Freezer Favorite: Mini Meatballs

November 1, 2009

These mini meatballs are a favorite. Once you make these, you will never go back to store bought meatballs again...promise! And they have so many uses.

Mini Meatballs



Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15-25 minutes
Yield: 80-90 meatballs

1 large onion, grated
1&1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan
9 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup dried Italian style bread crumbs
3 pounds ground meat*
1/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley leaves
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped

*We generally make these with a blend of ground turkey and beef. You can choose all turkey, all beef or any combination. These can be very healthy since they are not friend in oil and can be made using 100% lean ground turkey. And they are SO GOOD you'll thank me!


To Prepare

-Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Mix in the turkey...making sure to NOT over mix. Working the meat too much will make it tough.

- Shape the turkey mixture into 1 inch-diameter meatballs. Lightly spray a teflon baking sheet with cooking spray. Place meatballs on baking sheet.

Note: Do not overcrowd the meatballs on the pan...I get 4 rows across and 6 down on a standard rimmed baking sheet. You can bake two sheets at once, but switch racks halfway through cooking time.

-Bake meatballs on Teflon (dark) cookie sheet at 400* for 15-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160*F. If you like them a bit more browned than they turn out, just stick them under a low broiler until desired brown crust is added (yummm....my favorite part).


To Freeze

- Flash freeze cooked meatballs on a clean and cool cookie sheet lined with a silpat or wax paper.

- Store in ziplock bag in freezer for up to 1 year.


To Serve

Check these posts for just a few ideas of recipes for using your delicious meatballs!
Part I
Part II
Part III


Note: Recipe adapted from a meatball recipe by Giada de Laurentiis

10 comments:

Anonymous,  November 02, 2009  

Yum!!

Mary November 02, 2009  

I buy a ton of store bought meatballs. Convert me by feeding these to me on the 18th.

Noelani November 03, 2009  

are we cooking then freezing or freezing than cooking?

Cat November 09, 2009  

I have the same question as Noelani, I was assuming freeze first, then thaw and cook but now think that might not be right. A lot of the commercially prepared meatballs are precooked.

Do you freeze raw or cooked?

Unused Account November 09, 2009  

You cook them FIRST. Then freeze.

Anonymous,  November 13, 2009  

I had a friend over last night and we each made a batch of these.... oh my gosh! I'm not sure how many actually made it to the freezer we kept popping them in our mouths like candy. LOL! Soo soo good! Then the hubby came home from school and ate an entire plate of them. Yummy! Thank you for this recipe it is going to get well used at my house!

Mindy November 16, 2009  

I just found this part of your life and I love it! Anyway the parm cheese, is it the "fresh" kind life you can buy from Kraft in the hanging bag or that powdered stuff in the canister?

Lauralee December 02, 2009  

just random spelling correction, you said friend in oil instead of fried in oil. I LOVE your new look. I just love this site!!!

Unknown December 02, 2009  

LOVE this recipe!! Thanks so much.

Lauralee February 20, 2010  

Ok..so I just barely tried these and they are SO good. The boys were "helping me" and it was a trick to get any in the freezer. Logan actually turned down a cookie to eat more meatballs!!!

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A new recipe will be posted each Monday and, of course, you can always search the archives by category.

The Goal of this blog is not just to give you my recipes, but to teach you which ingredients freeze well, which don't, methods and tips to help you freeze your own recipes...because who knows better what your family likes than you?

Do you only cook organic? Great! Are you a vegetarian? No problem! Make what works for you and save time, money and (let's be honest...stress) while doing it.

The Freeze Happy philosophy has made my life better and I'm pretty sure it can improve yours too.

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