Make Ahead Meatballs: Freezer Meatballs

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You can never have enough meal ideas that are ready to go, right? We love having these make-ahead meatballs in our freezer because they are fast, ready to go, and leave you with plenty of possibilities!

You can never have enough meal ideas that are ready to go, right? We love having these make-ahead meatballs in our freezer because they are fast, ready to go, and leave you with plenty of possibilities!

Make-Ahead Meatballs

Since they are already pre-cooked, you can throw them in the slow cooker with various sauces and make an easy meal, or you can simply heat up and eat! We like ours warmed up on top of pasta with a simple sauce. Here’s how I make them up and store them.

Step By Step Instructions for Making Meatballs for the Freezer

Start by mixing up your meatball mix in a large mixing bowl. Any meatball will work!

I generally do a basic meatball recipe with hamburger, garlic powder, minced onion, and salt. You can also always add breadcrumbs or oatmeal to make your meat stretch further.

Mix the seasonings into the meat well and roll to form your meatballs (or somewhat meatball-shaped balls!) Place them in any baking dish or cookie tray with high sides.

Depending on how lean your mixture is, these could cook off a lot of extra fat so there is no need to grease your pan.

Bake the meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir around the meatballs or flip them over to another side. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Let the meatballs cool completely, and then package them for the freezer.

You can either put them in individual meal serving-size bags or into one large freezer bag where you can just take out the amount you need.

Variations to the Make Ahead Meatballs

  • If you need to, you can use other kinds of ground meat to make your meatballs as well, such as ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork. All will freeze well too!
  • Use different herbs and spices to make your meatballs for different kinds of meals. Parsley is one that I use often. You could also use Italian seasoning, oregano and basil, or even chopped fresh herbs.
  • Add in some cheese for cheesy meatballs. Parmesan cheese works well but you could try mozzarella and other kinds too.
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Make Ahead Meatballs

Make meatballs in advance that you can store in the freezer for future meals.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Make Ahead Meatballs
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Creator Merissa

Ingredients

  • ground hamburger
  • garlic powder
  • minced onion
  • salt
  • breadcrumbs or oatmeal optional

Instructions

  1. Start by mixing up your meatball mix. Any meatball recipe will work! I use a basic recipe, amount varies on taste preference and amount of ground beef you are using. Optional: Add breadcrumbs or oatmeal to make your meat stretch further.
  2. Mix the seasonings into the meat well and roll to form your meatballs (or somewhat meatball shaped balls!)
  3. Place them in any baking dish or cookie tray with high sides. Depending on how lean your mixture is, these could cook off a lot of extra fat so there is no need to grease your pan.
  4. Bake the meatballs at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir around the meatballs or flip them over to another side. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
  5. Let the meatballs cool completely and then package them for the freezer.
  6. You can either put them in individual meal serving size bags or into one large freezer bag where you can just take out the amount you need.

Using Meatballs from the Freezer

Now that you have a freezer full of delicious meatballs, how will you use them? Here are some recipes to add to your upcoming meal plans.

Beef Stroganoff– Beef Stroganoff with meatballs is one of my family’s favorites! Get the recipe in my book, Little House Living: The Make Your Own Guide to a Simple, Frugal, and Self Sufficient Life

Crock Pot BBQ Meatballs – These BBQ Meatballs are great on their own with some fresh vegetables on the side or on top of your favorite butter noodles.

Spaghetti Squash and Meatball Soup This recipe is a wonderful way to use winter squash along with your meatballs to create a yummy soup that is perfect for cool winter nights!

Spaghetti – Who doesn’t love spaghetti and meatballs? Top your favorite pasta with this easy Spaghetti Sauce From Scratch and some meatballs. You could also use Homemade Marinara Sauce.

Meatball Sandwich – Make a delicious sandwich with a nice hoagie roll, meatballs, Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce, and Mozzarella cheese. Meatball subs can be quick and easy with pre-made meatballs.

Meatballs with Peppers and Pineapple – This easy and frugal skillet meal can be put together in a few minutes by using these frozen meatballs and Cook Ahead Freezer Rice.

Vegetable Beef Soup – Give your favorite Homemade Vegetable Soup a different twist by adding in these meatballs and using beef broth instead of vegetable broth.

Find even more recipes you can make ahead!

Meal Planning Made Simple

What’s your favorite recipe that uses this baked meatball recipe?

Me and Kady

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

This post on Make Ahead Meatballs was originally published on Little House Living in November 2012. It has been updated as of November 2023.

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I make meatball subs this way. Add some jarred marinara and mushrooms, plus some mozzarella on top, and serve it on a toasted roll with chips or potato wedges and a milkshake for maximum fun food! Very easy to do at home, though I generally do the wedges when I am off work because they have to be soaked and baked.

    I also added the meatballs to cheesy rice when I was low on ideas and it worked really well.