Make Ahead Meatballs

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Make Ahead Meatballs
Make Ahead Meatballs

Best Make-Ahead Meatballs (Perfect for Freezer Meals & Easy Dinners)

If you love quick and easy dinners, these Make-Ahead Meatballs are a total game-changer! They’re juicy, flavorful, and perfect to keep in your freezer for busy nights, parties, or last-minute guests.

These homemade meatballs bake up beautifully and freeze without sticking together—no more giant frozen meatball clumps! Just pull out a bag, reheat, and use them in your favorite recipes like spaghetti, subs, Swedish meatballs, or casseroles.

This recipe makes about 80 meatballs, so you’ll always have a hearty meal ready to go.

Make-Ahead Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs. ground beef

  • 2 cups dry bread crumbs

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 cup chopped onion

  • 4 eggs

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  1. Prepare the Meatballs:
    Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, onion, eggs, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Mix until just combined—don’t overmix or they’ll get tough.

  2. Shape and Bake:
    Shape into about 80 meatballs, 1 ½ inches each. Arrange on baking pans in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.

  3. Cool and Freeze:
    Let the meatballs cool slightly. Transfer them to clean pans lined with foil, wax paper, or parchment paper. This keeps them from sticking as they freeze.

  4. Store for Later:
    Freeze meatballs for at least 2 hours, then divide them into four 1-pound freezer bags (about 20 meatballs per bag). Return to freezer for up to 3 months.

Makes: About 80 meatballs (4 pounds total)
Storage Tip: Label each bag with the date and portion size for easy meal prep later.

Ways to Use Make-Ahead Meatballs

These freezer-friendly meatballs are your secret weapon for stress-free dinners and entertaining.




Mix all ingredients
Shape into balls
Bake
Freeze
Bag and done!



This recipe was adapted from my favorite cookbook Betty Crocker's New Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook (8th Ed.)


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