Quick and Easy Freezer Meal Meatballs and Glaze for the Air Fryer
Servings: 6
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 oz evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup oatmeal
- ⅓ cup saltine cracker crumbs
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¾ tsp chili powder
Glaze
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp liquid smoke*
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
Instructions
Meatballs
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, form the mixture into meatballs. You can make the meatballs whatever size you want, however I recommend about 1-2 tablespoons of mixture for each meatball.
- To freeze the meatballs, place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- Place the meatballs on the sheet.
- Cover the meatballs and place the cookie sheet in the freezer to freeze the meatballs.
- Once frozen, remove the meatballs from the freezer and store them in a Ziploc bag or container.
Glaze
- Mix all the ingredients together on the stovetop over low/medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Let the glaze cool and then place the glaze in a container in the freezer. It will freeze soft and be scoopable for later. You can also make the glaze the day of.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Once you are ready to cook your frozen meatballs in the air fryer, remove the meatballs from the freezer and preheat the air fryer at 400°F/204°C for 5 minutes.
- Spray the air fryer basket with avocado oil then layer the meatballs inside.
- Cook for 15 minutes at 350°F/177°C.
- At the halfway point, stir the meatballs.
- During the last 2 minutes, spoon some of the glaze over the meatballs. You will want to save some of the glaze for serving your meatballs
- Once the meatballs register an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C, they are ready! Serve on top of pasta tossed in olive oil and parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Oven Instructions
- Place the frozen meatballs in a baking dish.
- Bake at 350°F/177°C for 1 hour.
- Spoon the glaze over the meatballs halfway through cooking.
Notes
*If you don’t have liquid smoke, you can substitute it with ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon of malt vinegar.
Can be served on top of pasta, rice or potatoes
If you want to add more flavor to your meatballs, add ½ teaspoon of Tony’s spice to the meatball mixture.
Can be served on top of pasta, rice or potatoes
If you want to add more flavor to your meatballs, add ½ teaspoon of Tony’s spice to the meatball mixture.
Nutrition
Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 882mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g