Weeknight Meatballs

35 minutes from start to finish -most of that time is totally HANDS OFF

These are great. They are delicious, fast and you can use them as a jumping off point to so many dinners. I’ve posted about them before when I made them topped with melty mozzarella and a big hunk of homemade focaccia to sop up the sauce. But here are some other combos that I love:

• Straight up with pasta, maybe a dollop of ricotta and showered with basil.

• Nestled next to sautéed broccoli rabe for a lower carb option.

• Spooned onto soft rolls, topped with mozzarella and broiled for the best meatball sub ever.

Make it ahead

There are many steps of this recipe that you can do ahead, making it even easier.

• You could make the meatball mix 1 day ahead.

• You could make the mix AND form the meatballs 1 day ahead.

• You could freeze the raw meatballs. Freeze them on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Once frozen, pop them into a bag or glass container. When you want to cooke them: Make the tomato sauce, put the meatballs in from frozen. They will take more like 35 - 40 minutes to cook.

• You can make the whole dish in the morning and serve in the evening.

Serves 4 people (makes about 20 golf-ball sized meatballs)