We are starting to settle into winter weather here. The first snow has passed and we are starting to get the 20-25 degree nights. I love Italian food on a cold, dark night. Add a glass of wine and it seems luxurious and comforting.

This weather has us looking ahead though. Last week we made Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup with mini-meatballs (click for link to recipe). We made enough meatballs for the soup and when we were making those we made a bunch of meatballs for the freezer at the same time. Tonight was the time to pull out a package for a simple dinner. Make a delicious semi-homemade meal with a box of pasta, a jar of your favorite sauce (or some frozen homemade sauce). When you make your meals look ahead to what you can prep or add extra protein to in cooking so that you can get a good start on your next meals. If you are cooking one chicken breast – cook two or three. Chop them up for tacos, soups, or casseroles later in the month. Just remember to label everything and have a meal plan so that nothing needs to get thrown out. That has been the biggest adjustment for us is how little food we consume without the kids.

Verdict: This is such a super easy dish to make. Making it a bit more special with the homemade meatballs is so simple when you can combine making it with another dish such as the Italian Wedding Soup. Even if you are cooking for a larger family these tips work well for that too! We portioned the extra meatballs into two packets so we had Italian Wedding Soup and Spaghetti and Meatballs and in a few weeks we will have Meatball Subs. I love having these on hand. Remember double or triple the meatball recipe.

Ingredients:

Meatball Recipe:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup onion finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced finely
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (if sauteing)

• 1 box angel hair pasta

• 1 large jar Spaghetti sauce (I prefer Rao’s)

• Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese for topping

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl combine, egg, ground beef, onion, parsley, garlic, bread, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix with hands to gently combine. Form meatballs about 15-20. Bake or Saute’ meatballs according to your preference until fully cooked. Bake 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
2. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Warm spaghetti sauce and add meatballs if desired to flavor sauce.
4. Serve pasta topped with sauce, meatballs, and cheese as desired.