Today is National Frozen Foods Day. Did you grow up eating frozen foods, as in frozen meals? You know, those T.V. Dinners that were anything but convenient. Unlike the microwave zap it in 5 minutes or less, the original T.V. Dinners were reheated in an oven; and sometimes that could take as much as an hour.
Oh, but there was some convenience to the T.V. Dinners. Everything was there, in these neat little foil trays, properly partitioned to prevent cross contamination. No prep work, no clean up. Just follow the instructions, and in under an hour, dinner was served. Every member of the family could, in reality, have a completely different dinner. Then all you need do is set up the TV trays, decided on a program (no channel surfing back then) and settle in for a nice family supper. Hush – no talking, please. The program is about to start.
Yeah, that’s not how I grew up. It’s not how my children grew up. My son has spent most of his adult years working in the restaurant industry in one capacity or another. My grandson is a whiz in the kitchen, even kicked around the idea of working as a caterer but I convinced him not to. No offense to caterers – they are an amazing bunch of people. But they cater. I am a great cook – when I’m preparing something I like. Not so good when someone else is dictating the menu. And I knew Kiddo would be the same way.
The only time we think frozen foods is when we are planning to go on vacation. That’s when meal planning and shopping can get a bit complicated. In the days leading up to a trip the meals need to be small, with very little if anything left over (unless it can be frozen). On the final day before leaving, everything in the fridge needs to go. We can have a smorgasbord of leftovers, then get rid of what isn’t eaten. It also means the meals planned when we return need to be complete and keep in the freezer until we get settled back home, with time to shop again.
One of the easiest ways to solve the what-to-eat-when-you-cannot-shop dilemma would be to cook something ahead of time – say meatballs for instance – then freeze them. That first night home could be spaghetti and meatballs. The sauce can be made from ingredients found in your pantry, and the pasta noodles are dry anyway. So there you go. Problem solved.
Spaghetti with Italian Meatballs
Meatballs
1 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Bulk Italian Sausage
1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning (Herbs)
Kosher Salt to taste (Spice)
Black Pepper to taste (Spice)
1/4 cup Olive Oils
In a large bowl, mix meats, breadcrumbs and seasonings. Do not over mix. Shape meat mixture into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet, set aside.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Lower meatballs into hot oil in batches, about half at a time depending upon size of Dutch Oven. Do not overcrowd the pan. Sear each meatball on all sides for about 2 minutes per side, turning as needed. Remove meatballs from pan and add next batch.
Once seared, set on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Remove frozen meatballs from the freezer. Seal in a large (2-gallon) resealable bag. Place flat in the freezer until ready to use. Make the sauce on the day the spaghetti is to be served.
Pasta Sauce
1 jar Pasta Sauce
1/4 cup Red Wine
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Roasted Minced Garlic
In a Dutch Oven add pasta sauce. Add wine to the empty pasta jar, swirl to collect any remaining sauce, then pour into the pot.
Add diced tomatoes with juices. Season with Italian Seasoning and Roasted Minced Garlic. Add meatballs to the sauce, gently stir to submerge into the sauce.
Bring to a rolling boil. Lower heat, cover and summer 30 minutes for flavors to marry. While the meatballs simmer, cook the pasta.
Pasta For Serving
1 lb Spaghetti Pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese as desired
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta, season with salt. Cool al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, keep warm while serving
Pile desired pasta in the center of a dinner plate. Ladle with pasta sauce and meatballs. Garnish with Parmesan Cheese, twirl and enjoy!
Perfect with warm bread (from the freezer, of course).
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 
This recipe is a crowd pleaser!
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Thank you!
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No, I did not grow up eating frozen Tv dinners. My parents were in the food trade and my mother was an excellent cook and she cooked all of our meals. Consequently, I’ve never used frozen or cooked-chill foods though, like everyone, I do buy and keep stuff in the freezer such as peas, chopped onions, speciality mushrooms, prawns, lobster, puff pastry…….
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I don’t have lobster in my freezer, but I know what you mean.
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😎
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