Freezer Friendly Oven Baked Meatballs - No Getting Off This Train

Jaime Bacon
by Jaime Bacon
12 meatballs
20 min

These freezer meatballs are an easy dinner option! Simple to make, oven-baked, and a great frugal recipe to double and freeze for later!

Looking for an easy way to fill your freezer this year?


These freezer friendly meatballs are super easy to make, and the basic recipe means you can use them for just about anything! Add them to spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, or even turn them into Swedish meatballs.


In theory, you could have meatballs for dinner a couple times a week and not get bored.


Can you cook these meatballs before freezing?


Yes! In fact, I recommend you cook them first just to make things easier.


When you have meatballs that are already cooked, you’ll save time and effort by just getting them out of the freezer and adding whatever sauce you feel like using that day.


This simple recipe also means you can double the amount and freeze half with no extra effort! Just bake them like usual and put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then lay the sheet in the freezer.


Once they’re frozen, place them in a labeled freezer bag and just take them out to thaw the night before you want to use them!

How do you get all of the meatballs the same size?


A food scale is my best friend! I didn’t actually start using it until AFTER I lost my baby weight, but now I use it religiously for everything. Peanut butter, yogurt, fruit… you’d be amazed at how inaccurate we can be at measuring quantities ourselves.


All I do is place a bowl on the scale and add all the meatball ingredients, and see how much it weighs in grams. I then divide that number by 12, the number of meatballs this makes, and that will tell me how big each meatball needs to be!


I put each meatball I make on a plate to make sure it’s accurate by a few grams, and they turn out perfect.


Alternatively, you can use a cookie scoop to make sure they’re about the same size.


How to Make Freezer Meatballs

Start by mixing the ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, and seasoning in a large bowl.

Next, roll the mixture into equal-sized meatballs. If you want smaller meatballs, use a cookie scoop. You’ll get more than 12 this way, but I think I like this method better.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until the inner temperature reaches at least 165 degrees.

How can you use these meatballs?


These meatballs are extremely versatile. You can put any kind of sauce on top or serve them with different foods:


  • Spaghetti and meatballs (Try my freezer-friendly Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce!)
  • Swedish meatballs
  • BBQ meatballs
  • Meatball subs
  • Served with rice or mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables


This is my ultimate go-to recipe for freezer meatballs. Try them and let me know what you think!


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Freezer Friendly Oven Baked Meatballs - No Getting Off This Train
Recipe details
  • 12  meatballs
  • Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 20 min
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, italian seasoning, egg, and salt and pepper.
Roll the mixture into 12 meatballs and place on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked.
To freeze, place the cooked meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and put in the freezer. Once fully frozen, place them in a labeled freezer bag.
Jaime Bacon
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Comments
  • Amanda Connelly Amanda Connelly on Aug 03, 2021

    Great idea!

  • Love your recipe and your suggestions are wonderful! I have a similar recipe and when time permits, I batch cook and freeze. Still cook for my bubble group although not every day. If preparing bite size with a cookie scoop, toss in a crock pot with your favorite BBQ sauce or any that your group likes and now you have a hot appetizer for almost any occasion. Perfect for happy hour!

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