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    Home » Recipes » Grill Recipes » Smoker Recipes » Smoker Meatballs (Italian Style Sauce)

    Smoker Meatballs (Italian Style Sauce)

    Published: May 13, 2022 · Modified: Oct 7, 2022 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Traeger Smoked Meatballs Recipe Photos with text overlay

    Check out my super easy and tasty smoked meatballs for beginners. While BBQ sauce smoker meatballs are terribly delicious – today we’re going a different direction. I’m going to walk you through making Italian beef meatballs on the Traeger Pellet Grill with pasta sauce. Let’s get smoking…

    Traeger Smoked Meatballs Recipe
    You absolutely must experience smoking meatballs on your smoked foods bucket list!

    HEY THERE — Are you on instagram? I post quick, easy smoker recipes there @sipbitego.

    Table of Contents

    • Why this smoked meatball recipe is so good
    • Ingredients
    • How to make smoked meatballs on pellet grills
    • More smoked meatball recipes to try
    • FAQs
    • More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes
    • Meat thermometer recommendations
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • Best Traeger Smoked Meatballs Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Why this smoked meatball recipe is so good

    • It’s truly unique to make Italian smoked foods. 
    • Also add the smoked pasta sauce to homemade pasta.
    • Meatballs can be made ahead, or you can use frozen meatballs instead. 
    • New to smoked beef recipes? See my step by step video on how to smoke meatballs (scroll to bottom of page). 
    Traeger Smoked Meatballs With Sauce
    The smoky flavor of the ground beef is insanely tasty and different – you have to try these!

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you need to make smoked meatballs traeger style.

    Infographics with smoked meatball ingredients from scratch

    To make homemade meatballs (mine have veggies in them)

    • 2 lb ground beef (can substitute half with 1 lb ground pork)
    • 2 large eggs, whisked
    • 1 medium onion, red, diced small
    • 1 carrot, diced small
    • 1 red pepper, diced small
    • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
    • 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning, dried
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • 1 tsp salt

    For finishing smoked meatballs in sauce

    • 24 oz pasta sauce, your choice tomato sauce

    Serving suggestions 

    • Sandwich rolls, buns, subs
    • Pasta (we like spaghetti or linguini)
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Mozzarella cheese
    • Basil
    Italian Style Traeger Smoked Meatballs With Pasta And Spaghetti Sauce

    The inside color the smoked ground beef takes on reminds me of smoked brisket flat. It’s a beautiful red ring.

    See how to make Traeger smoked lasagna in 1 hour…

    How to make smoked meatballs on pellet grills

    Now I’ll walk you through it…

    Infographic with recipe steps for making smoked meatballs on Traeger Grills with pasta sauce

    Quick look at this smoker recipe

    1. Smoke meatballs for an hour at 225 degrees F on a rimmed baking sheet pan (with a rack on it). 
    2. Transfer meatballs to a baking dish, add pasta sauce.
    3. Finish smoking meatballs at 325 degrees F for about 45 min until done temp (160 or when it reaches 165 if you want completely done, without needing time to come up to temperature).
    4. Serve and enjoy.
    Party Platter Smoked Meatballs On The Traeger

    Detailed recipe steps

    1. Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F. 
    2. Make meatballs. Add all homemade meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use a ¼ cup (or a large spoon or an ice cream scoop) to form round 3” meatballs. Place meatballs on a rimmed sheet pan or cast iron skillet, with space between them. Smoke immediately, or set them covered in the fridge for up to a day before smoking.
    3. Smoke ‘em. Place the pan with the meatballs (on the rack) in the smoker. Smoke beef balls for an hour at 225 degrees F. Remove meatballs from the smoker and raise the temperature of the pellet grill to 325 degrees F. 
    4. Smoke pasta sauce with balls. Add half the pasta sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish. Transfer the partially smoked meatballs on top of the pasta in the baking dish. Top meatballs with the rest of the pasta sauce. 
    5. Continue smoking meatballs until done. Smoke them in pasta sauce for about 45 minutes at 325 degrees F, until they reach about 160 degrees F inside. During this time finish the dish you’re serving the meatballs with: prepare sub rolls for smoked meatball sandwiches or boil pasta, etc. 
    6. Serve when cool enough to enjoy.
    Smoked Meatballs on Pasta with smoked tomato sauce and parmesan cheese

    More smoked meatball recipes to try

    There are so many other creative recipes to try beyond smoking Italian meatballs…

    • Make them bacon wrapped.
    • Use venison / chicken / turkey or another ground meat (check individual done temps for variations).
    • Smoke them in BBQ sauce (mix in some water to reduce the thickness.
    • Make stuffed meatballs by adding in a cube of mozzarella cheese to the center of each meatball.
    • Make keto smoked meatballs with this recipe for meatballs with veggies.
    Smoked Italian Meatballs with tomato sauce on a dinner plate Traeger

    Another recipe to smoke on the Traeger at 225 degrees F is this side dish for smoked asparagus. It cooks in about an hour.

    FAQs

    How long does it take to smoke meatballs?

    This recipe takes a couple of hours in the smoker, after making the meatballs. Exactly how long to smoke meatballs will depend on the size of them, and how many times you open your Traeger, which lets heat escape.

    Do different sized meatballs cook faster / slower?

    Yes, so make sure to use a thermometer to measure the done temperature of meatballs reaches 160 degrees F (or 165 if you want them “completely done”). The size of my meatballs are usually 3-4 inches in diameter.

    What pellets do you use for smoked meatballs?

    These Traeger smoked meatballs were flavored with Traeger Hickory Pellets. It’s a strong flavor that will make the sauce very smoky as well. I’ve also had wood fired meatballs with wood chips that were Alder and Apple – a bit lighter, but still delicious. 

    How do you meal prep smoker meatballs?

    For meal prep, I’ll often make a big batch of meatballs and freeze half in a sheet pan, covered in plastic wrap. The night before I want to cook the frozen meatballs, I’ll move the pan to the fridge. They’re usually thawed by the next day when it’s time to cook them. Sometimes I’ll smoke meatballs, other times I’ll make these slow cooked beef Hawaiian meatballs in the crock pot.

    How do you serve Traeger meatballs?

    They’re great with pasta side dishes – they bring a totally different, unexpected but tasty flavor profile to the dish. So do that for dinner the first day. And if you have leftovers the next day, serve them with big, fluffy ciabatta rolls to make smoked meatball sandwiches. They’re a great game day recipe.

    Adding pasta sauce to Traeger Meatballs smoked low and slow

    More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes

    • Smoked mac and cheese
    • Smoked cream cheese
    • Smoked brisket flat
    • 321 ribs
    • Beer can chicken on the smoker
    • Smoked wings
    • Smoked tomahawk steak
    • Traeger tri tip
    • Smoked turkey breast
    • Smoked turkey legs
    • Whole smoked turkey
    • Smoked Traeger pizza
    • Smoked onion rings
    • Traeger smoked ham
    • Smoked whole chicken
    • Smoked jalapeno poppers
    • Smoked corn on the cob
    • Traeger beef ribs
    • Smoked leg of lamb
    • Smoked shrimp
    • Grilled chicken wings
    • Grilled skirt steak
    • Flank steak marinade
    • Grilled potato wedges
    • Smoked pulled pork
    • Want more? See my lineup of easy smoker recipes

    See this Traeger Flatrock grill review.

    See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.

    Meat thermometer recommendations

    Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly. 

    On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

    1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
    2. ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill. 

    It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature. 

    How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

    While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about cooking meatballs on the smoker. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what version of smoked meatballs you want to try next. 

    If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection. 

    Traeger Smoked Meatballs Recipe

    Best Traeger Smoked Meatballs Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Best smoked meatballs for beginners! Make Italian beef meatballs on the Traeger Pellet Grill with pasta sauce. | sipbitego.com
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: BBQ, Italian
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 683kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Equipment

    • Traeger Pellet Grill Ironwood 650

    Ingredients

    To make homemade meatballs (mine have veggies in them)

    • 2 lb ground beef can substitute half with 1 lb ground pork
    • 2 large eggs whisked
    • 1 medium onion red, diced small
    • 1 medium carrot diced small
    • 1 medium red pepper diced small
    • 1 tbsp garlic minced
    • 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning dried
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • 1 tsp salt

    For finishing smoked meatballs in sauce

    • 24 oz pasta sauce your choice flavor

    Serving suggestions (not included in nutrition info)

    • Sandwich rolls buns
    • Pasta
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Mozzarella cheese
    • Basil

    Instructions

    • Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
    • Make meatballs. Add all homemade meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use a ¼ cup (or a large spoon or an ice cream scoop) to form round 3” meatballs (I use my hands, usually in gloves to form them).
      Place meatballs on a rimmed sheet pan or cast iron skillet, with space between them.
      Smoke immediately, or set them covered in the fridge for up to a day before smoking.
    • Smoke meatballs. Place the pan with the meatballs (on the rack) in the smoker. Smoke meatballs for an hour at 225 degrees F.
      Remove meatballs from the smoker and raise the temperature of the pellet grill to 325 degrees F.
    • Smoke pasta sauce for meatballs. Add half the pasta sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish.
      Transfer the partially smoked meatballs on top of the pasta in the baking dish. Top meatballs with the rest of the pasta sauce.
    • Continue smoking meatballs until done. Smoke meatballs in pasta sauce for about 45 minutes at 325 degrees F, until they reach about 160 degrees F inside.
      During this time finish the dish you’re serving the meatballs with:prepare bread and accompaniments for smoked meatball sandwiches or boil pasta, etc.
    • Serve when cool enough to enjoy.

    Video

    Notes

    See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/smoked-meatballs
    Let’s make it together. Watch the full-length YouTube recipe video on how to make these smoked meatballs for spaghetti on Sip Bite Go’s YouTube channel.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 683kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 254mg | Sodium: 1588mg | Potassium: 1325mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4366IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 7mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    Primary Sidebar

    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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