Meatballs are tasty spheres of ground meat which are versatile and packed with flavor and meaty goodness. We all enjoy meatballs; whether fresh or frozen but do you actually know how to cook frozen meatballs?
The 3 simples ways to cook meatballs will require you to use either a mixing bowl, slow cooker or a Skillet
Meatballs can be eaten on their own, either with sauce or dry or with a dipping sauce. Or you can add them to other dishes such as spaghetti or sandwiches.
Learning how to cook frozen meatballs well takes a lot of skill, but it is not impossible. Read on to learn different tips and ways to cook frozen meatballs and achieve the best results.
Basic Materials You Need
When cooking meatballs different ways, you would need a few basic materials to be able to successfully whip up stunning and delicious meatball dishes. Keep these materials handy and all you’d have to do is pick a recipe and start cooking!
Method 1: A Mixing Bowl Or A Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- SaucePan
Since a lot of meatball dishes usually come with sauce, you’d have to have either a mixing bowl or saucepan to blend the ingredients together or warm up or cook the sauce.
For Method 2: A Slow Cooker With Some Plastic Liner
Once thawed, you can cook your meatballs in a slow cooker lined with a plastic liner for a cleaner finish.
For Method 3: A Skillet
Deep or shallow non-stick skillets would be great for cooking meatballs so if you have one at home, you can choose to use this for cooking and you won’t have to worry about scraping off the pan at the end.
A Baking Tray And Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- Baking Tray
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
The tray can be used to thaw your frozen meatballs properly to guarantee that they come out moist and tasty.The Non-Stick Cooking Spray would have to be used so that the meatballs don’t stick to the tray once thawed.
How To Cook Frozen Meatballs – Three Methods
Method 1: The Basic Meatball Recipe
Ingredients:
- Frozen Meatballs
- Tomatoe Sauce
Procedure:
- Pour tomato sauce into a saucepan (about half a cup for every 3 meatballs you plan to cook) and heat it up.
- Place the frozen meatballs into the pan and stir them around until all the meatballs are evenly coated with sauce. Make sure to stir the mixture gently so you don’t end up destroying the meatballs, especially if they have already thawed out.
- Cover the pan and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce until the meatballs are warmed through and cooked evenly. This would allow the meatballs to absorb all the delicious flavor of the tomato sauce while cooking through until they are tender.
- Serve the meatballs in a bowl on their own. Or you can also add the meatballs to your favorite pasta dish or place them (along with the sauce) between 2 pieces of bread to make a hearty sandwich
Method 2: Tex Mex Meatballs
Ingredients:
- Frozen Meatballs
- Chopped Onion
- Minced Garlic
- Diced Tomatoes With Sauce
- Beef Broth
- Chilies Or Enchilada Sauce
- Chopped Green Chilies
- Cubes Of Cheese
Procedure:
- Create different layers in a slow cooker.
- The first layer would be made up of chopped onions and minced garlic. Sprinkle them evenly at the bottom of the slow cooker and add in some salt and pepper (if you wish).
- Then add the layer of frozen meatballs on top and turn on the slow cooker (low setting). You don’t have to mix the ingredients, just place the frozen meatballs on top of the first layer and allow them all to cook.
- Make all the sauce by mixing the tomatoes and chopped green chilies with sauce, beef broth and the enchilada sauce and pour the mixture into the slow cooker, over the first 2 layers.
- Continue to cook the ingredients for about 6-8 hours on low. This would thaw out the meatballs completely and allow them to get all the flavors of the ingredients you have mixed together.
- Add in the cubes of cheese as the topmost layer then continue cooking for about 20-30 minutes to let the cubes melt and allow all the flavors blend together.
- Take the meatballs out of the heat and serve while still warm.
Method 3: Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients:
- Frozen Meatballs
- Butter
- Flour
- Chopped Onion
- Simple Gravy Base
- Egg Noodles
- Beef Broth
- Cream
- Lemon Juice
- Worcestershire Sauce
Procedure:
- Thaw your meatballs in a baking tray and set them aside while you start preparing the other ingredients. Refer to the previously stated thawing tips when thawing your meatballs
- Make a roux by melting butter in a skillet over a medium heat. As soon as the butter is melted, add in some flour and blend them together until the roux is smooth and golden brown.
- Boil the egg noodles (preferably while you are making your roux) in a pot and cook them to your liking. Al dente noodles are great but more tender noodles would absorb the flavors more.
- Once you’ve seen that the roux is smooth, add in the chopped onions. This adds flavor and softens the roux.
- When the onions have turned translucent, mix in the gravy base with the roux then add in your thawed frozen meatballs.
- As your meatballs are warming up and gathering the flavors in the roux-gravy mixture, proceed to make your sauce.
- In a saucepan or mixing bowl, blend together the beef broth, cream, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and whisk them rapidly.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs and stir everything together to blend the flavors.
- Once the sauce has thickened, take the dish out of the heat and serve the meatball dish with the egg noodles. Enjoy!
Some Useful Tips To Remember
Before we start learning some frozen meatball dishes, let’s take a look at tips in thawing out frozen meatballs. These tips are essential to learning about when learning how to cook frozen meatballs so you don’t end up with meatballs that are still icy in the middle or meatballs which are overcooked that they don’t hold their shape.
Do You Thaw Frozen Meatballs Before Cooking
If you are planning to add your meatballs to a complex meatball dish, it would be better to thaw them out first before adding them into the whole cooking process. All you need to do is take the meatballs out of the freezer as a first step while you are preparing and heating up the other ingredients.
The reason for this is it would be a lot easier to place the meatballs into the sauce you are cooking since they are no longer frozen and stuck together. Also, softened meatballs tend to absorb flavors better rather than adding meatballs that are completely frozen straight into the sauce.
How To Defrost Meatballs
If you had forgotten to take out your meatballs from the freezer ahead of time, then you can go with the meatball softening method. Take out your meatballs and place them into the cool water.
Placing the meatballs in cool water rather than in warm or hot water would not change the texture or taste of the meatballs while thawing them out effectively.
Storing Frozen Meatballs
To keep the quality of frozen meatballs – and make them last longer, you should store them in a freezer with a temperature that is stable. Stock up on frozen meatballs in your freezer and you’d have access to an ingredient which you can use for quick and easy recipes.
Enjoy Your Frozen Meatballs
There you go! Everything you need to know about how to cook frozen meatballs. Now you know that the materials and ingredients are easy to obtain and prepare while the steps are also simple and easy to do.
Make sure to store your meatballs well and you won’t have to worry about thawing out and cooking your meatballs with these simple recipes. Whether you are a stay at home parent with a lot of time on your hands or a professional with a busy schedule, cooking different frozen meatball dishes would be easy ad you’d be able to enjoy the results!
Fast and easy dishes are truly a pleasure to learn about and whip up, and these frozen meatball dishes are no different. So what are you waiting for? Take out those frozen meatballs which have been sitting in your freezer and pick the recipe which entices you the most. To make it healthier, do not forget to prepare a hot French onion soup with a meatball dish.
Satisfy the palates of everyone in your household and enjoy!