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Who doesn’t love a simple and nourishing meal, right?! This meal is just that: made with simple ingredients, most of which you already have in your pantry, and it’s nourishing and comforting. It’s the perfect meal for a cold evening.
I paired these meatballs with Banza pasta, which is made from chickpeas, therefore making it higher protein than traditional pasta. This isn’t required, but my husband and I honestly love it! We buy it in bulk at Costco for super cheap, which makes it even better. I love the boost of protein as well as introducing chickpeas for a variety of nutrients, rather than always using traditional wheat pasta. It’s fun to switch it up!
Ingredients
Ground Italian sausage – I used Mulay’s which is sugar-free, preservative-free, etc. I found it at my local Natural Grocers. Feel free to use plain ground beef or ground pork. See the notes on the recipe card for those substitutions.
Egg – adds moisture to the meatballs, making them more tender.
Flour of choice – helps keep the meatballs together. Use whatever flour you prefer – wheat, cassava, arrowroot, and almond flour all work great.
Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper – for flavor. Feel free to use garlic cloves if you have them!
Fresh basil or parsley – for extra flavor as well as an extra pop of color.
Olive oil – for browning the meatballs in the skillet.
Pasta sauce – for simmering the meatballs until they’re cooked through. Use whatever pasta sauce you prefer.
Method
- You’ll mix the meatball ingredients together then form it into balls.
- Preheat a skillet to medium heat with oil then add the meatballs. Brown each side, flipping them as needed.
- Add the pasta sauce and bring it to a boil, then turn to a simmer and cook the meatballs in it until they are cooked through. Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!
Modifications
- Substitute plain pork, beef, or turkey for the ground sausage. If you do this, then I recommend adding 2 tsp Italian seasoning and an extra 1/4 tsp of salt to the recipe. Also, the meatballs turn out the best using higher fat meat rather than lean meat. So I recommend an 80/20 or 85/15 ground meat.
- Make it egg-free by substituting the eggs with 3 Tbsp of greek yogurt.
- Adjust the seasonings to preference – feel free to adjust the seasonings, or add other seasonings to the recipe. Get creative and have fun!
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I hope you love these Skillet Italian Meatballs! Please leave a review if you made the recipe, it helps my website and my ability to keep creating recipes for you. I appreciate it more than you know! <3
PrintSkillet Italian Meatballs
These Italian meatballs are ideal for family dinners, date nights, or any occasion when you crave comfort food with a flavorful and healthy Italian twist. It comes together easily in a skillet in about 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: lunch, dinner, appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
1 lb ground Italian sausage* see notes for using plain pork, beef, or turkey
1 large egg
3 Tbsp flour of choice, plus more for frying (see instructions)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt*
Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley or basil (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil for frying
48 oz pasta sauce of choice
Instructions
- Add the ground Italian sausage, egg, flour, and seasonings to a large bowl. Mix well with your hands.
- Roll the mixture into meatballs then lightly coat each meatball with some more flour (this helps keep them together while cooking).
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat with the oil.
- Place each meatball in the pan and lightly brown each side until golden, turning them as they cook.
- Once the meatballs are golden, add the sauce to skillet as well as thinly sliced basil or chopped parsley if desired. Bring the sauce to a boil, then cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the meatballs to simmer in the sauce until cooked through, about 6-12 minutes depending on how large you made them.
- Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!
- Please leave a review if you made the recipe, it helps my website and my ability to keep creating recipes for you. I appreciate it more than you know! <3
Notes
*you can use plain pork, beef, or turkey (85/15) and add 2 tsp Italian seasoning and an extra 1/4 tsp of salt.
