Make Your Own Meatballs

Meatballs are one of my freezer staples. Frozen meatballs are an excellent item to have on hand for creating quick, easy meals for your family. They are so versatile!

I often turn a bag of thawed meatballs into meatball subs, meatball sliders, meatball stew, spaghetti and meatballs, Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, linguine and meatballs in tomato basil cream sauce, and my latest creation, spaghetti and meatballs in bacon vodka sauce.  Oh, and let’s not forget about cocktail meatballs in the crock pot…the possibilities are limitless!

While you can buy frozen meatballs at the grocery, I prefer to make my own. In the past, I have made complicated versions of the meatball with a blend of pork, beef, and veal, homemade bread crumbs and even fresh herbs.

However, my go-to meatball recipe is a super easy recipe originally featured in the Kraft Food & Family magazine. As far as meatball recipes go, you won’t find an easier, more cost effective recipe -- you only need four ingredients.

Best of all, the meatballs come together in very little time and they always taste delicious!

The Best Meatballs from Kraft food & family adapted slightly by me

2 lbs. ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1- 1/4 cups water
2 eggs
salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Mix ingredients until blended; shape into balls. Each meatball = 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture.

2. Place meatballs on each prepared pan. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until done.

3. Freeze half or more of meatballs for later.

This recipe makes enough for two meals for our family of four. I usually double the recipe and put 3-4 meals worth of meatballs in my freezer.

To freeze:

Cool meatballs to room temperature. Label quart-sized freezer bags with the contents and date.  Fill each bag with a meal-sized portion of meatballs (4-5 meatballs per person).  Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Freeze flat for up to 6 months.

Spaghetti and Meatballs in Bacon Vodka Sauce
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
12-16 oz dry spaghetti
16-24 meatballs, thawed if frozen
3-6 slices bacon
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1-2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1  28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup vodka
2/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for topping

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain the pasta.

Fry bacon until crisp in a large skillet. Remove to paper towels. Leave 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the skillet. Add the onion and shallots to the bacon drippings in the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, a minute more or until fragrant. Crumble the bacon into the skillet over the onions and add the meatballs, cooking until the meatballs are warmed. Stir in the vodka, tomatoes and salt to taste. Return the skillet to medium heat and simmer, stirring often, until the alcohol cooks off, 7-10 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and basil.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve topped with more parmesan and basil.

Enjoy!