Homemade Meatballs

Meatballs! We used to buy them, but after I started making our own at home, store-bought ones just don't do it for us anymore. And meatballs are probably the simplest of the make-ahead foods you can do at home - very little effort, resources and ingredients compared to, for example, ravioli. I usually make enough to eat in the evening I make them, and then a few servings for later use. Frozen, they can store in the fridge for a long time.

Start with ground meat. I like using turkey - it is very lean and healthy. But any meat can be used. I have made lamb meatballs, pork, chicken will works too (so will beef, but we avoid that).

I add eggs, salt, ground pepper, herbs (dried oregano), Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs. If I had some prosciutto, diced, I would add that as well, but today we are out of that ingredient.

Mix everything together. I find that just kneading with hands is the best way. Then form small balls by rolling desired amount between two hands. I pre-cook my meat balls. Boil a pot of water and drop formed meatballs in. Avoid overcrowding. I use smaller pot and cook them in batches for a simple reason that I like to keep a bit of the heavily-flavored broth that remains after cooking the meatballs this way. And the smaller the pot, the more flavor I get.

Once meatballs are cooked, I store them in freezer bag, one serving for two people per bag, and it is so very convenient to have them in case an evening just gets too busy to cook a dinner. They can be easily reheated, or used in further recipes.

Like I said before, this is a super easy make-ahead food and it always helps to make a few extra batches just in case. Enjoy!