Browning Homestead Meatballs

 (No frying, spattering, or baking required!)

1.5 lbs. Browning Homestead ground beef (or mix BH ground beef and  BH ground pork[1])

1 c. tomato juice or plain tomato sauce

¾ c. Quaker® Oats (I use the Quaker Oats Quick Oats[2])

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ c. finely chopped onion

¼ c. red wine (choose your favorite) or Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp salt

½ tsp Black pepper

½ cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)

Mix the beef and pork until evenly mixed. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

Form your meatballs and place on a wax or parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Place cookie sheet in freezer for at least 24 hours, more if you are using a vacuum sealer.

Package meatballs in ziploc or vacuum bags in the number you usually make for a meal, with extras for leftovers.    

Now you’re ready to cook meatballs any day, just put your favorite sauce in a slow cooker in the morning, add the FROZEN meatballs, and cook on LOW for 7 - 8 hours. No need to thaw the meatballs.        

*This is the Quaker Oats® Prize Winning Meatloaf Recipe, with my changes.

[1] I doubled this recipe, using one pound each of our BH ground beef, BH ground pork and BH ground veal – but I did not quite double the cheese, I used ¾ c.  This made up into  nice sized meatballs.

[2] The oatmeal is a filler, a way to stretch my meat and food dollars. If I only have the Old Fashioned Quaker Oats®, I chop them into finer flakes because I don’t want to see the oatmeal flakes in my meatballs.