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meatballs in tomato sauce with rice on a plate.
5 from 23 votes

Beef Meatballs With Tomato Sauce and Rice

Beef meatballs with a simple homemade oregano tomato sauce. With rice or pasta, this is an incredibly delicious and easy dinner!
Author Diana
Servings 6 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

Meatballs:

  • 1 pound (450 g) ground beef
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced or grated
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Tomato sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced or grated
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 14 ounces (400 g) tomato sauce
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients (ground beef, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, chopped parsley, salt and pepper). To mix everything, best to use your hands but you can also use a spatula if you like, and mix everything together until just combined. Do not over mix.
  • Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion for the sauce, and saute for 2 minutes or until it’s soft. Add garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Then add the tomato sauce, and season with oregano, salt and pepper.
  • Use a 1 or 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out meatballs, to make them round you can roll them between your hands (wet your hands as needed with a little bit of water so the meatball mixture does not stick to your hands).
  • And immediately drop the meatballs into the simmering tomato sauce.
  • Cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes flipping the meatballs halfway through. The internal temp of the meatballs must reach 160°F/71°C. Remove from heat, and serve over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

Notes

  • If you'd like more sauce with your meatballs, use a large 32oz jar of tomato or marinara sauce instead of the smaller can. 
  • I made these meatballs small, because that's how my mom always made them! You can make them larger if you prefer.
  • Use your hands! I use my hands to mix the meatball mixture so that it doesn't get overmixed and tough. You'll also want to use your hands to roll each meatball before adding it to the sauce. 
  • Using a 1-tablespoon scoop will give you about 30 meatballs, or you can make 15 2-tablespoon-sized ones. 
  • To Store: Keep leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They reheat easily in the microwave or on the stovetop. 

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 853mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 587IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg
Find it online: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/beef-meatballs-tomato-sauce-rice/