Happy Monday everyone! Our meal prep for this week was a super easy combo of meatballs and pasta. We had a busy weekend and needed something that was quick and painless. These meatballs were super easy to throw together and then they went into the slow cooker while we were out for the day!
Ingredients (Makes 45 meatballs)
Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground meat ( I used a combo of beef and pork)
- 1/2 breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp seasoning (I used oregano and basil)
- salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 3 tbsp basil
- 2 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 bag Arctic Garden Spaghettini Vegetables
- 2 cups chopped zucchini
Process
Preheat oven to 400. For the meatballs, add ground meat, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasoning to a large bowl. Mix with your hands for the best results. Do not squish it too much! On baking sheets covered in tin foil, shape meatballs to about the size of a golf ball. Place an inch apart. You should be able to get 12-15 meatballs on a tray. I had three trays of meatballs. Cook for 25 minutes. Flip the meatballs halfway to brown both sides.
While the meatballs are cooking, place the crushed and diced tomatoes in the slow cooker. We are blessed with two slow cookers (benefits of moving in together) so just be mindful of how full you make your slow cooker. Add basil, garlic, and salt and pepper and mix. At this point you can add in whatever veggies you like; we used pre-cut veggies from Arctic Garden and they were great( #notsponsored)! I also added some zucchini that I had in the fridge but the possibilities are endless.
Once the meatballs are cooked, you can add them to the sauce. Make sure they are covered completely by the sauce and put on HIGH for 4 hrs or LOW for 6-8 hours.
When the meatballs are done, boil up some pasta and you’re ready to divide up your meals for the week! We have found that pasta doesn’t freeze very well so we make half on Sunday and half on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Happy eating!
Kathleen Read 