Quick and yummy dinners are easy to come by when you make a bulk batch of these Supreme Meatballs. They are tender, delicious, and very freezer-friendly.
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Those of you who’ve been around awhile know what a big fan I am of meatballs. I am a meatloaf lover — and meatballs are like the very best form of meatloaf with all the golden edges everywhere.
I love them for their versatility. They go great with gravy and mashed potatoes, atop spaghetti doused in marinara sauce, floating in soup, heated on the grill and basted with BBQ sauce, in bowl meals…. You name it, meatballs are where it’s at!
And the icing on the cake is that you can make a huge batch and freeze them for future meals. You don’t need to remember to thaw them in advance, they reheat quickly, and they taste awesome!
Need I say more.
I recently married my gluten-free, mushroom-based meatball recipe with my traditional herbed meatball recipe and through in the classic dry — but homemade — onion soup mix flavor profile for good measure. Happiness in a pot! Or a sheet pan, as the case may be.
I make these meatballs smaller meaning they cook more quickly and work better in soup. Aren’t they beautiful?
Can you make the meatball mixture ahead of time?
You definitely can. Just shape the meatballs and arrange in a casserole or baking sheet (don’t squish together) and keep covered for up to a day ahead of time in the refrigerator.
And then when you are ready to eat, just bake these up. Serve with spaghetti. Maybe some homemade Easy Make-Ahead Freezer Garlic Bread. And you have on your hands one easy winner winner meatball dinner.
Can you freeze meatballs?
You can freeze these meatballs after they have been cooked. Just allow to cool to room temperature before placing in a sealable plastic bag. Don’t forget to label! You can reheat these in the microwave, stovetop in a pot with sauce or in the oven. And cooked frozen meatballs makes it easy to whip up dinner.
Here are 10 ways to use frozen meatballs for an easy weeknight dinner.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. The main ingredients here are beef, mushrooms, and onions. Watch the sales and snatch up those items when the prices are low.
- Cook in bulk. When you cook in bulk, you are maximizing your time investment as well as the energy you use to heat the oven. It doesn’t take that much longer to make a few more meatballs and they all cook in the same amount of time. That doesn’t make the oven work any harder!
How I make this recipe easy:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- USA sheet pans – For years I “made do” with cheap baking sheets. Buying sturdy sheet pans was a game changer!
- parchment paper – This makes clean up so much easier! If you make cooking easier, you’ll do it more often — and save money!
- large stainless steel mixing bowl – This is a big batch of meatball mixture. Give yourself plenty of space!
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Bulk Batch Supreme Meatballs
Ingredients
- 4 lb ground beef
- 2 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1 cup mushrooms (finely chopped)
- 1 onion (1 cup chopped)
- 4 egg beaten
- 1 oz Parmesan cheese (shredded) (¼ cup)
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil. If using aluminum foil, spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, bread crumbs, mushrooms, onions, eggs, cheese, herbs, and spices. Mush and squoosh until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Form the mixture into small balls, about 1 tablespoon of mixture per ball. Place these on the prepared baking pans.
- When all the mixture is formed into balls, bake the meatballs for about 15 minutes until golden and cooked through. Use in recipes or package them in meal-sized portions, chill, and freeze.
- Reheat frozen meatballs and continue with your recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Kelly Cook
I just took my first pan out of the oven and popped one in my mouth. Mmm! It was easier to do than I thought, but then again my 15 year old son rolled them into balls after I used a cookie scoop to portion it out. Thanks!
Kaesolin
My family loves these meatballs! I don’t usually write reviews when I’ve changed a recipe, but this recipe is very adaptable. We make this recipe at least once a month. We freeze them after cooking and use them in all sorts of meals. We’ve also been known to pop one in the microwave for a quick protein snack. We have a dairy allergy and a mushroom allergy, so we leave them both out and the ones without the allergy don’t miss them. I add a little more garlic and onions to add to the flavor profile. I’ve also used the brine from green olives(if I have some) to give it some depth. We use whole oats instead of breadcrumbs because of a yeast allergy. I’ve tried all kinds of ground meat mixtures to make these. We’ve used venison, turkey, bison, pork and beef in all different combos to make 4lbs of ground meat. They’ve all worked well. We’ve even made this into meatloaf and loved it. Great recipe! My recipe binder wouldn’t be the same without it. Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
So glad to hear that it’s worked so well for you. Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Edina
Hi! I’m wondering about the Parmesan cheese, I don’t really like the taste or smell of it and I wanted to know if I can leave it out. I usually do when I make meatballs, but I wanted to try your recipe. Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
You could totally leave it out.
Natalie
I made a batch using half ground turkey and half bison, and we’re really enjoying them! Used some while they were just cooked and froze the rest. Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica Fisher
glad to hear it!
Rebekah
For anyone looking to make any substitutions for this recipe, I used quick cook oatmeal and venison and needed to cook them a few extra minutes – maybe 25 minutes total – but they turned out perfectly! I’ve actually never made meatballs before; I’ve always bought them in a bag but these were so economical and tasty. A good, cheap eat for sure!
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed them and thanks for the specifics on your adaptations!
Di in Aus
Took inspiration from your post to make up 4lb of meat balls with kangaroo mince that was marked down to $2.50/lb..a few back up meals now in freezer.
For those folks having to go gf and oats are still forbidden, try using dry creal. Where i live black and gold corn flakes work well.i have also used polenta and weet bix in a pinch.
R
Wait……. kangaroo? Really? Wow!
Di in Aus
Its an awesome cheap red meat where i live and good bang for your buck with next to no fat or water. Its naturally grass fed and organic and kinder on the environment.when beef or other standard run at $7/lb so its a no brainer although took some getting used to and thinking outside the box given its the national emblem :))
Alice E
Jessica, yes meatballs are so handy to have on hand. What type of ground beef (fat level) do you use for these? We also like them with gravy over mashed potatoes or rice . And I especially like the idea of making them smaller so they reheat quick and easy. Thanks for all you do for us.
Jessica Fisher
I typically use 80 to 85%.
Pat
I love meatballs they are truly so versatile.
I have used all my homemade meatballs during this pantry challenge. They were such an easy thing to use when the meal plan was not going to work. Because they are so small I have used them in my stroganoff recipe and also put them in BBQ sauce and put them on buns for sandwiches.
Lucky for me 80/20 ground beef is $1.88 when you buy 10 lbs. Guess what I’ll be making tomorrow?
Thanks for the new recipe Jessica!
Jessica Fisher
Great deal!
Pat
So I made a half a batch of your meatball recipe today and got 70 mini meatballs. They are bite size but they smelled so good while in the oven.
I’ll be making these again.
Melissa
That’s an awesome price for 80/20!
Melissa in GA
Janet
Any suggestions on a substitution for the bread crumbs for those who are eating gluten free?
Jessica Fisher
You can use gf bread crumbs or rolled oats (preferably quick) or just increase the amount of mushrooms. I do that in my Hearty Gluten-free Meatballs (linked above.)
Janet
Oh, the rolled oats sound good. I have spaghetti squash with bolognese on the menu plan for this weekend. Some meatballs on top sounds like a good addition.
Brandette
Janet-
You could also use GF bread slices that you grind in a food processor to make your own bread crumbs.
Janet
Thanks for the suggestion. We were just told by our doctor to put our oldest on a gluten free diet, which is certainly a learning experience.
Kathy
I have been gluten free for just over a year. It is a learning process for sure. I use oats all the time in my meatloaf and meatballs. Good luck.