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Baked beef meatballs made with sparkling water for a soft, juicy texture. One sheet pan, 25 minutes in the oven, and they freeze well.
School started, the days got full, and dinner needed to get simple again. These baked beef meatballs are my answer. One bowl, one sheet pan, 24 meatballs, no frying.
Dinner tonight, lunches tomorrow, and a bag in the freezer for the night I don’t feel like cooking.
In Bulgaria we call them kyufteta, the oval meatballs you’ll find on every table here (in Turkey, it’s köfte).
My version has one secret ingredient: sparkling water.
Half a cup of it, plus a pinch of baking soda and baking powder, and the meatballs come out soft and juicy with a light texture, instead of dense little rocks.
I grate the onion too, so it melts right into the meat and nobody picks out onion pieces.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It’s a big batch of real-food protein with basically zero effort:
about 24 grams per serving, no powders, no frying, and only a baking sheet to wash.
These baked beef meatballs reheat without drying out and freeze well.
The whole batch costs me about $10, which works out to roughly $1.75 per serving of four meatballs, and they taste like actual food.
How to Make Baked Beef Meatballs
Mix, knead, chill, shape, bake. That’s it.
- Add the ground beef, grated onion, egg, breadcrumbs, sparkling water, baking soda, baking powder and spices to a big bowl.
- Knead with your hands for 4–5 minutes, until the mixture looks sticky and smooth. Don’t rush this part. Kneading is what keeps the meatballs from crumbling.
- Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Good time to empty the dishwasher or sit down with a coffee.
- With wet hands, roll into round meatballs or slightly long kufteta, about 1½ inches (4 cm).
- Line them up on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a little space between them.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20–25 minutes, depending on size, until cooked through (160°F / 71°C in the center).
- Want them golden like they came off a grill? Broil for 2–3 minutes at the end and keep an eye on them.
Tips
- Open a fresh bottle of sparkling water. The bubbles make the meatballs light. Flat water just makes them wet.
- Stick to ¼ teaspoon baking soda. More gives a soapy, metallic taste. A little goes a long way.
- Grate, don’t chop, the onion. The juice spreads through the meat and there are no chunks to make the meatballs fall apart.
- Keep a bowl of water next to you. The mixture is soft and sticky. Wet hands give you smooth meatballs in half the time.
- Don’t skip the broil. Baked meatballs come out pale. Two or three minutes under the broiler makes them look grilled.
- Chubritsa (summer savory) is the Bulgarian touch. No chubritsa? Dried thyme is the closest swap.
Serving Ideas + More Recipes
The Bulgarian way is kyufteta with a fresh tomato-cucumber salad and potatoes. The salad cuts through the cumin and smoked paprika.
At home I keep it easy with Potatoes and Onions, The Best Cucumber Salad, and a spoon of Lutenitsa. For meal prep boxes: 4 meatballs, rice or roasted veggies, and a scoop of yogurt.
If your family likes a crispy outside, my Bulgarian Beef Meatballs are the pan-fried version. On a cold night, Supa Topcheta (Bulgarian Meatball Soup) turns mini meatballs into a creamy soup.
And if you want your meatballs with sauce, Meatloaf Meatballs with Creamy Sauce is the one.
Juicy Baked Beef Meatballs (Bulgarian Kufteta)
Ingredients
- 750 g 1⅔ lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely grated
- 1 large egg
- 70 g ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 125 ml ½ cup sparkling water
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried summer savory, chubritsa
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl.
- Knead by hand for 4–5 minutes until fully combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Shape into round meatballs or slightly elongated kufteta.
- Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20–25 minutes until cooked through (160°F / 71°C inside).
- Broil 2–3 minutes for extra color, if desired.
Notes
- Freeze baked meatballs up to 3 months.
- Reheat from frozen at 350°F for 12–15 minutes.
- No chubritsa: use dried thyme.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
Why do you put sparkling water in meatballs? The bubbles, plus a little baking soda and baking powder, create tiny air pockets while the meatballs bake, so they stay soft and light. Open a fresh bottle.
Flat sparkling water acts like tap water, and the meatballs turn out firmer.
How do I keep baked meatballs from drying out? Pull them out as soon as the center hits 160°F.
That’s usually 20 minutes for small meatballs and 25 for bigger kufteta at 350°F. Keep the broil short, because that’s when they dry out fastest.
Can I use a different meat? Yes. Half beef, half pork is the classic Bulgarian mix and even juicier.
Lean ground turkey or 95% lean beef makes drier meatballs, so definitely keep the sparkling water in.
How do I store and reheat them for meal prep? Keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat covered in the microwave with a splash of water so they steam and stay soft, or bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
To freeze, spread them on the tray first, then move them to a bag so they don’t freeze into one big clump.
