These versatile freezer-friendly meatballs can be used with any sauce or dip once defrosted. Their mild flavour will work with whatever cuisine you are in the mood for.
Frozen meatballs make for excellent meal prep. You can cook a double batch, freeze half for another time and refrigerate the other half to use later in the week.Â
Since they are a bit messy to make, it’s always nice when you have a versatile recipe, like these all-purpose meatballs, that you can batch-make, freeze and use for multiple meals when needed.Â
These meatballs are flavourful enough on their own to be a great addition to a salad or bowl. Yet mild enough to work well with many different sauces. See the serving section for some ideas.Â
Preparing Frozen Meatballs
IngredientsÂ
Lean Ground Beef: Ground beef can come from many parts of the cow so if you have a preference make sure to read the label. It is usually made from the trimmings of other, larger cuts of beef and is then ground.
Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour when eaten raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Parsley: Parsley is a dark green herb that is used as a garnish or as a flavouring. The two varieties that are most common are flat-leaf and curly parsley. They are very similar in flavour however their leaves and texture are different. 
As the names suggest, flat-leaf parsley has flat leaves that are very similar to cilantro, whereas curly parsley has rougher and curly-looking leaves. Both are very rich in vitamins C and K and antioxidants, among other nutrients.
Bread crumbs: Bread crumbs are simply ground-up dried bread. I actually make my own. I save the ends of bread loaves and let them dry out. Then I throw them in the blender and voila, bread crumbs.
Egg: Eggs are laid by many different animals but chicken eggs are what we use in this recipe. Eggs provide protein, fat and many other nutrients and therefore are a healthy part of our diet. Here they are used as a binder.
Milk: I use full-fat (3.25%) or partly skimmed (2%) cow’s milk for this recipe. The milk adds moisture to the meatballs making them more tender and juicy.Â
Worcestershire Sauce: This sauce is a complex mix of flavours that turn into a deep pungent and deep condiment. It’s made up of ingredients that include soy, anchovy, malt vinegar, chilies, and tamarind, among others.
How to Prepare Fully Fully Cooked Frozen Meatballs
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Â
Then, put all ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Using the paddle attachment, mix all ingredients at medium speed just until fully combined. Do not over mix as this will make
your meatballs too dense.Â
If you are not using a stand mixer, put all ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and using clean hands mix all ingredients until well combined. Â
Baking the Meatballs
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
It’s time to make the meatballs into meatballs. Roll the meat mixture into golf ball-sized balls. I use a tablespoon measuring spoon as a scoop without levelling it off – approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of meat mixture per meatball.
Using a tablespoon measuring spoon ensures that the meatballs are all relatively even in size and will therefore cook evenly.  Roll them in your hand to shape the balls.Â
Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.Â
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the temperature in the center reaches 160°F. The timing will vary depending on the size of each meatball.Â
Cool the meatballs on the cookie sheet. Once cooled, place a cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour. After an hour, transfer the meatballs to a Ziploc or reusable silicone bag.Â
To defrost the meatballs, simply place them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, depending on how many you are defrosting. Alternatively, you can heat them in whatever sauce or gravy you are cooking to go with them.Â
Frying the Meatballs
You can also fry the meatballs instead of baking them. This will be the fattier option since we will be using oil but this is definitely the way to go if you plan to serve these meatballs fresh with a sauce.Â
The drippings will make the base for whatever sauce you’re making.Â
Add 3-4 tablespoons of oil to a large pan and heat on medium-high heat.Â
Before adding the meatballs to the pan, you can coat them in flour. This will help create a better outer seal and will help to thicken your sauce if that’s required.Â
Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs to the pan without crowding. You will likely need to do multiple batches. To cook the meatballs all the way through, cook them for about 7 minutes per side.Â
If you will be cooking the meatballs in a sauce later, fry them for 3-4 minutes per side to seal in the juices then add back to the sauce to simmer for at least another 20 minutes.
The internal temperature of the meatballs should be at least 165°F as measured by an instant-read meat thermometer.Â
If freezing, set aside a cool fully. Once cooled, place the meatballs on a cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour. After an hour, transfer the meatballs to a Ziploc or reusable silicone bag for long-term storage. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.Â
Substitutions
Ground Pork: I used a mixture of beef, pork and veal in the video. You can use any ground meat that you like.Â
Breadcrumbs: Instead of breadcrumbs, you can use panko or cornflake crumbs. To make this recipe gluten-free, you can use gluten-free quick oats instead. Some cornflakes are gluten-free as well so check the labels.Â
Serving All-Purpose Freezer-Friendly Meatballs
These meatballs are very versatile so any sauce or dip will pair very well with them. Here are some of my sauces to pair these with, including the dish you might use them in.Â
Teriyaki Bowl – rice, meatballs, teriyaki sauce, and sauteed baby bok choy.Â
Meatballs with Gravy and mashed potatoes – you can use store-bought gravy to top the meatballs with mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli.Â
Meatballs with Mushroom sauce and quinoa – meatballs and quinoa topped with mushroom sauce with a side salad.Â
Meatball sub – meatballs on a sub or panini bun, topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.Â
Spaghetti and meatballs – meatballs in tomato pasta sauce on top of spaghetti.
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.Â
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Frozen Meatballs Recipe
Equipment
- Freezer safe container
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground pork (see substitutions)
- 1 egg
- â…› cup milk
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup onion (approx. 1 small onion)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Put all ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix all ingredients at medium speed just until fully combined. Do not over mix as this will make your meatballs more dense.1 lbs ground pork, 1 egg, 1/8 cup milk, ¼ cup bread crumbs, ½ cup onion, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roll the meat mixture into golf ball-sized balls. I use a tablespoon measuring spoon as a scoop without leveling it off – approximately 1 ½ tablespoon of meat mixture per meatball. Roll them in your hand to shape the balls.
- Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the temperature in the center reaches 160°F. The timing will vary depending on the size of each meatball. It’s important to make them all even to ensure they are all cooked to the right temperature.
- Cool the meatballs on the cookie sheet. Once cooled, place a cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour. After an hour, transfer meatballs to a Ziploc or reusable silicone bag.
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