We all wish we could cook meals from scratch every day of the week, giving our families something made from the heart that we can feel proud of. But let's face it, that kind of cooking doesn't fit into most or our lives. Sure, there are times when we can take the time to do it, and it is such a treat when we can, but most days we all need to take advantage of convenience items from the store to make supper time a little easier.
If you haven't bought a bag of frozen meatballs lately, let me tell you I am a big fan. They come in all different varieties and range in prices depending if you're going for name brand or store brand. (I have used both and in my opinion, there isn't a big difference between them in flavor, only in price, just FYI.)
Sure, making homemade meatballs is awesome, almost an art form, but just not something I have the time or patience for most days. Frozen meatballs work just fine for my recipes and my family, and I am 100% okay with admitting that.
Plus, since a lot of my recipes using them cook in the Crock Pot, they are even more perfect! They can go from freezer to slow cooker, with no thawing, and come out delicious every time. (You can find a few of those recipes at the bottom of this post!)
A friend told me about this recipe when we were talking about how controversial using condensed soups has become. That is a conversation for another day, but whew...people feel very strongly about it! She mentioned she loved using the French Onion variety for a great meatball recipe and I had to know more! That's when she hit me with the best detail! This recipe only has TWO ingredients. I will wait while you gather yourself....
Now, I added some fresh parsley for color and served them over some buttered egg noodles, so that added to my shopping list, but not much, and still kept things pretty budget-friendly.
The meatballs suck up all that yummy French onion flavor and come out tender, moist and oh so good! And the noodles just love to have some of the cooking liquid poured down over them. A simple, comfort food meal any night of the week!
If you've been walking past the frozen meatballs at the grocery store, stop and take a look and see what inspiration comes to you!
What Kind Of Meatballs To Use
For this recipe you want a bag of meatballs labeled "homestyle", not the Italian variety.
What Kind Of Soup To Use
You can find canned French Onion Soup right next to the other condensed soups. Some stores might not carry it, but I can find it easily at Walmart.
Do I Have To Thaw The Meatballs
Absolutely not! Dump that bag right into the Crock Pot, pour over the soup and you're done. As the meatballs thaw, they will add some moisture to the soup, replacing the water you would normally add, making a delicious sauce/gravy.
How To Serve French Onion Meatballs
I served these over some buttered egg noodles, but they would also be delicious sitting on top of some steamed rice. You could even serve them as a party appetizer- just sit a bowl of toothpicks or a slotted spoon next to the Crock Pot.
Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs
1 (32 oz.) bag frozen homestyle meatballs
3 (10 oz.) cans French onion soup
For serving:
Fresh parsley, chopped
2 TBS butter
1 (16 oz.) bag egg noodles, cooked and drained
Add frozen meatballs to Crock Pot. Pour soup over. Stir well. Cook on low for 4 hours until heated through. When ready to serve, mix cooked egg noodles with better. Serve meatballs and sauce on top of noodles. Garnish with parsley.
Best Tips
Italian meatballs have extra spices and herbs that wouldn't pair well with the soup flavor.
After 4 hours, these will stay on the warm setting for a couple more hours nicely.
These would also be delicious served with steamed rice or mashed potatoes.
Frozen meatballs are usually next to the frozen egg rolls, lasagna, etc. in the grocery store.
I think store brand meatballs taste the same as name brand. The ones used for this recipe and photo were Great Value from Walmart.
More Meatball Recipes
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