We Tried Every Frozen Italian-Style Meatball Our Grocery Store Sold. Here’s What We Thought.

Tired of your go-to frozen Italian-style meatball? We were too. That’s why we tried every variety available at our local grocery store.

Sometimes the best ideas are the strangest ones.

Like the day I started thinking about taste tests, my new aversion to the go-to brand of meatballs that my family had been eating for years and how I could find something better.

Frozen meatball taste test? Yesssss.

So I suggested to my daughter that we try every meatball in the grocery store and she instantly said yes. I love her adventurous spirit. She didn’t even have to think about it. After a little prep work, we realized we’d need to narrow it down though — or risk complete meatball annihilation. So we honed the plan.

We’d stick to frozen Italian-style meatballs.

Beef Italian-style meatballs (though blends were fine).

And we’d cook them all in the same way: In the microwave. It might not be the best way, but it was a consistent way (and let’s be frank: we often make them that way. I mean, frozen meatballs are all about ease, right?).

We ended up with seven frozen Italian-style meatball varieties. One came in sauce. For the rest, we ate them with a favorite tomato sauce on the side. Those we tasted with and without sauce.

Totally scientific, right?

Seriously though, as we were tasting we took note of certain things like size, texture, flavor and seasoning as well as how well the meatball paired with sauce and if sauce was needed.

And though it was unplanned, with all these meatballs in the freezer, we also did a little extra tasting as we packed them in thermos or reheated them later. That gave us another look at meatballs in another way — would they travel well?

Here’s the verdict.

Our Favorite Italian Beef Frozen Meatballs

Rosina Meatballs Italian-Style

These smaller meatballs were juicy with good flavor. Although they paired well with sauce, they didn’t need it. This made them more versatile than some other meatballs. If you do sauce Rosina Meatballs Italian-Style, make sure you use a good sauce — they deserve it.

These meatballs are great for spaghetti and meatballs, subs or any other use for meatballs you can dream of.

Pineland Farms Italian-Style Beef Meatballs

Before we scoured the grocery store for meatballs for this taste test, I’d never noticed this Maine brand in the freezer. But now that we’re familiar with it, we may never go back. Also a smaller meatball, Pineland Farms meatballs are light and airy. We loved them most served with sauce.

For these, we recommend them eating them solo or with pasta. But if you are hoping for a good meatball sub, use a different variety — the lightness won’t stand up to bread like you’d need it to.

Best Frozen Meatballs to Reheat

One of the more interesting things we discovered was that some meatballs were better reheated. Who knew?

Rao’s Meatballs and Sauce

These larger sized meatballs came in sauce and were fine when we first made them. We noted on the first taste test that they would be ideal in a meatball sub. But when it came to reheating, they had the best flavor, texture and consistency. These are the ones I’d choose if I wanted to cook and eat them over several days.

Best Frozen Meatballs to Pack in Thermoses

Another unexpected outcome of our taste test was having so many meatballs to pack for lunches. While we loved Rosina meatballs when they were just cooked, we didn’t love them when they sat in a thermos for a few hours. Likewise, some of the stronger flavored meatballs — Cooked Perfect and the Hannaford store brand, for instance — were tastier after sitting for a bit. But one brand shined through as a clear favorite.

Pineland Farms Italian-Style Beef Meatballs

This frozen Italian-style meatball variety wasn’t just good freshly made. They were also delicious after being packed in a thermos. In fact, they were so good that Paige made a point to tell me later. If you’re looking for something reliable that travels well, Pineland Farms Italian-Style Beef Meatball is your meatball.

We like these packed with sauce and perhaps a bit of parmesan. Plus, the smaller size made eating them on the go a little easier — no cutting needed!

Do you have a favorite frozen Italian-style meatball?

For our taste test, we relied on what was available at our local grocery store. But there are more meatballs out there than this! Do you have a favorite? Perhaps a variety we didn’t try? Tell us in the comments below!