Our easy Smoked Meatballs are juicy, tender, and have that wonderful smoky flavor! Fire up your electric smoker and make this smoked meatball recipe ASAP. They are such a fun spin on the traditional spaghetti and meatball recipe that the whole family is going to love!
The Best Smoked Meatballs Recipe
If you love your Traeger pellet grill as much as we do, then we highly recommend that you make these delicious smoked meatballs! We have been cooking classic meatballs for years and serving them with spaghetti noodles or spaghetti squash. Definitely a family favorite recipe, but we were so excited to bring you this variation that has the most amazing smoke flavor. You definitely need to add this easy recipe to your weekly meal plan!
Looking for more smoked meats? You have to try our Smoked Baby Back Ribs!
What You Will Need
- ground beef & ground pork – this combination of ground meat is perfect for the best flavor!
- parmesan cheese – a little bit of freshly grated parmesan is always a must when making Italian meatballs.
- Italian seasoning, kosher salt, & ground black pepper – simple seasonings that bring so much great flavor.
- lemon zest – a small touch of acidity helps to lighten & brighten things up!
- onion and garlic – simple flavor starters that we love.
- egg & bread crumbs – a household staple that combine to hold everything together.
- marinara sauce – option to make your own homemade marinara sauce or grab your favorite marinara sauce at your local grocery store.
How To Make Smoked Meatballs
The first steps to making this amazing meatball recipe are to gather and prep all of the simple ingredients.
Now place all of the ingredients (except the marinara sauce) in a large bowl. Use your hands to give the meatball ingredients a good mix.
Next, divide this meat mixture into 2 tablespoon amounts and roll each between your hands to create round meatballs. Set them aside on a plate. Pro tip – use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to get them to a uniform size.
Place the homemade meatballs directly on the grill grates of a preheated smoker. Pour all of the marinara sauce in a cast iron skillet or disposable aluminum pan and place that directly next to the meatballs.
Let everything smoke for about 30-40 minutes at 225 degrees F. Then carefully transfer the juicy meatballs to the skillet of sauce and continue smoking until they reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. Once done cooking, let them rest at room temperature for a few minutes and then serve this main course.
What Do You Eat With Smoked Meatballs
We absolutely love making smoked meatballs for spaghetti! Feel free to serve over any type of noodle you want, like spaghetti, gluten-free noodles, or our amazing parmesan orzo. Then we garnish this main dish with some more grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil (or other fresh herbs). Of course, you can absolutely serve this up with some garlic bread, grilled bread, or a small house salad! Another fun spin, would be to create meatball subs by serving them on hoagies!
Recipe FAQ
The internal temp for these meatballs should reach 140 degrees F. It is easy to determine this by using a digital read thermometer.
This meatball recipe can easily be switched up to make a different type of smoked meatballs! Just swap out the marinara sauce for BBQ sauce. Serve with some carrot sticks and celery sticks and maybe a little ranch dressing for dipping!
Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Meatball Recipes You Might Like
Smoked Meatballs
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 14 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Smoker
- Cuisine: American
Description
This smoked meatball recipe is an easy way to take your spaghetti night to the next level! Flavorful and juicy these are a must-make!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 heaping teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
- 1/4 cup yellow onion, grated
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, (regular or gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 24oz marinara sauce
- for serving: fresh basil, parmesan cheese and cooked spaghetti noodles
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225 degrees F.
- Place ground beef, ground pork, Italian seasoning, lemon zest, grated onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Take approx. 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture at a time and form into a meatball. Set aside on a plate until all the meatballs are formed.
- Pour marinara sauce in a 12 inch cast iron skillet.
- Place meatballs directly on the wire rack and place the cast iron skillet next to them. Close lid and let cook 30-40 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
- Transfer meatballs to the sauce and close smoker lid. Let cook in the sauce until they reach an internal temp of 140 degrees F. (or let them simmer longer if you prefer). Remove from smoker and let cool slightly.
- Serve with spaghetti, other noodles of your choice or some creamy parmesan orzo!
Notes
- Gluten-Free: to make these gluten-free use a gluten-free breadcrumb and a gluten-free noodle for serving.
- Dairy-Free: to make these dairy-free use a dairy-free parmesan cheese.
- Storage: keep leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Nutrition totals do not include pasta for serving, extra parmesan cheese or fresh basil.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 606
- Sugar: 20.7 g
- Sodium: 2174.5 mg
- Fat: 16.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 81.7 g
- Protein: 30.3 g
- Cholesterol: 69.9 mg
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