05/16/2026
We are big fans of prepping easy meals ahead of time and popping them into the
freezer for later. We love buying bulk ground meat, making a big batch of
meatballs then popping them in the freezer. These meatballs can be sauteed in a
skillet (then add red sauce for pasta!), popped into the oven or skewered and
cooked on your grill.
DIY meatballs
1 T pork lard
1 T olive oil
1 large red onion
2 T Italian Herbs
Coarsely ground Salt and pepper
5-7 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
⅓ cup tomato paste
¼ cup balsamic glaze
1 LB ground pork sausage
1 LB ground beef
1 ½ cups bread crumbs
Add lard and olive oil to a skillet, add onion, Italian herbs and salt and pepper and
saute until translucent. Add garlic in the last 1-2 minutes (don’t let burn). Turn off
heat. In a large bowl combine sauteed onions, eggs, tomato paste, balsamic
glaze, pork, beef and bread crumbs. Add more S&P. Optional: add chopped fresh
herbs. Use your hands to blend well. Roll into ping-pong size balls. You can put in
ziplocs or containers then freeze.
Options to cook:
● Place on cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, grind on some S&P and bake
at 375 for 30 min (if refrigerated) and 45 min (if frozen).
● Defrost, then brown in a skillet (in this case, low/medium heat with some
olive oil. If you put a lid on for 15 min they cook through, then remove lid
and brown meatballs until cooked through). Add red sauce and simmer
for a bit to meld flavors!
● Defrost then skewer and grill (you can flatten or lengthen them a bit on
the skewer for more surface area and less-thick centers)
