Freezer Meatballs
Make a double batch of these Freezer Friendly Beef Meatballs - you'll thank yourself later! These flavorful and tender freezer meatballs are so versatile and can be used in pasta, casseroles, soups, and subs. They are the answer to the never ending question of "what's for dinner?!"
Every year, usually in the fall, my sister-in-law and I do a freezer meal day, where we make a bunch of freezer meals for the fall and winter. It's super fun and always so nice to have a bunch of freezer meals to make throughout the next few months! Every year we make my Meatball Tortellini Soup, and since our kids love meatballs so much, I decided to make a big batch of Freezer Meatballs this year, too!
I've made quite a few homemade meatball recipes, and this recipe definitely takes home first place! The finely chopped onion adds adds a ton of flavor and keeps the meatballs tender, along with the egg, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese!
Ingredients in Homemade Freezer Meatballs
- Ground Beef - you can really use whatever fat ratio you prefer/have access to. I usually use lean ground beef. You could also substitute ground turkey in this recipe. For ground turkey, I would recommend 93/7.
- Parmesan Cheese - grated works best
- White Onion - I use a food processor to finely chop the onion for these meatballs
- Breadcrumbs - breadcrumbs are a filler and a binder in these homemade freezer meatballs.
- Dried Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
- Large Eggs - eggs help bind the meatballs together.
How to Make Beef Meatballs
These meatballs are super easy to throw together. For the full recipe, be sure to look at the recipe card!
Prepare. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine. In a large mixing bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients. I ALWAYS make a double batch of these because I figure if I'm going to go through the effort of making them, I might as well make a bunch and freeze the leftover!
Mix. Next, using a wooden spatula or your hands, mix the ingredients well. I like to use my hands because I can incorporate the ingredients better. Then, using a cookie scoop or a scoop, form the meatball mixture into 2-3 tablespoon sized balls. Place the raw meatballs on the prepared sheet pan.
Bake. Bake them in the oven to 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and no longer pink.
Use or Freeze. You can either use these immediately in pasta, a sub, casseroles, or a soup, or freeze them.
Freezer Instructions. To freeze, let the baked meatballs cool for about 20 minutes. Then place them in the freezer directly on a baking sheet in a single layer. I like to put them on a clean baking sheet so the juices that have come out of the meatballs don't freeze onto them.
Once they have been flash frozen for about 1-2 hours, you can place them in a freezer-safe container such as Ziplock bag or any similar freezer bags. This flash freeze prevents the meatballs from sticking together.
Reheat. To reheat, either microwave them on high for 2 minutes, or you can reheat them in a sauce on the stovetop over medium heat, or in the oven. For the oven, I like to put them on a lined baking sheet, cover them in boil, and bake them at 300 for 25-30minutes. These easy freezer meatballs are also great for the slow cooker! You can combine them with marinara sauce in a crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. You can really use them however you'd use store-bought meatballs!
Homemade Freezer Meatball Tips
Swap the meat. You can use ground turkey or ground pork in place of the ground beef in this recipe, if you'd like. You could even do half pork and half beef, or any combination of the ground meat.
Make these gluten free. To make these homemade meatballs gluten free, simply swap the bread crumbs for gluten free oat flour or almond flour.
Add Italian seasoning. To make these into Italian meatballs, add 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning, along with the other herbs, to the meat mixture.
Add some spice. If your family likes this with a little heat, add ¼-1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
These freezer meatballs make dinner time such a breeze! We use these up within a month of making a double batch - that's how much we love them! This is a great freezer meal for busy weeknights and definitely my family's favorite meatballs! There are so many different ways that they can be used and they're a great alternative to store-bought meatballs.
Recipes to Use Beef Meatballs In:
Beef Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 large onion finely chopped - I like to do this in the food processor!
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add all of the meatball ingredients and mix well using a wooden spatula or your hands.
- Line 2 baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.
- Form the meatball mixture into 2-3 tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until no loner pink inside.
- Use immediately in spaghetti sauce, meatballs subs, etc. or freeze.
To freeze:
- Cool the meatballs on the baking sheets for about 15-20 minutes.
- Place the baking sheets in the freezer (or transfer the meatballs to a smaller baking dish or plate if the baking sheet doesn't fit in your freezer - just make sure they are not piled on each other). Freeze for 2 hours.
- Transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer Ziploc container and store in the freezer until ready to use!
To Thaw:
- Place in refrigerator overnight to thaw and use in pasta, subs, etc. OR microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
