Freeze Ahead Meatballs

Yesterday I told you I’d be back with the first of our Make Ahead Freezer Meals recipe.

Today’s recipe, again, came from my mom.  It’s one of those versatile ones that you can customize to fit  your family’s taste.  Meatballs?…You can serve them with the sauce listed below over mashed potatoes, or in sub buns, or even with your favourite spaghetti sauce.  My mother-in-law gave me the tip of blending all the ingredients in a blender before adding it to the hamburger.  Then if you have picky eaters (who may not like onions), they’ll never know what’s really inside…  It works like a charm and mixes in easily with the ground beef.

I used to freeze the meatballs on a cookie sheet, and then when frozen, I would package them in ziploc bags.  But, I discovered an even easier way.  I place the ziploc bag on a cookie sheet and, using a small scoop,  scoop them right into the bag.

Having them on the cookie sheet makes transporting them to the freezer a whole lot easier.

{1 recipe makes more than one bag of meatballs.}

FREEZE AHEAD MEATBALLS

3 pounds hamburger

1 cup milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup cracker crumbs (12 crackers, crushed)

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. chili powder

Mix and form into balls.  Freeze individually on cookie sheets, then take off and put in Ziploc bags.  When ready to use, take out appropriate number of meatballs.

for SAUCE, mix together:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. chili powder

Pour sauce over frozen meatballs. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.