Italian Meatballs Freezer Meal
These hearty Italian meatballs are packed with rich, cheesy flavor and come together so easily that making a double batch for the freezer just makes sense.
Servings: 16 meatballs
Calories: 164kcal
Ingredients
Mix, Roll, and Freeze Together:
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ¾ pound ground pork
- ½ cup 56g shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup 30g grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons 30mL heavy whipping cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons 33g tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon ~8g finely chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Add After Freezing/Cooking (Do Not Include in Freezer Bag):
- 1 cup 250g Rao's Sensitive Marinara Sauce
- ½ cup 56g shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Mix and Roll: To a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, ground pork, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, heavy whipping cream, eggs, tomato paste, dried parsley, chopped onion, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands, mix until evenly combined. Roll the mixture into 16 meatballs.
- Prepare Freezer Bag: Add rolled meatballs to freezer bag, laying meatballs in even layer so they lay flat. Transfer freezer bag to freezer and freeze until ready to cook.
To Cook:
- Oven Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add frozen meatballs to a small glass or ceramic baking dish. If meatballs are frozen together, break apart. Bake frozen meatballs for 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven, pour marinara sauce atop meatballs, sprinkle shredded mozzarella atop sauce, then return pan to oven to cook for additional 5 minutes. Move on to “Final Steps” as written below.
- Final Steps: Serve meatballs hot and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Rao's Sensitive Marinara Sauce Substitute: You can use a different variety of marinara sauce, but I personally choose this product because of the minimal net carb content.
Maintaining Shape Of Meatballs In Freezer Bag Prior To Freezing: If you want the meatballs to be perfectly rounded, after rolling them from raw, lay them in a flat, even-layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer, and allow to chill for 30-45 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and re-roll the meatballs prior to transferring the chilled meat balls to a freezer bag to fully freeze in the freezer.
Remove Excess Air From Freezer Bag Without Flattening Meatballs In Freezer Bag: Either use a vacuum sealer or, seal freezer bag almost completely, leaving a small section open to fit a straw in, suck the air through the straw, and then seal remaining portion of freezer bag.
Cooking Meatballs Before Freezing: If you’d prefer to cook the meatballs before freezing, bake them at 400 degrees until internal temperature of meatballs reaches 165 degrees, about 25 minutes. You can choose to pour tomato sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese atop meatballs before freezing, or wait to do so after you have thawed the frozen meatballs and are ready to serve. If you freeze the pre-cooked meatballs with sauce, reheat in a large pan on the stovetop until warmed throughout. If you freeze the pre-cooked meatballs without sauce, reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed throughout.
Serving Options: Serve meatballs simply on their own, or atop Miracle Noodles or zucchini noodles.
Storage For Cooked Italian Meatballs: Store the cooked meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.1g | Protein: 10.8g | Fat: 12.4g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Sodium: 234mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1.2g