One Batch of Meatballs – Two Meals

My husband requested meatballs for our supper menu last week. I had one big package of ground turkey from Costco in my freezer, and I decided to employ the cook once, eat twice strategy. I’ve heard the lovely Jen from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam talk about this strategy, but I’ve watched my mom let her freezer work for her for years. She’s the queen of freezer cooking!

Here’s what I did: I used 2 pounds of my ground turkey and doubled the Pioneer Woman’s meatball recipe. I’ve been making this recipe for several years now and we always love it! I only cooked half of the meatballs – the other half went in the freezer on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes (to keep them from sticking to each other) and then in a freezer bag for later.

I still had a half pound of turkey that hadn’t been used, so I quickly threw that in a skillet and browned it. After it cooled, that went back in the fridge for another meal in the week.

Here’s a quick recap of the two meals I made (and prepped for a third) with one batch of meatballs:

• Turkey Meatballs cooked in a jar of marinara: Meatball Sliders for supper!
• Turkey Meatballs frozen, uncooked: will use for Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Gravy
• Browned extra turkey: used in lasagna later that week (I prefer cooking this recipe in the oven instead of the crock pot)

I love having main dishes ready for me in the freezer. What’s your favorite meal to stash in the freezer?