Freezer Meal: Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Turkey and mushroom meatballs with a herbaceous tomato sauce is a quick and easy freezer meal that can save you time on those busy evenings. You can serve them with pasta, over rice or on their own as an appetizer.
Servings: 6
Calories: 246kcal
Ingredients
For the Turkey Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup button mushrooms finely chopped
- 4 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained of liquid (1 ¼ cups)
- 2 eggs beaten
- ½ cup bread crumbs plain
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Freezer Prep
- In a bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients until well combined.
- Shape into 1 ½ inch balls. Place them on a sheet pan lined with wax paper, making sure they aren’t touching. Transfer to the freezer until sauce is prepared.
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil to medium heat. Sauté the garlic and oregano for about 30 seconds.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Add remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for around 8 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove bay leaves and let cool.3 cups tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 2 bay leaves
- Take the meatballs out of the freezer and transfer them from the sheet pan to a large zip-top freezer bag (about 10 x 10 inches). Pour the sauce in a separate medium zip-top bag (around 7 x 8 inches). Place the sauce bag inside the meatball bag and freeze.
Baking Instructions
- When it’s time to prepare the meal - place the frozen meatballs in a shallow baking pan. Bake uncovered in the oven at 400ºF for around 25 minutes, or until they are no longer pink in the center and reach a minimum temperature of 165°F.
- While they're baking, thaw the sauce package in cold water. Then open it up and heat the sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and serve over pasta, rice, or on their own.
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes about 36 meatballs.
- Use a cookie scoop: I love using a cookie scoop to make perfectly sized and evenly shaped meatballs. Simply scoop, give them a quick roll in your hands, and place them on the sheet pan for easy, uniform portions!
- Freezing Tip: When you freeze the meatballs individually on wax paper before adding them to the zip-top bag, this helps prevent them from sticking together when it’s time to separate them for baking.
- Cool the Sauce: You want to make sure the sauce cools before pouring it into a freezer bag, but remember not to leave it out for more than 2 hours to avoid harmful bacteria.
- Best Before: For best results, the raw meatballs/sauce can be frozen for up to two months.
- Fridge Storage: Cooked turkey meatballs will last up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Store them in a covered container.
- Label the Bags: Be sure to label the bags with the date of preparation so that you know when they need to be cooked by.
Nutrition
Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 1280mg | Potassium: 779mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3001IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 3mg
