Make ahead meatballs are easy to make, freezable, and great to have on hand. A simple shortcut for quick and hearty weeknight dinners!
It is probably safe to say that our family uses meatballs pretty often. They make great additions to spaghetti, super easy appetizers, even great sandwiches and subs!
You can buy frozen premade meatballs at pretty much any grocery store. While super convenient, they can be a little pricey. Making them yourself is an easy (and much more affordable) alternative.
Keep them in the freezer and you’ll have them on hand whenever you need them!
Why Make Meatballs in your own Kitchen ?
There are advantages to making your own meatballs. Here’s some of our favorite reasons why we make our own:
- Making meatballs is super easy to do.
- There are no preservatives.
- You can cater to a flavor profile by changing up the spices.
- You remain in full control of the amount of salt and spice that goes in!
- You can also make them whatever size you want (we like 1 inch meatballs).
- You can double or even triple the recipe depending on what you need.
What You’ll need to make these Meatballs
- Ground Beef – We typically use 85/15 ground beef when we make these. This way they aren’t too greasy. You can substitute a ground beef/ground pork blend or even ground turkey!
- Panko Breadcrumbs – We prefer Panko because it is crispier than regular breadcrumbs but regular breadcrumbs can be used interchangeably.
- Minced Onion Flakes – Minced onion flakes are dry and this is helpful when making meatballs that will be frozen and thawed as they will remain perfectly formed. 1/4 cup of fresh onion, finely diced, may be substituted.
- Pantry Spices – Garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
- Variations:
- To create Italian meatballs, mix in 2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning.
- For Asian inspired meatballs, leave out the garlic and Worcestershire and instead swap for equal amounts of ground ginger and soy sauce.
The best way to Cook Meatballs from frozen
Make Ahead Meatballs are frozen raw. After freezing, they can be stored for 3-4 months. Here’s how we cook them when we are ready to use them:
- If you want to cook them in a slow cooker with sauce, like we do in the recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs, you can use them right from frozen by putting them in a single layer on the bottom of a slow cooker and covering them with sauce. The heat from the bottom of the slow cooker being in direct contact with the meatballs will help them to cook evenly, and 2-6 hours in the slow cooker ensures that they are cooked completely through.
- You can thaw the meatballs out first in the refrigerator and then place on a baking sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or you can fry them in a frying pan in some oil over medium heat until browned on all sides and cooked through.
- To cook without thawing, the easiest way is to place them on a baking sheet and cook for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees F, making sure that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F before serving.
How to Make Easy Make Ahead Meatballs
Transforming regular ground beef into meatballs is an easy way to speed up any dinner routine and opens up a world of possibilities.
Less expensive than buying the premade kind, this easy kitchen hack is in regular rotation in our house!
One pound of ground beef will make between 20 and 24 (1 inch) meatballs.
In a medium sized bowl place ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion flakes, garlic powder, milk, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Portion the meat into 1 inch balls and place onto the baking sheet. Using parchment paper on the baking sheet will keep them from sticking.
Note: To portion the meatballs I use a 1 inch cookie scoop. This keeps all of the meatballs the same size.
Once the sheet is full, move it to the freezer and freeze the meatballs for at least 6 hours. Freezing the meatballs using this method helps to keep them from sticking to each other.
Once frozen, transfer to a large zip top bag and store in the freezer until needed. Store for up to 4 months in the freezer. Enjoy!
Other Favorite Ground Beef Recipes You May like
Creamy Orzo with Meatballs and Peas – Meatballs, peas and orzo pasta in a creamy cheesy sauce – a great weeknight meal!
Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs – Low maintenance slow cooker meal that can be served over rice or noodles or even as an appetizer!
Easy Crockpot Taco Chili – One of this family’s favorite dump, stir and walk away meals!
Big Mac Salad Bowl – All the deliciousness of a Big Mac in a Keto friendly dinner salad.
Simple Weeknight Meatloaf – Simple easy to make hearty and satisfying comfort food!
Make Ahead Meatballs
Ingredients
Method
- Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until completely combined.
- Form into individual meatballs, each about 1 inch across.
- Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving room between, place into freezer and freeze until solid.
- Remove to a Ziploc or other freezer safe bag or container until ready to use. Will last in the freezer 3-4 months. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Leave a Reply