slo’s FRIDAY poll - Frozen Meatballs

[RUDisney]

Nope - mixing isn’t the problem; I can do that by hand in less than 60 seconds. It’s the relentless rolling and frying. (I don’t drop them raw into sauces.) I hate making cookies for the same reason - repetitive tasks of any kind really, really bug me.

For me, it was freezing my hands during the mixing process.

I don't fry my meatballs unless I'm making chicken piccata meatballs. I put them on a cookie sheet and bake them before I put them in sauce. I also can't put raw meatballs into sauce.

 

[CynBeth]

No my DH makes them fresh for spaghetti.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I picked other. I know Marie makes homemade meatballs and sometimes uses frozen. Both are great. Marie's are better though.

 

[RedAngie]

Same. I don’t avoid processed foods and I’m always happy to find something yummy that’s a work-saver. Frozen meatballs aren’t it, though. I’ve tried both the beef and turkey ones; several different brands over the years. They all taste weird to me and the texture isn’t “meaty” - it’s like they have too much filler or something. They don’t even smell good cooking. That said, I hate rolling meatballs, so there are very few recipes I actually make them for.

Most frozen meatballs are crap. Many have things like “textured soy protein” or other extenders. The cheap ones have “mechanically separated chicken” or turkey, the junk rejected by Alpo or Little Friskies.

I occasionally buy refrigerated meatballs in the meat case if they’re good quality, or I make my own and freeze them. I bake them rather than fry. So what if they’re not perfectly spherical?

 

[disneychrista]

The only time I’ve bought them was for a work party. I bought the giant bag at Costco. I never even got to try one. By the time I got a chance to grab a plate most of the food was gone.

 

[GAN]

I refuse to acknowledge the existence of (store-bought)frozen meatballs ......

 

[Moliphino]

I don't buy them (or make them), but I'll eat them if someone serves them.

 

[mumto3girls]

I do use the frozen kind for crockpot meatballs—either with red sauce or the grape jelly ones and I buy a mini kid version for wedding soup. I also make my own sometimes and freeze them to have some for easy dinners.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I bought frozen meatballs for the first time about a month ago. I think they were just the plain variety. I made those party cocktail meatballs in the crockpot (with grape jelly and chili sauce). They were very good. Otherwise, I always make my own meatballs for spaghetti. Only would use the frozen for the appetizer thing.

 

[evilmommie]

Make my own 2x a month and freeze a batch as well.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I only use them for a crockpot recipe that calls for cooking them with grape jelly and bbq sauce. Serve them over rice. Delicious!

 

[DLgal]

I primarily buy Trader Joe's Italian meatballs, and only because my son loves them for quick meatball sandwiches. I also buy Earth's Best Organic mini meatballs (Target) to use as a pizza topping for when we make homemade pizzas.

I make homemade meatballs about once a month for dinner. Just made them a couple nights ago. I fry mine in a tiny bit of olive oil in a nonstick skillet and then we put them in individual Le Creuset soup bowls with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and put them under the broiler.

 

[tvguy]

Once in a while we buy them from Schwans. Maybe once every three or four years. Meatballs are so easy to make, not worth buying them premade.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I've bought them in the past (Italian, I think) but generally make my own now due to trying to eat healthier.

 

[Sinder]

I make my own beef meatballs
I buy frozen turkey meatballs and meatless balls for dd who doesn't eat beef.
I do use frozen small homestyle meatballs for that crockpot recipe with chili sauce and jelly. No way would I waste my homemade ones for that

 

[bobbiwoz]

I buy them sometimes for convenience.

 

[Kitty 34]

Once in a while we buy them from Schwans. Maybe once every three or four years. Meatballs are so easy to make, not worth buying them premade.

My sister gets hers from them all the time.

I really have only bought frozen meatballs because I have never ever tried to make them myself.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I picked Italian but they are Italian style beef ones from Costco. As far as I can tell their ingredients seem pretty decent, the number one ingredient being beef.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

I voted "other," as I tend to make my own Italian-style meatballs. I have purchased meatballs from Costco one time, hoping to discover a short-cut to the endless rolling and frying that @ronandannette is trying to get out of, but the whole family said mine were way better, so now I am back to making large batches of home-made ones and freezing them.

I use meatballs often, for spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs (made by spreading garlic butter on the buns and broiling until golden, then adding the sauced meatballs and provolone/Parmesan cheese, and broiling again), and also putting chopped up meatballs on our home-made pizzas (made in our Ooni).

 

[leebee]

I usually buy whatever is on sale or cheaper. Not a big fan of the turkey meatballs, but I buy them when DD is eating with us. I'd prefer to make my own but rarely do, and as usually the meatballs are going in a crockpot with cocktail sauce and cranberry sauce, it's not like I'm looking for a meatball that will be a culinary experience!