The Costco Italian Staple To Stock In Your Freezer For Quick, Easy Dinners On The Fly

In our definitive ranking of popular frozen meatballs from worst to best, Costco's Kirkland Signature Meatballs sat solidly in second place. They're delicious, and you can buy them in bulk in a resealable bag, adding convenience to the list of reasons to keep them in your freezer at all times. However, with a price tag of about $17 to $23 for a 6-pound bag (placing cost at around $3 to $4 per pound), they're just a bit pricey.

Considering the first three ingredients listed on the package are ground beef, water, and breadcrumbs, it's safe to say you're getting your money's worth in terms of a high-quality product. This is supported further by the large size of the meatballs, which makes them perfect for pairing with Kirkland Signature's garlic Parmesan butter dinner rolls to make easy meatball sliders. This meal comes together in minutes, feeds a crowd, and it's easy to grab everything in one simple grocery trip — including a few jars of Rao's Marinara Sauce if you like your sliders saucy.

These meatballs are also great to have on hand as quick protein for your favorite meals. The resealable bag makes it easy to use just a few meatballs at a time, and for everything from classic spaghetti and meatballs to Swedish meatballs smothered in brown gravy. That's the other plus — these meaty bites are savory and delicious, but without a heavily defined flavor profile, so they're incredibly versatile.

Since these meatballs are fully cooked, they only need to be heated to bring out their savory flavor, not to make them safe to eat. This saves you the hassle of handling raw proteins to make a healthy meal when you're already tired after a long day. Instead, you can simply use frozen meatballs to add meaty goodness to a cheesy Italian pasta bake, or mince them and layer them inside a lasagna. According to the package instructions, you can heat them directly from frozen without thawing first, so that simplifies your meals even further.

Additionally, just because meatballs are traditionally used in Italian dishes doesn't mean you're limited when turning them into easy, craveable weeknight dinners. Try glazing them with a little marmalade and simmering them with garlic, pineapples, and some red pepper flakes as a take on Hawaiian meatballs. You can also chop them and fold them into quesadillas, enchiladas, and burritos, or simmer them in rich soups, stews, and your favorite chili recipe.

Their large size may make them tough to use as toothpick appetizers, but you can still sneak them onto party trays inside Philly cheesesteak eggrolls, or use them as meat on top of nachos. If you're really strapped for time, but want a nutrient-dense meal, you can also roast them with frozen veggies on a sheet tray, steam a bag of quinoa, smother everything in ranch, and call it a day.