A big-batch beef meatball tray that reheats like a dream. The one I make when I want dinner tonight and a favour to future me.
I made these for dinner the other night and the tray didn't survive the hour.
They started life as the Hailey Bieber chicken meatballs doing the rounds online. I turned them into a big beefy tray that reheats beautifully, which is honestly the only kind of dinner I'm interested in these days. Cook once, eat twice, and give the version of you who walks in exhausted at 6pm something to be grateful for.
That's the whole idea here. Not a fussy recipe. A pan of dinner that keeps giving.
Why I always make double
There's a particular kind of relief in opening the freezer and finding a meal already there. No deciding. No chopping. No standing at the bench at 5:12pm wondering what on earth everyone is going to eat.
So whenever I make these, I make double. One tray for tonight. One for the freezer and a future night I can already tell is going to be a lot.
If there's a baby on the way in your world, this is exactly the kind of thing worth stashing before they arrive. A full freezer is the quietest, most useful gift you can give yourself. We say it a lot around here, and we mean it: the freezer really is the best baby registry.
What you'll need
- 1kg beef mince (protein and iron, sorted)
- 1 cup sourdough breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, to bind
- 150g cottage cheese, for a soft, tender middle
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 800g passata, plus a splash of water
- Tasty cheese, grated, for the top
How to make them
- Heat your oven to 200°C.
- In a bowl, combine the mince, breadcrumbs, egg, cottage cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix until just together. Don't overwork it.
- Roll into meatballs and brown them off in a hot pan on the stove. You're after colour here, not cooking them through.
- Pour the passata over the top with a splash of water, so the meatballs are sitting in the sauce. Blanket the lot in grated tasty cheese.
- Into the oven at 200°C for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
Serve with pasta, sourdough, and a handful of salad if you're feeling organised.
