Hello!
I always find myself wracking my brain when trying to come up with a versatile meal idea, where I have the option of freezing so it can be just as good if used within a week. Then...meatballs came to mind!
Meatballs are super easy to make - just mix, shape and cook. They're also pretty simple to adjust just so they are a wee bit healthier.
In the recipe below, I've replaced beef with chicken, italian bread crumbs with whole wheat, and opted to bake instead of fry:
What You'll Need
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup yellow onion, minced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese* (optional)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (increase to 1 cup if eliminating parm cheese)
- 2 tsp. fresh** oregano (You can go with dried, but fresh herbs make a huge difference in this recipe!)
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme
- 2 tsp. fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
What You'll Do
- Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
- Place chicken, egg, yellow onion and garlic in a medium bowl. Knead until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix parm cheese, bread crumbs, thyme, parsley, sea salt and black pepper. Add to meat mixture. Knead until combined.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and olive oil. Guess what? Knead until combined. =)
- Line a 9 x 12 cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- Form meatballs to desired size and place on cookie sheet. Keep them about 1/2 inch apart so that they can cook evenly.
- Place in oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. And....
Voila! Meatballs that you can use in spaghetti sauce tonight, then
freeze and use next week in meatball parm heroes! (Make sure they're
cooled before placing them in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag or container...)
Meatballs in spaghetti sauce with thin spaghetti and a just a little mozzarella cheese =)
(all photos by a. singh)
Enjoy!
