Sous Vide Meatballs

Sous vide meatballs

The Spruce Eats / Diana Rattray

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 3 mins
Total: 2 hrs 23 mins
Servings: 9 servings
Yield: 30 to 36 meatballs

Sous vide meatballs turn out perfectly cooked every time. These meatballs are moist and tender yet firm, and the flavor was incredible.

Freezing makes the meatballs firm enough to keep their shape when sealed with the vacuum sealer. 

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Combine the ground beef, pork, egg, onion, Parmesan cheese, oats, milk, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix until well blended. If you use a stand mixer with paddle attachment, take care not to overmix. 

  2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

  3. Shape the meat mixture into about 30 to 36 meatballs equal in size. For very uniform meatballs use a small cookie scoop or weigh them. 

  4. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet and transfer to the freezer. Freeze for about 1 to 2 hours, until very firm.

  5. Vacuum seal the frozen meatballs in individual bags or seal in zip-close food storage bags, removing as much air as possible. Return to the freezer. 

  6. Set the sous vide cooker temperature to 144 F (62.2 C).

  7. When the cooker gets to 144 F (62.2 C), put the bag(s) of frozen meatballs in the water. If you didn't have a vacuum sealer, make sure the meatballs are well immersed in the water. You can use a clip to attach the top of the bag to the pan. 

  8. Set the timer to 2 hours.

  9. When the meatballs are cooked, take them out of the bags, gently pat them dry, and sear them for a minute or two in hot olive oil to brown the outside. Add them to a pasta sauce or toss them with some sweet and sour sauce or marinara and serve them with rice or pasta.

  10. If you aren't eating them right away, drop the bags in a container with half ice and half water to cool the meatballs quickly to 40 F (4.44 C) and store in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for up to one year.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
243 Calories
14g Fat
5g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9
Amount per serving
Calories 243
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 5g 27%
Cholesterol 94mg 31%
Sodium 350mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 77mg 6%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 371mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)