Making and Freezing Baked Meatballs

Spaghetti, probably one of the easiest weeknight meals of all time.  We used to have it just about every Wednesday night.  

Spaghetti and meatballs however, not so quick and easy.  It takes planning.  First, there’s remembering to get the hamburger out of the freezer, then there’s mixing and forming the meatballs, next there’s browning them and of course the longer they cook in the sauce, the better.  

Buying frozen meatballs is an option but I really prefer homemade.  Today’s Time Saving Tuesday Tip is a great way to keep meatballs on hand and ready to go….Baked Meatballs.

It’s quite simple, really.  It still takes a little time but the end result is a much larger quantity of meatballs.  

Here’s the Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Make a large batch of your favorite meatball recipe

Place meatballs about 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet

* Although I forgot to do it, lining with foil will also cut down on your clean up time.  I should do that as a Time Saving Tuesday then maybe I could remember to do it every time*

Bake meatballs for about 30 minutes

You can leave them slightly under-done if desired, allowing them to finish cooking later in whatever sauce you use

Remove from pan and cool

Use or freeze for later.

Freezing:

Place meatball on a clean baking sheet in a single layer so they aren’t touching

Put baking sheet in freezer, making sure it sits level

Freeze for 30 – 60 minutes or until frozen enough so that the meatballs don’t stick together in the bag

Place in a freezer bag and return to freezer

No need to thaw meatballs before placing them in sauce to heat through

What’s your favorite sauce for meatballs?