Air fryer meatballs

Name: Air fryer meatballs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ½ cup panko breadcrumbs; ¼ cup milk; 1 lb 85/15 ground beef; 1 large egg; ¼ cup grated parmesan; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; ¾ tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional); 1½ cups marinara sauce

Tender Italian beef meatballs browned in the air fryer in 10 minutes, ready for marinara, pasta or a sub, and they freeze beautifully.

30 min total
20 min hands-on
Anyone can make this
Serves 4
About $2.31 a serving
370 calories
Good the next day

Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup milk
1 lb 85/15 ground beef
1 large egg
¼ cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1½ cups marinara sauce

From your pantry

1 tsp Italian seasoning
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Each serving has about 370 calories, 27 g protein, 15 g carbs and 22 g fat, and costs about $2.31 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No milk? Half-and-half works.
No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

Stir the panko into the milk in a large bowl and let it soak 5 minutes.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Soaked crumbs keep the meatballs tender instead of bouncy.
Add the beef, egg, parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley, and mix gently with your hands until combined.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Roll into 1½-inch balls. You should get about 16.
Dolly’s tip: Wet your hands with cold water every few meatballs and nothing sticks.
Heat the air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes.
Set the meatballs in the basket in one layer with a little space between them. Air fry 9 to 11 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, until browned and 160°F inside.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Cook in two batches if they don’t fit with room to spare.
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
While they cook, warm the marinara in a small over low for 5 minutes, stirring now and then.
Low heatTimer: 5 min
the meatballs in the sauce, or serve the sauce alongside for dunking.