Pantry & Freezer Spaghetti & Meatballs
n some ingredients at home? Me too, but I’m determined to not have pasta and sauce every night – and I’ve been doing a really great job! But tonight I’m giving in and making a typical spaghetti & meatball dish with some usual (and some unusual) ingredients hiding out in my pantry and freezer.
Based on the picture above, looks like your typical spaghetti sauce & meatballs with a nice crusty piece of bread and something else on top – maybe some cheese? Let me explain myself!
So in early February the local Walmart was selling cans of “potted meat” for 40 cents each. I had been watching this virus spreading very closely, so I figured what the heck – if I get desperate for food we’re likely to eat just about anything! Curiosity doesn’t kill this cat, so I opened the can to find a meaty sauce-like product. This would go perfect in a red meat sauce! So, that’s what I did here.
Ingredients:
- Potted Meat – 1 can per 2 servings
- Marinara Sauce – as desired; I mixed my home made with store-bought
- Spices: Garlic, Oregano, Basil – others if you wish
- Spaghetti Noodles – I used whole wheat
- Parmesan Rind – Optional (you can top at the end with any parmesan, but I have been saving my rind in the freezer for this exact purpose!!!)
- Frozen Meatballs – 1 serving per 2 people
Instructions:
- Heat marinara (I like to add a tiny bit of water so the splash is less violent & gives it some room to cook down ) on medium-low heat. Add in your dried spices first (add in any fresh spices toward the end). I used dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder.
- Add in the potted meat and parmesan rind. Stir and allow everything to cook thoroughly. Watch your rind – it may try to stick itself to the bottom, but you want to impart the creaminess from the parmesan into the sauce, not the pan!
- Cook meatballs and spaghetti as directed while your marinara continues to cook down. When all three are finished and you’ve tasted the marinara and it is creamy, meaty, and delicious, you’re ready to plate.
- Plate how you want. I added in the spaghetti, poured sauce over the top, then added in the meatballs. This is delicious with a crusty bread, and I had some yeasty crusty bread ends just ready for this dish!
Notes & Substitutions:
Whenever I make this type of dish, I just use whatever I have on hand: onions, zucchini, lentils, leftover meats, ground beef, ground venison, fresh basil, spinach. Get inventive! This just happens to be what I had on hand to experiment with this week.
Life Pro Tip: Save your dang cheese rinds when you get a fancy cheese! Especially parmesan. I have some parmesan, cheddar, and farmer’s cave cheese rinds. I save them all in the same bag in my freezer just for this occasion! This time I served my dish with the rind (to test its edibility), but you can just take it out and toss it. We tried to eat it, but I had cooked it pretty well down and there wasn’t much cheese attached to make it worth it. To each their own though, try it!
Anyhow, I hope you are eating well during this time – and if you are in need of anything during this time, please reach out to your local food pantry, or email me at casondra.maass@gmail.com . I don’t give out my email lightly, so please don’t abuse the system! If you truly need some help, get in contact with me.
