Italian Square Meatballs

No-mess meatballs! Just pat the meat mixture into a pan and bake… This is a fantastic way to prepare meatballs as I hate mauling the hamburger to make them round balls (less handling of the meat). You can also put your own spin on this by adding the spices you prefer.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Calories: 273 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon salt (Optional)
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ½ cup onion, chopped (Optional)
• ¼ cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a 9x12-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2

Mix the egg and onion together in a mixing bowl. Add the ketchup and ground beef, then season with pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and bread crumbs; combine until evenly blended. Place the mixture into the prepared pan, and pat into an 8-inch square. Use a table knife or metal spatula to cut the square into 6 vertical strips, then cut the strips horizontally into 6 pieces each for a total of 36 pieces. Do not separate the pieces, just press through the meat to separate it.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain off any grease, and separate the meatballs with a knife to serve.