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Italian Meatballs Whole 30 Freezer Meal Recipe
For the days when cooking dinner feels like a monumental task, our Italian Meatball recipe enters the scene and saves the day.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Equipment
  • 1 gallon freezer bag
  • Crockpot or Slow Cooker
Ingredients
 
 
  • 24 oz tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup broth or water
Meatballs:
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 lb ground pork sausage
  • 1 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup apple diced
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
 
Freezer Prep Directions
  • Preheat oven to 400 F.
  • Prepare a gallon freezer bag, labeling according to your preferred method.
  • Mix together meatball ingredients and form 1-inch meatballs.
  • Cook meatballs in preheated oven for 6-10 minutes in the oven. (Meatballs will not be 100% cooked, this is intended, they will hold their shape in the freezer and finish cooking in the slow cooker).
  • Allow meatballs to cool completely before adding to the labeled freezer bag.
  • Add tomato sauce over meatballs in the labeled freezer bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible and freeze for 3 months.
Slow Cooker Directions
  • Thaw freezer bag in fridge 12-24 hours before cooking.
  • Add freezer bag contents into the slow cooker, plus 1/2 cup broth.
  • Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
  • Stir and serve over cauliflower rice. Optional: Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
Instant Pot Directions
  1. Dump the contents of the freezer bag into the Instant Pot, add 1/2 cup broth.
  2. Set to High Pressure for 8 minutes, then allow a 10-minute natural release followed by a quick release. 
  3. Stir and serve over cauliflower rice. Optional: Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
Dietary Adjustments
Make it Gluten-Free:
  • Ensure your sausage is gluten-free.
 
 
Make it Dairy-Free:
  • This recipe is naturally dairy-free.
Freezer Labels
Italian Meatballs Whole 30 Freezer Meal Printable Labels
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