Ever wondered how to cook meatballs on a stove? It’s way easier than you think and very common for Italian meatball recipes. Here’s how you can do it, too!
Cooking meatballs on a stove is convenient if you don’t have an oven (or don’t want to turn it on during hot summer months). It’s easy to do if you know a few tricks!
I generally love baking meatballs, but sometimes I either don’t have a free oven or just don’t want to turn it on. (Looking at you, hot summer days!)
I made meatballs many different ways and I love the way I’m about to teach you. Letting your meatballs cook on the stove in a simmering sauce is the way to go. You’ll end up with the most tender meatballs because as they simmer they soak up so much of that tomato sauce.
How to Cook Meatballs on a Stove:
- Make your favorite meatball recipe (I have a post on how to make homemade meatballs if you need help there!)
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat
- Add oil to the skillet and wait a few seconds for it to heat up
- Carefully place the meatballs in the hot skillet and sear the bottom, about 2 minutes
- Flip and swear the meatballs on the other side for 2 minutes, or until browned
- Lower the heat to medium and cook the meatballs, flipping occasionally, until they’re done (total cooking time will be between 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your meatballs)
Cons of cooking meatballs in a skillet on the stove:
I will say that there’s a few small downsides to cooking meatball on the stove vs baking them. Namely:
- It gets a little messier in the kitchen, because they tend to splatter as they cook
- They don’t have the same beautiful shape as the baked ones
- It’s more hands-on than baking
If you can live with these negatives, it’s really, extremely easy to cook them on the stove.
Cook meatballs raw in the sauce or brown them first??
FAQ
Can you cook raw meatballs right in the sauce?
Is it better to cook meatballs in sauce or oven?
Can you cook meatballs without oil?
Can you cook raw meat in pasta sauce?
Can you cook meatballs raw?
The meatballs are then cooked in the sauce. Although the meatballs are not browned first, they still cook though in the sauce and it is safe to add them to the sauce raw, as long as the sauce is kept at a simmer until the meatballs are cooked through. Cooking the meatballs this way means that they stay quite tender even when cooked.
Can you cook meatballs before adding sauce?
You could brown the meatballs in this recipe before adding them to the sauce but they will not need as much time cooking in the sauce so you should cook the sauce for 20 minutes, add the browned meatballs and then simmer for another 10 minutes.
How to cook thawed meatballs in sauce?
But despite how easy they are to prepare, many people still want to know how to cook meatballs on the stove in sauce. Heat fully cooked thawed meatballs in a pot on low heat for 15 minutes in sauce. If still frozen, cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes.
How do you cook meatballs in sauce?
Cooking meatballs in sauce couldn’t be simpler. Here’s how: Sauté the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook to deepen the color for more flavor.