These turkey meatballs with a herbaceous tomato sauce are a quick and easy freezer meal that can save you time on those busy evenings. In our home, we have a lot of nights like that, which is why we prepare ahead with some freezer friendly meals that you can just pop in the oven!
Jump to:
About This Frozen Turkey Meatballs Meal
- Make-ahead freezer meals are a great alternative to buying prepackaged meals from the grocery store that may contain undesirable ingredients. You will see how easy it is to make your own delicious meatballs and sauce for that crazy on-the-go lifestyle.
- Bulk-worthy: You can double or triple this meatball recipe for several make-ahead meals, if your freezer has the room for it.
- Frozen turkey meatballs are very versatile. You can add your favorite herbs and seasonings like fresh dill (just like I do in these amazing Mediterranean meatballs). Turkey meatballs can be served with pasta, over rice or on their own as an appetizer. Another bonus to this recipe is you can adjust the seasoning and flavors to your liking.
Ingredients
- ground turkey - If you aren’t keen on turkey, you could always swap it out for ground beef, chicken, a pork/beef mixture or you could even use bison for a bison meatball recipe.
- button mushrooms - Make sure you clean the dirt off by lightly rubbing the mushrooms with a dry paper towel.
- frozen chopped spinach - Thawed and drained of liquid. You can do this by placing the frozen spinach in a strainer and running warm water over the spinach. Gently turn the spinach until thawed and let the liquid drain in the sink.
- tomato sauce - You will need a plain, canned tomato sauce (not a prepared pasta sauce) because it will be used as a base for the homemade sauce in this recipe.
- bread crumbs - Plain.
- eggs (not pictured) - I forgot to add the eggs when taking the picture!
*Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.
How to Make Frozen Turkey Meatballs
Preparation and Freezing Instructions
Step 1. Form the meatballs. In a bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients until well combined. Shape them into balls and place onto wax paper-lined sheet pan. Freeze.
Step 2. Make the sauce. In a saucepan, heat the oil. Sauté the garlic and oregano for about 30 seconds. Add remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer until slightly thickened. Season, remove bay leaves and let cool.
Step 3. Transfer to freezer bags. Take the premade frozen turkey meatballs out of the freezer and transfer them from the sheet pan to a large zip-top freezer bag (about 10 x 10 inches). Pour the sauce in a separate medium zip-top bag (around 7 x 8 inches). Place the sauce bag inside the meatball bag and freeze.
Chef's Note: Transferring the sauce to the bag can get messy! I recommend placing the opened zip-top bag in a bowl or glass to stand it upright and using a measuring cup or something with a lip to pour the sauce into the bag.
Baking Instructions
Step 1. Bake the frozen turkey meatballs. When it’s time to prepare the meal - bake the frozen meatballs in the oven at 400ºF for around 25 minutes, until no longer pink in the center.
Step 2. Thaw and heat the sauce. Thaw the sauce package in cold water. Then open it up and heat the sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Step 3. Serve. Add the turkey meatballs to the tomato sauce and serve over pasta, rice, or on their own.
Joss' Pro Tips
- Use a cookie scoop for perfectly sized frozen turkey meatballs. I love using a cookie scoop to make perfectly sized and evenly shaped meatballs. Simply scoop, give them a quick roll in your hands, and place them on the sheet pan for easy, uniform portions!
- Freeze the meatballs individually first. When you freeze the meatballs individually on wax paper before adding them to the zip-top bag, this helps prevent them from sticking together when it’s time to separate them for baking.
- Cool the sauce. You want to make sure the sauce cools before pouring it into a freezer bag, but remember not to leave it out for more than 2 hours to avoid harmful bacteria.
- Label the bags. Be sure to label the bags with the date of preparation so that you know when they need to be cooked by.
Freezer Meatballs FAQs
For best results, raw meatballs can be frozen for up to two months.
Yes! Raw meatballs can be cooked from frozen, making them an easy and convenient freezer meal. Just place the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet and pop them into a 400°F oven for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
You can defrost frozen, raw meatballs in the fridge overnight for food safety purposes. Do not leave them out at room temperature. Make sure you cook them within the next 1 to 2 days once thawed.
Up to 3 to 4 days in a covered container.
If you tried this 🍗 Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Freezer Meal Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. And please share the recipe!
📋Recipe
Freezer Meal: Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the Turkey Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup button mushrooms - finely chopped
- 4 ounces frozen chopped spinach - thawed and drained of liquid (1 ¼ cups)
- 2 eggs - beaten
- ½ cup bread crumbs - plain
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 garlic cloves - chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
Freezer Prep
- In a bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients until well combined.
- Shape into 1 ½ inch balls. Place them on a sheet pan lined with wax paper, making sure they aren’t touching. Transfer to the freezer until sauce is prepared.
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil to medium heat. Sauté the garlic and oregano for about 30 seconds.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Add remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for around 8 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove bay leaves and let cool.3 cups tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 2 bay leaves
- Take the meatballs out of the freezer and transfer them from the sheet pan to a large zip-top freezer bag (about 10 x 10 inches). Pour the sauce in a separate medium zip-top bag (around 7 x 8 inches). Place the sauce bag inside the meatball bag and freeze.
Baking Instructions
- When it’s time to prepare the meal - place the frozen meatballs in a shallow baking pan. Bake uncovered in the oven at 400ºF for around 25 minutes, or until they are no longer pink in the center and reach a minimum temperature of 165°F.
- While they're baking, thaw the sauce package in cold water. Then open it up and heat the sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and serve over pasta, rice, or on their own.
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes about 36 meatballs.
- Use a cookie scoop: I love using a cookie scoop to make perfectly sized and evenly shaped meatballs. Simply scoop, give them a quick roll in your hands, and place them on the sheet pan for easy, uniform portions!
- Freezing Tip: When you freeze the meatballs individually on wax paper before adding them to the zip-top bag, this helps prevent them from sticking together when it’s time to separate them for baking.
- Cool the Sauce: You want to make sure the sauce cools before pouring it into a freezer bag, but remember not to leave it out for more than 2 hours to avoid harmful bacteria.
- Best Before: For best results, the raw meatballs/sauce can be frozen for up to two months.
- Fridge Storage: Cooked turkey meatballs will last up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Store them in a covered container.
- Label the Bags: Be sure to label the bags with the date of preparation so that you know when they need to be cooked by.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Leave a Reply