premade, frozen meatballs?

[*Seanaci*]

We buy our frozen meatballs at Costco & love them!

This. HUGE bag. And we separate it out so we have two or three dinners worth.

I will also buy a smaller bag from Target...Mama Rosas...I think is what they are...for meatball sandwichs.

As far as sauce goes...we use Blue Parrot. It's actually a local restaurants sauce. So it May not be something you can find in your neck of the woods.

 

[scbelleatheart]

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!)

Great advice! I only do about 2/3 of that in meatballs and the rest is meat loaf. It really is easy. My kid's always ask if food is real (made from scratch) or fake ( like meatballs, noodles, shredded chicken, lasagna, etc).

 

[North of Mouse]

I've learned a lot about making meat balls on this thread - will try some of your recipes - I usually just make *meat sauce*, but we would enjoy meat balls also. Thanks, doesn't seem hard when you bake them

The only thing is I make our own sauces - neither dh or I like any of the jarred ones - too much tomato taste - kind of blah to us.

I saute onions, bell peppers, garlic in small amt. olive oil, then add tomato sauce and a packet of McCormick dry spaghetti sauce mix. Add water to make a thick sauce. If making meat sauce, I brown the ground meat, drain, then add, cooking on low for awhile. Sometimes, by taste, will add additional Italian seasoning or salt.

I use this sauce for lasagne also, as we only like homemade, this makes it very simple to make.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

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!)

This sounds like DH's recipe for meatballs, except he handshapes big meatballs - a whole serving in an each.

They're yummy, and it takes no time at all to make them and there's maybe one bowl of mess. We use parchment or foil under the cookie sheet (olive oil on top of that) just so that there's that much less mess to clean up afterwards. They freeze perfectly and you can vary the amount of ingredients - I take mine with barely any breadcrumbs, to lower the carb count - to suit you!

 

[lovesmurfs]

Another zombie thread arises!

Actually, I appreciate it -- was just starting to think that meatballs would be fun to learn to make!

 

[njmom47]

I basically use the same recipe as other posters, but mix ground beef with meatloaf mix. I bake them on my cookie cooling racks inside a 13x9 pan so the grease drips out.
However, my dmom buys frozen meatballs at Dollar Tree (Circle Ranch brand, chicken and beef) and they are actually pretty good.
We like Aldi's spaghetti sauce, believe it or not.

ETA Haha, just noticed the post above me...where's the Zombie smiley?

 

[Happiest mommy]

Hi all we rarely eat pork/beef has anyone done ground chicken meatballs how did it turn out did you use the same ingredients? TIA

 

[Mouseless2Long]

Hi all we rarely eat pork/beef has anyone done ground chicken meatballs how did it turn out did you use the same ingredients? TIA

I've made the meatballs Ina Garten makes for her Italian Wedding Soup. They are delicious. The recipe calls for sausage, but I don't use it and just substitute more ground chicken in place of the sausage. These are small meatballs meant for soup, but you could make them larger and just bake them longer.

3/4 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.

 

[finz2left]

I have making meatballs ...the rolling DRIVES me BATTY!!!

But, I HATE all frozen meatballs.

So, I came up with my own solution.....MEAT SQUARES!


Yep. Meat Squares and the make awesome sandwiches and don't roll off. Just take your favorite recipe and squish it down in a large baking tin. cut squares with a pizza cutter. Bake at 375 and brown at the end under the broiler for a minute if you like it crunchy on top, LOL.

Easy peasy and delish!

 

[scbelleatheart]

I may be crazy but I bought this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROyGsnJ_3b0
I do cakeballs, meatballs, buckeyes, truffles, saurerkrated balls, doughnut holes. You name it. if it is chilled and needs to be in a ball. I use this.
I also have 2 DIL's and 1 DD so we share.

 

[Happiest mommy]

Mouseless2Long thank you for the recipe sounds yummy!