premade, frozen meatballs?

[shortbun]

I know, sacrilege, lol! Anywho, my DS wants 'meatballs' for subs and pasta. I do not make meatballs and I don't want to spend days trying to perfect my recipe and technique if there are some out there that are worth buying. Weigh in. To all you Italians who make them every Sunday and have been doing it since you were little kids-bravo! but I'm challenged.

Oh, and what sauce do you buy?? (don't throw things at me, please!)
I've gotten along all these years by doctoring sauce with sauteed onions and garlic, a cup of good wine and a good long cook.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Premade frozen meatballs are yucky imo. They're only ok for making sweet and sour meatballs, after they've been sitting in grape jelly for 6 hours in my crock pot.

Meatballs have got to be darn near the easiest thing to make. I buy a 6lb pack of ground beef at BJs. I throw it in a giant bowl with a few eggs, garlic, parm cheese, salt, pepper and seasoned bread crumbs. Mix with my hands. I drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet. I scoop the meat into balls using a medium sized cookie scoop (like a small ice cream scoop). Packing down with one hand after scooping then releasing onto the baking sheet. When they're all scooped I roll each one briefly in my hands and then back onto the baking sheet. 6lbs will about fill one sheet. Then I drizzle olive oil on the top and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, depends on the size. I allow them to cool and then freeze flat in plastic baggies so the bags will stack. I then have meatballs for spaghetti dinners, grinders, etc. for weeks and weeks. SO worth it!

Really, you CAN do it! (Or if your kid is over 10, HE can do it!)

 

[Princess Nancy]

Okay, I won't tell you to make meatballs, cause I am right there with you.

We eat Market Day Meatballs. they are the best.
You can buy them from a local school (the school earns a profit) by searching
Marketday.com

My son has been know to put a little BBQ sauce on them, nuke em and eat em, no spaghetti! lol!

 

[shortbun]

Premade frozen meatballs are yucky imo. They're only ok for making sweet and sour meatballs, after they've been sitting in grape jelly for 6 hours in my crock pot.

Meatballs have got to be darn near the easiest thing to make. I buy a 6lb pack of ground beef at BJs. I throw it in a giant bowl with a few eggs, garlic, parm cheese, salt, pepper and seasoned bread crumbs. Mix with my hands. I drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet. I scoop the meat into balls using a medium sized cookie scoop (like a small ice cream scoop). Packing down with one hand after scooping then releasing onto the baking sheet. When they're all scooped I roll each one briefly in my hands and then back onto the baking sheet. 6lbs will about fill one sheet. Then I drizzle olive oil on the top and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, depends on the size. I allow them to cool and then freeze flat in plastic baggies so the bags will stack. I then have meatballs for spaghetti dinners, grinders, etc. for weeks and weeks. SO worth it!

Really, you CAN do it! (Or if your kid is over 10, HE can do it!)

Will you come over and do it? That seriously sounds like a big mess. 6 pounds of burger? I make a meatloaf with a pound and a half. That's about all I can handle. I don't have a releasing cookie scoop. Do you use parchment paper? 6 pounds of meatballs fits on only one cookie sheet? The people I know who make meatballs brown them before they bake them. You don't?

I'm still holding out for premade. I've considered buying them from the Italian restaurant in the neighborhood each time I need them. They sell meatballs in sauce.

 

[Sandy61]

I can't eat the frozen meatballs but my DH and DS12 and DS21 eat whatever ones I buy. They all seem the same to me. I used to make meatballs at the same time I made a meatloaf because it was almost the same recipe and I had the big bowl and all the ingredients out. Just don't have time anymore except for the 2 lb meatloaf.

Ragu is the sauce we all like. We don't need to add anything to it. We also have used Prego and like it. We don't like the store brands or anything cheaper because it is too sour.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Will you come over and do it? That seriously sounds like a big mess. 6 pounds of burger? I make a meatloaf with a pound and a half. That's about all I can handle. I don't have a releasing cookie scoop. Do you use parchment paper? 6 pounds of meatballs fits on only one cookie sheet? The people I know who make meatballs brown them before they bake them. You don't?

I'm still holding out for premade. I've considered buying them from the Italian restaurant in the neighborhood each time I need them. They sell meatballs in sauce.

LOL...if you're anywhere in the vicinity of CT, sure, I'll come show ya! I swear to you it's not a big mess. I'm a busy working outside the home full time mom with a teen and a kid entering 1st grade who owns/operates a small business in addition to working FT. Trust me, if it was time consuming or messy I wouldn't do it!

It takes 30 minutes from getting the ingredients out to putting the pan in the oven. There are only 2 dishes to wash (the big bowl and the baking sheet) plus washing hands well. A releasing scoop is cheap at Walmart. And I don't use parchment, no need for it. The olive oil keeps them from sticking. And they brown just fine in the oven (I don't even turn them!). I'm not Italian, but my friend who taught me to make them is, and even SHE puts hers in the oven and has been doing this for years.

 

[gracie1]

Premade frozen meatballs are yucky imo. They're only ok for making sweet and sour meatballs, after they've been sitting in grape jelly for 6 hours in my crock pot.

Meatballs have got to be darn near the easiest thing to make. I buy a 6lb pack of ground beef at BJs. I throw it in a giant bowl with a few eggs, garlic, parm cheese, salt, pepper and seasoned bread crumbs. Mix with my hands. I drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet. I scoop the meat into balls using a medium sized cookie scoop (like a small ice cream scoop). Packing down with one hand after scooping then releasing onto the baking sheet. When they're all scooped I roll each one briefly in my hands and then back onto the baking sheet. 6lbs will about fill one sheet. Then I drizzle olive oil on the top and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, depends on the size. I allow them to cool and then freeze flat in plastic baggies so the bags will stack. I then have meatballs for spaghetti dinners, grinders, etc. for weeks and weeks. SO worth it!

Really, you CAN do it! (Or if your kid is over 10, HE can do it!)

I like this! Can you tell me how much parmesan cheese you use? Do you use the grated fresh??

 

[DebMcDonald]

I use Cooked Perfect Italian Style meatballs, they are in a red and green bag. I've also bought them at BJ's in a brown bag, can't remember the name, but they are very good too.

Just this year I have started to make my own sauce (gravy for my Boston co-workers) and meatballs. I was hearing everyone talk about how easy it is and it's really not bad. I use the kitchenboss recipe, minus the extra bread when I'm feeling adventurous on a Sunday, I will add and this will sound silly that I never thought of making them ahead of time and freezing them.

 

[ilovemk76]

I have never had a decent frozen meatball.

Making meatballs is really easy and you can freeze your own for later use.

 

[shortbun]

I like this! Can you tell me how much parmesan cheese you use? Do you use the grated fresh??

Yeah, we might as well get the whole recipe. Guess I'll have to try it this weekend. Do you press or chop your garlic?

I am going to get the Marketday meatballs as soon as school starts though. After I make a batch of my own, I can decide it it's worth it by trying both.

I like the idea of making them when I'm making a meatloaf. I add tomato paste to my mealtloaf and no parmesan. I'm going looking for Buddy Valastro's recipe as well.

 

[rusty4]

Yeah, we might as well get the whole recipe. Guess I'll have to try it this weekend. Do you press or chop your garlic?

I am going to get the Marketday meatballs as soon as school starts though. After I make a batch of my own, I can decide it it's worth it by trying both.

I like the idea of making them when I'm making a meatloaf. I add tomato paste to my mealtloaf and no parmesan. I'm going looking for Buddy Valastro's recipe as well.

I always make meatballs and mealoaf at the same time. No need to get my fingers all dirty more than once. I freeze the meatloaf uncooked for later use. The meatballs I just use the oven no browning first. I add a chopped fine green pepper to the meatballs.

 

[Bren's Mom]

I'm still at the office but will be happy to post the exact recipe later this evening!

 

[luvestodizz]

You can make them with a lb of chopped meat too. Just add an egg, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt, pepper and grated cheese- we use Romano i. Instead of bread crumbs I soak a couple of slices of white bread in water and add that to the mixture. I leave the bread out a while so it gets a little hard beforehand. Mix and roll the meatballs. I fry them in a little olive oil. Yummy with or without sauce!

 

[punkin]

It really is easy to make meatballs, so I have never bought frozen. Now, about the sauce....The best jarred sauce IMO is Barilla. For meatballs I would get plain marinara.

 

[chimo2u]

I dont know if you have M&M meats in the States or not??? but their turkey meatballs are delicious!!! The only pre-made ones I like to eat....other than theirs, I'll make my own Hope you find some you like!

 

[willowsnn3]

I've used frozen meatballs for the sweet/sour crockpot thingys. I don't cook much anymore but I used to just use my meat loaf recipe to make larger than normal meatballs & just tossed them into the crock pot. Then after they were done I would drain all the grease off & toss in a can or two of tomato sauce or maybe a good spaghetti sauce & let them simmer in the crockpot for awhile. This is good for meatball sandwiches. Sometimes I toss in some strips of green bell pepper & onion with the sauce.

 

[shortbun]

I knew this was a dangerous post. I knew I'd end up thinking I could do this. You guys better not be setting me up to fail!!! Do the meatballs taste better if you find a nice dry red to drink while you're making them? I've added more garlic and romano pecorino to my grocery list. I'll be baking mine and then saucing them.

How's this idea? I actually saw Rachel Ray tell people to combine sauces from a jar if they didn't have time to make their own. She said the same thing works for canned gravy and she was right. I buy 3 brands jar or canned turkey gravy, mix them and voila...Thanksgiving gravy, delicious!!
Ha ha, hijacking my own thread!

 

[TinkPirateMom]

Ok, I am half Italian and although I do know how to make my own meatballs and gravy and do it often, I confess that for my kids' birthday parties I buy frozen meatballs and canned (not even jarred) sauce, it's terrible I know! Well except for the fact that they're really good. I have tried different brands of frozen meatballs and let's just say they have all caused some stomach issues or they have not tasted all that great. However, I have found the frozen meatballs at Sam's Club to be delicious and cause no gastro-intestinal distress.

They are Casa DiBertacchi brand Authentic Italian Style Beef Meatballs which come frozen and are fully cooked. I buy the 1 oz. dinner size rather than the smaller ones. It is a 6 lb. resealable bag which contains almost 100 meatballs.

I throw them in a crockpot with Don Pepino Spaghetti Sauce (despite being canned sauce it is actually all natural ingredients no preservatives) and voila! I use this sauce because it has a nice thick consistency. Other jar sauces become watery in the crockpot.

http://donpepino.com/

http://www.casameatballs.com/



http://www.sclafani.com/don-pepino-spaghetti-sauce.asp

 

[akcire]

I like the Jenni-O Italian Turkey Meatballs. I only buy them when they are BOGO at Jewel.

I drop them in a little sauce and put them in a pan and they simmer while I make the pasta.

Total cooking time-15 minutes

Personally I find meatballs made from beef to be too greasy.

 

[kidshop]

I like the Jenni-O Italian Turkey Meatballs. I only buy them when they are BOGO at Jewel.

I drop them in a little sauce and put them in a pan and they simmer while I make the pasta.

Total cooking time-15 minutes

Personally I find meatballs made from beef to be too greasy.

I only like frozen turkey meatballs. The ones I buy are Butterball seasoned Italian Style and they are very good and cheap. I get a 2# bag for $3.99 at the commissary!