Barb and I were comparing notes on recent “fly-by” meals we’d put together for people who were racing through our kitchens en route to someplace else. One of the ingredients we both found essential was the big bag of pre-made meatballs we found in the freezer section at Sam’s Club. (You can also buy them in smaller quantities at a grocery store, but we really like the flavor of the ones at Sam’s.) It ain’t gourmet, but hey–we all have those days when we need to put dinner on the table in short order.
So here are a few quick and tasty ideas for meals that need to get made quick:
Meatball sandwiches:
Thaw the meatballs
Using good bread, whether sliced or kaiser-roll-ish, and your choice of sauce (we like BBQ, but you could go a different direction with Ranch dressing, or horseradish, or even Hoisin sauce. You may add slices of cheese if you wish.) Build a sandwich with bread, sauce, and meatballs.
Meatball soup:
Start with a pot of chicken stock. I pulled out a tub of homemade turkey stock from my last turkey and used that. You may use chicken stock prepared commercially. Add any of the following: leftover vegetables (I used the potatoes and carrots left from the roast beef we had a few nights before,) a bag of frozen mixed vegetables or a vegetable of your choice, minced garlic, oregano or Italian spices; a can of white beans, some noodles or rice. Add a number of meatballs (they can go in frozen, since they will cook fairly quickly in the stock.) Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes after the whole mixture has come to a boil. Serve with a stack of warmed corn tortillas.
Fast spaghetti and meatballs:
Cook a package of your choice of pasta according to the directions on the package.
Thaw/cook the meatballs.
Toss the noodles with a jar of your choice of heated pre-fab spaghetti sauce (I like Ragu, because it’s cheap; I doctor it by adding extra garlic and basil, and perhaps a few mushrooms if I have them on hand.) Top with meatballs and serve.
LB
1 Comment
August 27, 2008 at 11:59 am
[...] the meatballs. Long ago, Laura and I discovered the six pound bag of meatballs at Sams Club. We LOVE these meatballs and I always have a bag in my deep freeze. The regular grocery store also [...]