May 19, 2012 is Food Revolution Day.
Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s television show, Food Revolution Day is about fun, getting out into our communities, sitting down for family meals and packing healthy lunches for our kids.
Even before becoming the Canned Soup Mom I have always been a “Sometimes Food Mom”. This means that in my family’s life there are every day healthy foods and sometimes foods.
Yes, Sometimes Foods include drive-thru meals, frozen pre-packaged entrées and foods that come out of a box or a can. But what I’ve come to learn over the last almost decade of being responsible for feeding the little people I love is that healthy every day food does not need to mean time consuming, expensive or even inconvenient.
After all, if this Canned Soup Mom can do it, so can you - especially with a little bit of help from recipes like this one.
I make these meatballs at least once a month and freeze the majority of them. My eight year old daughter’s favourite lunch is three of these meatballs cut into quarters and put into her thermos. For quick week-night dinners I defrost these and toss them over pasta and sauce or put them on a nice crusty roll with tomato sauce and melted cheese. These meatballs are super easy, super fast and definitely Food Revolution Day worthy.
Simply mix the wet ingredients.
Add the dry stuff.
Shape into meatballs and bake.
Then cool and freeze (I don't bother dating mine because they don't last very long).
Ingredients
2 eggs
2 tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 tbsp. tomato paste or tomato sauce (I’ve used both and they both taste great)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup milk (I typically use skim)
1 tsp. sea salt (or other coarse salt)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2lbs extra lean ground beef (I usually buy the $10 package from my local grocery store or Wal-Mart)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, Italian seasoning, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper until tomato paste is dissolved.
- Add ground beef, cheese, and breadcrumbs and mix together using your hands.
- Form meatballs approximately 3tbsp. in size and place on cookie sheet lined with tin foil and sprayed with non-stick spray (NOTE: if you’ve opened up a jar of tomato sauce instead of using tomato paste I often place a tsp. of sauce over each uncooked meatball just for fun).
- Bake in a pre-heated 325F oven for 30-35 minutes. Using a fork to cut in half check one to ensure it is cooked through (or use a meat themometer). Then cool completely.
Yield: 36 Meatballs
PS: Looking for other super-easy and freezable but sit-down-for-dinner-worthy recipes be sure to try my Three Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos and my Dad’s famous Two Potato Soup.
Loosely based on this recipe from Crepes of Wrath.
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