11 Ways To Upgrade Frozen Meatballs To Make Them Taste Homemade

Frozen food is the king of convenience, making it simple to whip up a delicious dinner in no time. And while grocery staples like frozen chicken nuggets, frozen fruit, or even frozen french fries are great to keep on hand, there's another product that has endless versatility: the frozen meatball.

While you can keep things classic by eating frozen meatballs with standard spaghetti, there is also a whole untapped world of mealtime possibilities. Meatballs — whether made with beef, chicken, or turkey — pair beautifully with a range of flavors and cuisine types.

You can also prepare them using countless methods, from pan-frying to baking, to achieve whatever texture you choose. Mixing and matching these elements allows you to elevate the humble frozen meatball and transform it into the star of your meal. Read on to discover our favorite ways to upgrade frozen meatballs to create a dish so delicious, no one will ever believe they're not homemade.

Homemade spaghetti and meatballs is a fan-favorite Italian dish (even when made in the Instant Pot). But luckily, simmering tomato sauce and homemade meatballs on the stovetop for hours isn't the only way to infuse tasty, well-rounded flavor into the dish. Instead, you can use frozen meatballs as a time-saving shortcut — all without sacrificing quality.

Start with your favorite pasta sauce (whether homemade or store-bought). Add it to a pot on the stove and add in your frozen meatballs. Just be sure they're completely submerged in the sauce to ensure they heat evenly. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then lower to a simmer. Cook the meatballs for about 30 minutes or until they are warmed through to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Not only is this a convenient option thanks to the set-it-and-forget-it approach, but it also keeps the meatballs moist and juicy. Along with terrific texture, they'll also absorb some of the sauce as they cook for an even more powerful punch of flavor. Add this versatile dinner staple atop your favorite pasta or use as the base for homemade meatball subs.

To get meatballs with the perfect, crispy exterior, throw them right into the air fryer. Contrary to what its name implies, however, this kitchen appliance doesn't actually fry food. Instead, it circulates hot air around (similar to a convection oven) to heat the frozen meatballs and create a crisp, crunchy exterior.

Though air fryers are often reserved for traditionally deep-fried foods like fries, chicken cutlets, or fried fish, you can also use one to achieve a nice crust on frozen meatballs. Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and add the frozen meatballs to the basket or tray. Cook them for about 10 minutes, shaking once halfway through to ensure even browning on all sides. Tack on an extra minute or two of cooking time if needed to get the exterior nice and golden brown. Once heated to a safe internal temperature, pair them with your favorite tomato sauce, add them to a meatball sub, or use them as the base for traditional Swedish meatballs to add the perfect hint of crunch.

Though cottage pies (not to be confused with shepherd's pies) are traditionally made with minced meat, frozen meatballs are the perfect time-saving hack for busy weeknights. First, prepare all of your vegetables (usually carrots, onions, and peas). Sauté all of your veggies and prepare your filling as you normally would. But when it comes time to add the ground beef, instead drop in your preferred quantity of frozen meatballs. The swap is simple to make in most recipes — just substitute the ground beef for roughly the same quantity in meatballs.

Simmer the meatballs with the filling for about 30 minutes while you make your mashed potato topping. Don't worry if they're not fully cooked at this stage because they'll continue to bake in the oven after the pie is assembled. Once both the filling and mashed potatoes are ready, assemble the cottage pie and pop it into the oven. After about 20 to 30 minutes, you'll have a hearty and comforting meal perfect for a cozy evening.

Cocktail meatballs are a crowd favorite at almost any event. This perfect, bite-sized appetizer is easy to eat and prep, so it's a win-win addition to the menu for both host and guest. When you consider the fact that you can also make this dish using frozen meatballs in the slow cooker, these delicious morsels become that much more appealing.

While there are countless cocktail meatball recipes out there, there's one that trumps most others when it comes to ease. It also offers the perfect blend of savory and sweet flavors, so it's a recipe that you'll turn to again and again: grape jelly meatballs.

Toss your favorite frozen meatballs — just be sure they're bite-sized — into the slow cooker. Then, add in a jar of your favorite grape jelly and either barbecue sauce, chili sauce, or cocktail sauce depending on your preference. Let the mixture cook on low for about four hours before serving. The jelly mixture thickens and creates a beautifully sweet-and-savory glaze that will keep you coming back for more. For an unbeatable presentation, spear each meatball with a cocktail toothpick and arrange them on a tray for easy snacking.

Pairing frozen meatballs with a classic tomato sauce is a safe and delicious option. But you can also think outside the box and use other sauces to switch things up. Swedish meatballs offer another way to enjoy this convenient freezer staple. The creamy, gravy-like sauce is made of beef broth, Dijon mustard, and butter, making it the perfect saucy companion for beef meatballs. Simply simmer the meatballs in the sauce — like you would with tomato sauce — to blend and balance the two and eat over mashed potatoes.

For a Southern take, you can also make your own barbecue sauce. Whipping one up is simple; a blend of ketchup, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and spices creates a sauce with the perfect mix of savory and sweet. But these two sauces aren't the only options; you can also concoct your own creation to complement the rich, meaty flavor. Having a few go-to sauces in your arsenal will help make sure your frozen meatball dishes always feel brand new.

When you think of meatballs, you might immediately associate them with Italian cuisine. But frozen meatballs are versatile enough that they can be incorporated into many different dishes — including South Asian-inspired curry, called kofta curry. Popular across India and Pakistan, this delicious dish is the perfect way to level up your frozen meatballs.

A delicious curry sauce filled with ginger, turmeric, and curry powder and thickened with coconut milk pairs beautifully with the moist, rich bite of the meatball. While the richness of beef pairs beautifully with the creamy, sweet flavor of the coconut milk, you can also use store-bought frozen turkey or chicken meatballs, too.

Using frozen meatballs to make a delicious, homemade soup will disguise the fact that not every ingredient was made from scratch. Classic recipes like wedding soup are the perfect way to make your frozen meatballs tender and flavorful. As the soup cooks, the meatballs slowly soak up the delicious flavor of the broth and the protein-heavy meatballs also help make any soup a little heartier. To cut down on prep time for your wedding soup, simply toss frozen meatballs into the pot after sautéing your veggies and continue with your recipe as usual. If you're short on time, you can even make Italian wedding soup in the Instant Pot.

Expand your horizons beyond wedding soup and swap frozen meatballs into other recipes like classic Mexican meatball soup. The general prep is the same as for wedding soup — sauté all of the veggies before adding the frozen meatballs, broth, and other ingredients. Once the meatballs are added, mix in your broth and let everything simmer to blend the flavors.

Butter makes almost anything better. So it's no surprise that cooking the frozen meatballs on the stovetop in a generous portion of butter is a mouthwatering way to prepare this freezer staple. Not only does the butter add depth and richness, but it also helps to prevent the meatballs from drying out, which can be a common qualm with frozen dinners due to freezer burn.

Toss a pat of butter into your pan and let it melt before adding your desired number of frozen meatballs. Cook them over medium heat, turning occasionally to prevent burning. As the butter heats, it will begin to brown the exterior of the meatballs thanks to the Maillard reaction, creating a fatty and delicious exterior crust. Once the meatballs have thawed the whole way through, you can even slice them in half for more exposed edges that will get crispy and delicious.

The cooking time will depend on the size of the meatballs — check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer to ensure they've reached at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. To impart even more flavor, opt for an infused butter (like garlic or herb) instead of regular salted.

Though you might reserve your grill for cookout staples like hamburgers and hotdogs, it's the perfect — albeit less conventional — way to prepare frozen meatballs, too. Let the meatballs thaw, and place them on wooden or metal skewers. You can mix and match with different fruits and vegetables to create mouthwatering kebabs. Bell peppers and onions are a classic combo, while other, less obvious additions like pineapple, squash, or peaches are equally delicious. You can even try more unexpected fruit additions like watermelon. An added bonus? The fresh, bright flavor of fruit contrasts with the richness of beef meatballs for better balance.

But don't stop there. You can also baste the skewers with your favorite sauces, like barbecue or teriyaki, or an herby alternative like chimichurri. Coat the meatballs and other skewer add-ons with your chosen sauce as they cook to impart extra flavor. Once cooked, use excess sauce for dipping to enhance the flavor even further.

Casseroles are the perfect fast and easy weeknight dinner when you're short on time. These "dump and bake" recipes are made even simpler thanks to smart shortcuts, like using premade, frozen ingredients like meatballs.

To keep things classic, try a spaghetti and meatball-inspired casserole featuring marinara sauce, pasta, shredded cheese, and of course, meatballs. You can also mix and match the sauces — using Alfredo, pesto, or other Italian favorites — to create a concoction that's all your own. Swapping out the cheese for other alternatives, like ricotta or mascarpone, or adding other spices, like chili flakes or Italian seasoning, are also ways you can adjust the casserole to your tastes. You can even add your favorite veggies, like broccoli, as you see fit.

For a lower-carb, higher protein option, forgo the pasta and make the casserole more meatball-heavy instead. This move also makes the casserole keto and gluten-free (as long as the frozen meatballs don't use breadcrumbs in the ingredients) for those with dietary restrictions.

If you love Italian flavors but want to change it up from spaghetti and meatballs, look no further than meatball buns. These bite-sized appetizers are the perfect way to transform frozen meatballs into a delicious appetizer or afternoon snack.

First thaw the meatballs. Then, take a premade dinner roll dough and wrap it all the way around the meatball, pinching it closed into a neat little package. Pop them in the oven and, once baked, top with olive oil. For even more flavor, you could also finish the baked buns with garlic or herb-infused butter similar to that used for garlic knots. Marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese are also ideal accompaniments to make this hors d'oeuvre feel like a miniature meatball sub.

If you're not feeling Italian flavors, you could go in another direction altogether. Once the buns are baked, pair them with barbecue sauce, Swedish meatball sauce, or any of your other favorites; there's really no wrong answer.