Why This Grocery Store Brand Frozen Meatball Missed The Mark For Us

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic comfort meal, but it's not always that easily accessible. Making meatballs can be time-consuming, and some people can't eat the beef or pork they're typically made with, whether due to a dietary restriction or simply because they don't enjoy the taste. This is where frozen turkey meatballs come in handy. They offer a quick and easy alternative to forming meatballs by hand or with red meat, perfect for a lazy dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. However, not all frozen meatballs are made equal. 

Daily Meal tried and ranked seven brands of frozen turkey meatballs, and Target's Good & Gather placed second-to-last overall. Their turkey meatballs had an overwhelmingly salty taste that gave way to an unpleasant, weirdly dishwater-style tang and no other discernible flavors. Suffice it to say, despite impressively containing no antibiotics or hormones, these meatballs missed the mark. At least they were pretty decent size-wise, unlike Our Best, the worst of the bunch, which were so tiny they wouldn't look appetizing atop a pile of noodles. 

Rosina's frozen turkey meatballs earned the top spot in Daily Meal's ranking, but even then, we weren't hugely impressed by them. While the meatballs were serviceable, they were a bit watery and had a sort of strangely sausage-like undertone. Paired with a good sauce, they could make for a fine dinner, especially on a night where you're placing convenience over quality. However, if you really want a good spaghetti and turkey meatball meal, you're much better off making them yourself, from scratch. Try this recipe for easy homemade turkey meatballs, which would be a vast improvement over any frozen offering, especially paired with a high-quality store-bought spaghetti brand. 

You can even upgrade your homemade meatballs with a variety of ingredients for the best results, which isn't really possible with the frozen variety. On the other hand, if you really want the convenience of frozen meatballs but don't need to avoid beef, Trader Joe's are a great choice. In fact, they earned the top spot in a Daily Meal ranking of frozen meatball brands thanks to their spice blend and homemade mouthfeel. Even Good & Gather's frozen beef meatballs earned higher praise than the turkey offering; perhaps it's easier to capture the essence of a good beef meatball in frozen form.