These Expensive Frozen Meatballs Are The Worst Ones You Can Buy

Meatballs are very popular among Americans, so much so that this comfort food has a national day of its own (March 9, in case you haven't already reserved its spot in your calendar). When it comes to whipping up this dish with Italian roots, sometimes a frozen option is just the compromise needed. A quick, simple, and deeply flavorful meatball dish that puts smiles on faces from the first bite — it's the meat lovers' ultimate dinnertime dream. The only dilemma is knowing which store-bought frozen meatballs deserve a place in your freezer. Thankfully, Chowhound took the worthy task of eating through some of the nation's most popular frozen meatballs to rank them from worst to best. There was one meatball which would never make it to our forks again: The Flying Meatball, which came in last place.

If you're used to preparing your own meatballs from scratch (or snagging a few from someone who does a damn good job of filling the kitchen with juicy meatball flavors), then you'll know that going the extra step for flavorful meatballs is non-negotiable. The Flying Meatballs' frozen meatballs weren't necessarily lacking flavor, rather the taste was underwhelming. The mild flavor is more noticeable without the sauce that they come with, despite the use of Italian ingredients like Pecorino Romano and seasonings like garlic and parsley. These meatballs are proudly artisanal (with a price tag to match), but the flavor didn't exactly live up to this expectation. The price for six meatballs goes for around $16, which is a little too steep given the lackluster flavors that await. The Flying Meatballs were also the cleanest of the bunch, boasting minimal processing and no artificial ingredients or preservatives, which unfortunately wasn't enough to save them from last place.

So, those who like blended meats will appreciate these meatballs for their savory, well-combined mixture. The three-meat variant is made from beef, pork, and veal, and unlike some of the other frozen meatballs, these come in their own sauce — which might be a disadvantage if you're looking for a non-spaghetti based recipe and dare to experiment with a Gordon Ramsay-approved tangy cheese meatball sub creation. On the topic of sauce, this one was runnier than most which did no justice to the meatballs themselves, making them soft and soggy. It's worth knowing that The Flying Meatballs also offer a range of other variants such as the 100% beef and 100% turkey meatballs, as well as more experimental, non-Italian style meatballs such as Korean-style BBQ and Buffalo chicken. 

These fancy frozen meatballs are certainly a hit-and-miss. Perhaps The Flying Meatballs are not for the ravenously hungry or for the quick-fix dinner nights as they require a bit more of an appreciation for natural ingredients as well as clean and subtle tastes. Nevertheless, they were not a flavor match when compared to some of the other more well-seasoned meatballs on our list, some of which were packed in rich and thick sauces. If you're looking for crowd-pleasers that you can count on for guaranteed meatball success, there are certainly other frozen meatballs that get the job done with plate-cleaning simplicity.