The Meatballs I Always Keep in My Freezer

The Meatballs I Always Keep in My Freezer

By: Ashlyn Walters / Southern Hospitality Company

I have given this meatball recipe out what feels like a million times. I make them for parties. I take them to tailgates, tennis matches and potlucks in a tiny Crock-Pot. When I am stocking the freezer for a friend who just had a baby or someone coming home from the hospital, these are almost always in the delivery. This past weekend, I hosted two different dinner parties and served them as an appetizer at both. They disappeared almost immediately both times.

They are juicy, incredibly tender and packed with flavor, but perhaps the best thing about them is that they are useful. The basic meatball isn’t tied to one particular meal. Make a big batch, freeze them plain, and you can turn them into whatever you need later: simmer them in red sauce, glaze them with something a little more Asian-inspired, add them to soup, or make the lemony version that I serve most often.

And when I say I make a big batch, I mean it.

My standard recipe starts with two pounds of sweet Italian sausage and two pounds of ground lamb. Occasionally something else from the refrigerator finds its way into the bowl, but those two are the constants.

Then comes the ingredient I will not negotiate on: good, full-fat ricotta.

I use Bellwether Farms Whole Milk Basket Ricotta whenever I can find it, and I genuinely think it may be the greatest ricotta in the world. Murray’s also makes a good option. Whatever you buy, use whole milk. This is not the place to save a few grams of fat. The ricotta is a huge part of what makes these meatballs so tender.

From there, the recipe becomes a little less scientific. A lot of fresh herbs. A lot of Parmesan. Garlic. Onion. Panko. Eggs. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and usually whatever else looks good to me when I open the spice cabinet.

The point is: don’t be scared of seasoning a four-pound bowl of meat.

Ingredients

2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed if necessary

2 pounds ground lamb

12 ounces full-fat whole-milk ricotta

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 large onion, very finely diced

5–6 cloves garlic, minced

1 generous cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more if your heart tells you to

2 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1–2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste depending on the saltiness of your sausage and Parmesan

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

Any other herbs or seasonings you feel compelled to throw in

Add everything to a very large bowl.

At this point, I usually hand the bowl to my husband.

Mix everything until evenly incorporated, but don’t beat it to death. Overworking ground meat is one of the easiest ways to lose that tender texture we’re after.

Portion the mixture into approximately 1.7-ounce meatballs. We actually weigh ours. Roll each portion lightly between your hands and place on a sheet pan.

To Stock the Freezer

This is how I make these most often.

Arrange the uncooked meatballs on a parchment-lined sheet pan without letting them touch and freeze until completely firm. Once frozen, transfer them to freezer bags or, even better, vacuum-seal them in portions that make sense for your household.

Then instead of making meatballs every time you want meatballs, you simply pull out exactly what you need.

That little bit of work on the front end has saved dinner more times than I can count.

Now Make Them Your Own

This is where the recipe really earns its keep. The meatballs themselves are intentionally versatile. You can bake them simply and eat them as they are, drop them into your favorite red sauce, or use the basic recipe as a starting point for an entirely different flavor profile. But nine times out of ten, this is what I do:

My Lemon, Honey & Rosemary Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Lightly coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray and arrange the meatballs inside, leaving a little room between them. Tuck fresh rosemary sprigs and thin slices of lemon throughout the dish.

Bake for about 15–20 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and turn the meatballs so another side has a chance to brown.

While they cook, whisk together:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Champagne or Prosecco vinegar
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of kosher salt

Drizzle the mixture generously over the partially cooked meatballs, then return them to the oven for another 10–15 minutes, turning or spooning some of the pan juices over them as needed.

The exact cooking time will depend on the size of your meatballs and whether they went into the oven chilled or fully thawed, so don’t rely solely on the clock. Cook until the center of the meatballs reaches 160°F.

Remove them from the oven and pile them onto a serving platter or directly into a small slow cooker if they’re headed out the door.

Finish with a little drizzle of honey, a scattering of Maldon sea salt, fresh rosemary and a few fresh lemon slices.

And that’s it.

They’re savory from the sausage and Parmesan, bright from the lemon and vinegar, slightly sweet from the honey and unbelievably tender from the ricotta. The rosemary perfumes everything without turning the meatballs into something that tastes overly herbal.

They are equally at home passed around with cocktail napkins at a party or eaten standing over the kitchen counter before you’ve even managed to get them onto the platter.

We’d love to hear your thoughts if you try this recipe! Enjoy your meatballs