These Cast Iron Meatballs are healthy meatballs that you can make in one pan. You can prep these cast iron meatballs with marinara sauce or serve them plain.
30 minutes
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: How to keep meatballs tender instead of tough
Worth It: It builds a freezer stash for stress-free meals later
Bonus: Easy to tailor to common diets
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Weeknight meatballs – This cast iron meatball recipe is made with just a few basic ingredients and comes together in about 30 minutes for a busy weeknight meal. All you need to do is mix up the ingredients, roll it into balls, fry in the skillet, and then transfer the skillet to the oven to bake.
- One pan meal – These meatballs are great because they go right from the stovetop to the oven. If you want to add marinara, you can add it right to the pan!
- Great for meal prep – I love making a batch of these to enjoy throughout the week. They are great reheated or you could even enjoy them cold on a salad.
Serving Suggestions
To keep this cast iron meatball meal low carb, you could pair it with an appetizer salad like shaved brussels sprouts salad or lemon kale caesar. You could also make a simple greens salad with white vinaigrette dressing.
For some carbs, you could serve these meatballs with spaghetti or your favorite pasta noodle and a side of bread. If you want to make your own, try this overnight bread recipe.
Ingredients
- Ground beef – for meatballs, a fattier ground beef will work best
- Egg – the egg helps bind the meatballs together
- Bread crumbs – the panko breadcrumbs help the meatballs stay moist
- Parmesan – every meatball is made a bit better with some parmesan cheese
- Garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano – this spice blend is the perfect mix to flavor your meatballs
- Crushed red pepper flakes – I love adding crushed red pepper for a bit of heat in the meatballs
- Olive oil – use extra virgin olive oil to saute the meatballs in the cast iron pan
Ingredient Substitutions
You can also make these meatballs using any ground meat you would like. Ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey meatballs could work.
For the spices, mix it up with whatever you have on hand. Onion powder, dried basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme or use some pre-made Italian seasoning.
Frequently asked questions
How to cook meatballs on stove?
These meatballs are first seared on the stove top over medium heat and then finished in the oven.
How long to cook meatballs in the oven?
After searing on the stove top, bake ground beef meatballs at 350F for 12 minutes.
What is the internal temp of cooked meatballs?
Meatballs should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160F
How to Make
Step 1: Mix the ingredients And Cook Meatballs
First, preheat the oven to 350F and add oil to a 10″ cast iron skillet. Then, combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl until evenly mixed (Image 1). Next, roll the mixture into 12 even balls on a plate or baking sheet (Image 2).
Then, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the meatballs to the hot oil. Cook the meatballs on the stovetop for 6 minutes and rotate to brown on all sides.
Step 2: Bake the meatballs
Next, place the cast iron skillet into the oven. Bake the meatballs in the cast iron skillet in the oven at 350F for 12 minutes (Image 3).
Enjoy the meatballs plain or pour a jar of marinara sauce into the cast iron skillet with the meatballs (Image 4). Finally, heat the marinara over medium-low for about 5 minutes and serve.
Storage and Reheating
You can keep these skillet meatballs leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days or store them in the freezer to keep longer. Be sure to cool the meatballs and sauce completely prior to freezing.
You can reheat in the microwave, on the stove top or in the oven. I love using leftover meatballs to make meatball subs.
Check out these other delicious cast iron recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me in the photo on Instagram and leave a comment and review below!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Cast Iron Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Optional: 24oz jar of marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and add olive oil to a 10" cast iron skillet
- In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and crushed red pepper
- Mix until evenly combined and roll into 12 even balls – each ball will be a little over 2 tbsp worth
- Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat
- When oil is hot, add the meat balls to the pan to cook
- Continue cooking for about 6 minutes rotating occassionally until meatballs are browned on all sides
- Place the cast iron skillet in the oven at 350F and bake for 12 minutes
- Enjoy without sauce or add a jar of marinara directly to the skillet with the meatballs and warm on the stove at medium-low heat for 5 minutes
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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