herb Bread Crumbs and Prego Marinara. I hardly ever cook but this is so good it makes want to cook more. Even my 18 year old Son wants to make these meatball now. Thank you so much for sharing 👍🏼❤️👊🏼
How much would you say a “scoop” of sauce would be? 1/2 cup? 1 cup?
Hmm, probably about 3/4 cup. The sauce is mostly the tomatoes, which is 28 ounces, or between 3-4 cups.
Thinking of making meatballs like this, except twice the amount and using 1lb jimmy dean country mild sausage and 1lb ground beef. Would that still work in this recipe?
I’m not sure, I’d need to try it out. :)
These look delicious, but isn’t a cup of breadcrumbs way too much? I am looking at other meatball recipes I use (mostly from Skinnytaste) and they have around 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for 1lb to 20 oz of meat (one of those does use Parmesan as well, so that could factor in).
It wasn’t too much for me. :) It creates a really moist and tender meatball.
I just made these meatballs. I am not much of a cook – and NEVER would think to use sausage for meatballs. What a fantastic suggestion. It was so easy and these are very good. I really appreciate when you include in your recipes how to make it even easier – like with the jar of Marinara.
I am a prep cook in a restaurant (Italian) and we make meatballs all the time. This is a very good basic recipe. I have a few tweaks you can try. The trick to these is much like a good meatloaf. You can mix and match ingredients almost endlessly. The trick of frying a little of the meatball mixture to test the seasoning it a great one.
Add Parmesan cheese to the meatballs (buy and grate yourself if you do not like wood pulp). . Use 1/3 ground beef, 1/3 Italian sausage and 1/3 ground veal or 1/2 beef and 1/2 sausage. Veal is expensive and hard to find. The one comment about just using pork and adding Italian seasoning, etc. is a good one, but I would use pork and beef.
Cook the onion and garlic for a while before mixing in with the meat, just until the onions are somewhat soft and the garlic blooms. It helps with the texture of the onions and garlic flavor.
For the sauce, I like to deglaze the pan with red wine after cooking the onion and garlic for a while. Then add the tomatoes. Adding some roasted red peppers will also add to the depth of the sauce, along with the wine. Some crushed pepper flakes to taste is nice, but be careful as the spice from these ramps up fast.
The possibilities are endless.
If you want to avoid frying the comment about cooking in the oven on a sheet pan is great. It also allows browns much more evenly and the balls almost never fall apart.
Great recipe… so many good ones on your site.
Thank you for those wonderful tips!!
Lance, your tips are exactly what I do regularly–half beef, half sausage, parm cheese, some garlic either granules orr fresh, and dried mixed Italian herbs added to the above recipe. Then to make things even easier, I double the recipe and bake the meatballs on a sheet pan in the oven, because there is nothing more welcome on a busy night than some already cooked frozen meatballs. I make mine a little smaller than ping pong ball size because I sometimes like to add them to soup as well as sandwiches and pasta. And they are perfect for an emergency appetizer–just grab toothpicks. My family likes that old jelly/chili sauce thing from the 50s, but marinara always works
I just made this recipe with ground turkey, because it’s what I had in hand, and used some of the slow cooker marinara. Can’t even describe how delicious, my roommates and I all loved it!
Incredible! I used 3/4 lb. of spicy Italian sausage (kept other measurements the same) and this still made 37 ping pong ball sized meatballs. I browned them in two batches, as to not overcrowd. The sauce couldn’t be simpler, but still had so much flavor. I thought we had pasta, but we were out! Luckily I had a few zucchini so we made zoodles. I think I like these better than ground beef meatballs. Will definitely make again!
Made this for dinner tonight. I never would have thought to make meatballs out of sausage! Brillant! And delicious. Definitely another keeper. I LOVE this website. LOVE LOVE LOVE
We made this tonight and it was a huge hit! We did cheat and bought some fresh meatballs at the grocery store that were ready to cook. We will make this again soon as it was easy, cheap and delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
What kind of breadcrumbs did you use? Are Panko a bad idea for meatballs? Thanks!
I used regular plain breadcrumbs that you buy in a container at the store. Panko are a lot less dense than traditional breadcrumbs. While I think they would still work, you might need to adjust the quantity some. They seem like they might absorb slightly less moisture because they’re a bit more airy.
The meatballs are genius! This has been added to our family favorite list after one meal. I’m planning on doubling the sauce portion next time. I like it saucy and the recipe was enough to coat but not overly generous.
What if I am using beef and pork? What can I season the meatballs with?
You’ll want to add a hefty dose of Italian seasoning blend. What makes these meatballs so easy is that the Italian sausage is already full of seasoning, so you don’t have to add anything else. If you’re using plain ground beef and/or pork, you’ll need to add the seasoning yourself.
So easy and doable!
I made garlic bread from french bread, butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese to go with it. YUM!
Looking forward to making this for dinner but I’m planning on freezing most of the leftover meatballs. Later do I defrost and then cook in a skillet with sauce 15 minutes, going back to the original recipe? Just curious what is the safest way to freeze/re-heat these, especially without a microwave.
I think I’d probably transfer them to the fridge the night before to defrost, then cook them the next day just as if you made them fresh (brown in skillet, then cook through in the sauce).
This was so tasty!!! Easy and enjoyable even for the kiddo! Love your recipes!!!
Do you think that this recipe would do okay in a slow cooker? I’ve made it the regular way before and it came out delicious.
I’m not sure the meatballs would stand up to the long, slow cooking process. And you definitely want to do the browning step in the skillet because that gives it a flavor that you can’t get in a slow cooker. :)
These were so unbelievably good. Even with the extra step of forming all the meatballs, I’d still categorize this as an easy weeknight recipe. I used a jar of sauce because I was lazy (ha) and it was still amazing!
This was sooo good! I highly recommend! The meatballs had terrific flavor, I added half ground beef, half sausage and made everything else according to recipe Thank you for sharing!
Now have my own e mail account.
Do you have any recipes for only 2 people or do I just cut the ones to size.
As I told you before am 81 years old.
This is my site and you can email me here. Still looking to start my own blog. Some time soon I will let you know. WW
I’m single and make things in bulk, kind of like Beth does. Get some storage containers (those cheap ones they advertise as throwaways at the grocery store can last for years if you treat them properly). Cook up a recipe, ladle out enough for the meal right now, and then split what you have left into equal portions and freeze or refrigerate if you know you’ll eat them quickly.
I do most of my cooking over the weekend. I take a few containers to work on Monday to eat for lunches, then eat from the others for dinner through the week.
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
I saw this recipe and it made my mouth water. So today, off to the grocery store for some shopping…. and tonight, I curled up on my couch and enjoyed a delicious bowl of pasketti and meatballs! OMG these were so good! The simplicity of using the Italian sausage appealed to me. Now I have a bunch in my freezer – so on those days when I am too lazy to cook- boom- yummy, filling food awaits me.
I am a long time reader of your blog. I don’t make as many of your recipes as I would like, but whenever I do, they are delicious! I just made this one tonight and it is no exception. I’m so looking forward to the leftovers; I packed them up just as you did. Also wanted to give a little shout out and say thank you so much for the time and effort you put into Budget Bytes, it is so so helpful!
Thank you, Jaime! :)
I’ve made the meatballs for dinner last night, and honestly, it was DELICIOUS!!! I stuck to the recipe, but added 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese just to give the meatballs more flavor, and used Italian breadcrumbs (I was able to make 27 meatballs, and my sister and I were snacking on them). Since I was using jarred spaghetti sauce, I thoroughly cooked the meatballs, and allowed them to simmer for about 10 minutes. I served the meatballs on a bed of angel hair pasta, and garlic bread sticks. This recipe is good on a pizza, and sandwiches!! I’ll make it again, and thank you, Beth!!! :-)
I always add grated parm to my meatballs, too, and we like them with a combination of pork and beef. I make a huge batch of them when good quality ground beef is on sale, and if Italian sausage isn’t reasonably priced at the same time, I pick up ground pork–always under $3 per lb at one of my neighborhood stores. I use about the same proportions of bread crumbs, egg, and onion as Beth, but season the ground pork with crushed fennel seeds, garlic, salt, pepper, and some mixed Italian herbs (I used to add some red pepper flakes, but one of my grandsons won’t eat spicy). You can check the seasonings by frying up a teaspoon of the pork mixture to taste because there’s no way I am going to nibble raw meat. I then bake the meatballs on cookie sheets (the kind with rims–I think they are about 11″x17″), drain on paper towels until cool, and freeze them on clean cookie sheets, pouring them into a large plastic bag once frozen so they don’t stick together. Pour out a few for a meatball sandwich or use more for a spagetti dinner.
My family loved this!
Loved it! Woazers. I added a little more salt to the sauce [usually do with your recipes, no offense] and it was golden. The tip of grated onions was a big hit as well. I used unsalted crushed tomatoes (not sure if thats correct) and seasoned bread crumbs (Again not sure).
I like the idea of Italian sausage for meatballs instead of ground beef/meat mix. My dad always makes meatballs with his homemade tomato sauce for big Sunday pasta meals. I should tell him to try this. He always puts Worcestershire sauce in his meatballs, too. Adds a nice touch of flavor. Sometimes he pan-fries his meatballs, and sometimes he oven-bakes them. We love our meatballs in our family!
Excellent! All my people loved it, and there are plenty of leftovers for lunches this week. I used Cento crushed tomatoes and the sauce came out VERY thick. No problem, just had to thin it out with a little water.
The Shoprite by me has had Cooked Perfect meatballs on sale for 2.49 a bag the past several weeks. The small meatballs are 24/ bag. And then there were $1 off coupons in the paper. I can’t make them for less than that.
Score!
Winner! The only thing I changed was that I used two 15oz cans of tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes and omitted the tomato paste (my pantry is running low on tomato related items, hah!).
It still came out awesome! Very satisfying weeknight meal.
If you don’t mind me asking, what skillet are you using here? I’ve been looking for a similar deep-ish skillet that’s not teflon coated. Thanks!
Sure, I love these pots and pans! They’re made by Oxo Goodgrips. I wrote about my decision making process when buying them, and you can read that here. :)
To say that I’m obsessed with your website is an understatement; I’ve used its recipes almost exclusively since I first found it six months ago, and I’ve been a lurker every since. My schedule is pretty crazy, so I like to make big batches of something and portion it out for a few days/freeze it for later, and your recipes are so wonderful for that.
I’m pretty particular about ingredients in that I don’t care for either white/yellow onions (texture) or bell peppers (taste). However, this looked so tasty-licious I had to give it a try! I used one commenter’s suggestion and grated the onion for the meatballs, and then diced it up very, very fine for the marinara, and holy cow. This dish is fantastic. Thank you for keeping me fed without breaking the bank!
This has my mouth watering !
Will have to cook this up. Thanks for the step-by-step photos too, really helpful :)
Ko X
Hey.,I always look for ways to make my life and meal prep easier but have never thought of just making straight up sausage meatballs. Totally trying this! It looks amazing <3 ;)
It’s funny that you posted this today – I was thinking about your challenge and wondering if you have ever done porcupine meatballs (where you add rice to your meatballs) – it is right up your alley of stretching meat further. I just made them on Thursday and served them with a side of your collard greens and a slice of sourdough bread off the clearance rack.
(My meatball recipe comes from Dinner: A Love Story.)
I’ve had “porcupine” meatballs on my to-make list for YEARS. Just never got around to it! :D
http://www.dinneralovestory.com/nostalgia-night-porcupine-meatballs/
I think this recipe would be fairly budget conscious; but you get to do the math ;)
Thank you!!
Dear Beth, You know I’m a fan of easy! I’ll be using the prepared sauce, and I think I can handle making the meatballs!
I’m Italian and have made meatballs SO many times… I always look for ways to make my life and meal prep easier but have never thought of just making straight up sausage meatballs. Totally trying this! It looks amazingggggg.
I’m a spaghetti squash freak too so this will be an awesome topping for that all Fall.
Thank you for this recipe! This looks Fantastic! I am actually excited about cooking it for dinner tonight.
Wondering if you think turkey sausage would work just as well?
Yes, as long as it’s turkey Italian sausage. The seasonings in Italian sausage are what make these meatballs so fantastic.
My first thought, too, was if turkey sausage would work as well as we don’t eat pork. Thoughts?
Great recipe. A suggestion: if you’ve made meatballs in the past that have fallen apart during cooking, try to “throw” the meat back and forth between your hands before finalizing/forming your meatballs. The impact packs the meat in the center so your meatballs will be firmer and easier to work with.
Thank you for the tip! I have had that problem in the past and was leery of making this because of just that issue.
I did take your advice to make the meatballs not split apart…. once. with one meatball. It ended up a foot away stuck to the control panel of my stove top! I guess I tried too hard! I laughed an laughed! Nice way to start a sunday morning cooking session! lol!
This makes me hungry! I cooked this dish with ground beef instead of sausage a while ago in the oven and it was the best!!! It freezes beautifully too!
what veggies other than spinach would you rec with this dish? all i can think of when i see a dish like this is zuchini but i eat far too much of that already lol. any other ideas? it looks delicious!
I personally like to add mushrooms or carrots to tomato sauces. I also love to eat broccoli on the side when I decide to not add any vegatables to the tomato sauce.
mushrooms and carrots sounds like it would go great with this dish. ty!
You could grate carrots and mix them in the meatballs. Butternut squash in the sauce, maybe? A green salad on the side would probably be easier. I’ve read that making multiple salads in jars all at once keeps well in the fridge. Cut veggies once, eat all week.
I love all the ideas people have given so far! :D Shredded carrots, mushrooms, even eggplant.
I like this! I have two suggestions. 1). From Racheal Ray, grate your onion. It sounds like you will never be able to see again from crying but it doesn’t do that and it integrates into the meatballs way better. 2). This one depends on cost, but I usually use half sausage and half ground beef or turkey. Same taste and a little lower calories, sometimes.
I like to make my own sauce but I do buy a jar of backup on sale with a coupon. I usually get it for $1/jar. Yay!
Wow, a pound and a half of sausage for less than 5 bucks is a great bargain. I must live in a more expensive area of the country since I’m always impressed at what you can eke out from your grocery dollars! Really enjoying reading about your September challenge so far.
I’ve often thought the same thing and this recipe is no exception. The closest I can come to meeting the price of any ingredient is the pasta. I can find a variety of pasta shapes at Trader Joe’s for 99¢/pound. Sometimes I can find crushed tomatoes for a similar price, but not always.
I used to read Cheap, Healthy, Good. Kris, who lives in Brooklyn, invariably paid less for the ingredients for her recipes that I did.
Same here! I live in Canada and it probably costs almost double to make the recipes posted here. However they are still super affordable – that’s just unfortunately the cost of being in Canada!
Keep up the great work Beth! Your blog has kept me happy and fed with also extra cash to spare :)
Mmmmmmm!!!! I LOVE meatballs!!!!!
Wonderful recipe luv. I agree, it probably cheaper and easier for some premade sauce. Though I doubt it tastes way better home made like this.
This recipe looks great. I’ve got italian sausage in the freezer begging to be used. I might try baking the meatballs instead of frying them.