88 meatballs. That’s a lot of meatballs to stash away in the freezer.
It boggles my mind, but somehow we have managed to eat all 88 meatballs and we didn’t even have company to help. Did I mention it only took us 3 weeks to polish them off? Yikes!
I used them for spaghetti/tortellini meals twice. And I had two recipes to try out that used meatballs. One of them didn’t turn out quite the way I’d hoped the first time, so I tried it again. My kids have revolted now. I don’t think I can feed them another meatball dish for a while.
But, I still think it’s a great idea to have homemade meatballs in the freezer. They taste much better than the store-bought kind and they are better for you too. You can use them for spaghetti, of course. But they’re also good in Sweet and Sour Meatballs over Rice and Meatball Subs.
Back to today’s recipe: Somehow I failed to take a picture of the finished meatballs. The ingredient photo is at the top of the post.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 1/2 lbs. ground beef (I used extra lean)
- 4 cups Panko or bread crumbs
- 5 eggs
- 2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small onion, diced
- salt and pepper
I deliberately kept the seasonings simple so they could be used in a variety of dishes. If you like, add garlic, oregano, basil, parsley or other seasonings.
Mix all the ingredient together. I did two batches in the stand mixer. Roll into balls.
I froze some of the meatballs raw, because they were going to be used in a baked dish and I think using cooked meatballs would turn out too dry. To freeze raw meatballs, place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze. Then transfer them to a freezer zip top bag.
For the rest of the meatballs, bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool and freeze.
Stay tuned later in the week for two recipes to use all these meatballs.
Meatballs have to be one of my favorite foods for the freezer! If I couldn’t grab a bag from the freezer, we would probably never have meatballs on weekdays. I’m looking forward to seeing your recipes.
This made me laugh. My husband is the meatball-maker in our house and we always think he has made a HUGE batch that will last us quite a while…but they disappear SO fast around here too! Thanks for sharing this recipe and I am looking forward to seeing the other recipes using the meatballs.
Jenn
These sound PERFECT! They are right up our alley 😀
Can you use ground turkey?
Yes, I think you could substitute ground turkey with no problem.
I love meatballs… seriously am currently addicted to them.
What did you use to store them in?
LeAnn, I froze the meatballs in a ziploc bag.
Hi! How long do I have to bake the frozen meatballs? Do I need to thaw them first or bake them right away? Thanks.
You can bake them from frozen. If they’re raw when you freeze them and you start baking from frozen it should take about 40-45 minutes for them to bake through at 350 degrees.
Finally, a website that answered my question. Thank you.
Yes! I know what you mean! LOL
Such an informative article. What should i use to replace Worcestershire sauce when i run out of it? How long will these raw meatballs last in the freezer?
They should last 3-6 months at least. AFter that they’ll be safe to eat, but may lose quality. You can skip worcestershire sauce if you want.