Imagine afternoon with the chaos of homework, kids unwinding after school, and managing activities… And suddenly you realize you never started dinner! Not to worry! You have frozen Easy Oven Baked Meatballs in the freezer and you can pull together an amazing meal of meatballs & spaghetti in 10 seconds FLAT!
These easy oven baked meatballs are a staple in our freezer. The kids are obsessed with meatballs and frankly, I am obsessed with all Italian flavors and food. I know you can buy frozen meatballs in the freezer section, but they just aren’t as good as homemade!
Easy Oven Baked Meatballs are just better than store-bought!
Baking the meatballs in the oven allows you to bulk cook without standing in front of the stove frying a huge double batch of meatballs!
Easy Oven Baked Meatballs TIP: Use a cookie scoop to create evenly sized meatballs
If your family is not as large as mine, this batch of meatballs may make 4-5 meals for you. This batch is usually 2 meals with a little leftovers for someone to have for lunch the next day.
You can serve these easy oven baked meatballs the traditional way with red sauce and spaghetti noodles, but they are really yummy in a meatball calzone or meatball sub or slider. I made meatball sliders for a tailgating party earlier this year and they were such a hit!
You can thaw the meatballs in the sauce you are cooking on the stove or microwave them for a few minutes when using them from the freezer.
If I have freezer tomato sauce in the freezer, I feel like I am winning a homemaker award and you can’t beat the fresh flavors of homemade sauce & oven baked meatballs that are homemade.
Don’t stress if you don’t have time to make homemade sauce, I always have at least two jars of our favorite marinara in the pantry for last minute pizzas, pasta sauces, and even soups.
Easy Oven Baked Meatballs - Double Batch for the Freezer
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 lb Italian Sausage *use what you love (sweet, mild or hot)
- 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 large Onion diced finely
- 2 tbsp Peppercini diced
- 2 tbsp Peppercini juice from the jar. *may substitute for wine or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground Red Pepper *optional
- 1/2 - 1 cup Milk
Instructions
- Place ground beef and Italian sausage -remove sausage casings if needed- in large mixing bowl.
- Add all remaining ingredients except milk.
- Begin by adding 1/4-1/2 cup of milk to the meat and mix with a wooden spoon or by hand.
- Try to be gentle with the meat and not push the ingredients into the meat, but rather fold them over each other.
- Add more milk if needed to create a sticky meat mixture that will form into balls.
- Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Scoop out meat into your hand and form desired meatball size. *A cookie scoop works great for this. I make approx. 2 inch meatballs.
- Be sure to make the meatballs as close to the same size as possible for even cooking time.
- Place meatballs in 375 F oven for 30-45 minutes or until meatballs are brown and crusty. *cooking time will vary based on the size of meatballs you form.
- Remove meatballs from oven and allow to cool before placing into a freezer bag to freeze or place directly into marinara sauce to continue to cook.
Since making this recipe a few weeks ago, we have already used all of the meatballs! I think this time I am going to triple the batch and stock up for the winter!
Tell Me: do you cook for the freezer?
I’ve never made meatballs this way but it looks great! It’s fun to try out new methods and see what works best.
Thanks for the video! Now off to make the most delicious meatballs. Perfect idea to make extra for the freezer.
I do like easy cooking. These meatballs would be enjoyed by my family so I need to make them.
My son is obsessed with meatballs, it’s all he asks for at every meal. I will have to give this recipe a shot
I love EASY part. The pasta looks Fabulous! And tomato sauce is my ever favorite. Classic.
These look really good. My youngest daughter and I really love meatballs. I’ll have to give your recipe a try soon.
This is a great meal to have on hand for busy nights! Our family loves meatballs and pasta!
Double batching is a great idea. I need to start making my own meatballs. These look delicious.
Now I know what I will make for dinner tonight! Sounds easy and delicious!
One of my favorite dishes is this. I love that it’s easy to make and it looks so good!