• Making Mayo’s Recipes: Stock your freezer with homemade meatballs

cooked meatballs stacked on a plateMeatballs are a quick, make-ahead option for turning ground turkey, chicken or lean beef into dinner. You can roll and freeze uncooked meatballs when you have time. Then thaw and bake for 15 minutes on a busy night.

Need some ideas for serving meatballs? Make meatball subs made with whole-wheat buns, marinara sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Or toss meatballs with chicken broth, kale and white beans for a quick soup. Finally, for a low-carb twist on spaghetti and meatballs, trade your usual pasta for roasted spaghetti squash strands.

Each Thursday, one of the more than 100 video recipes from the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program is featured on the Mayo Clinic News Network — just in time for you to try over the weekend. You also can have the recipes delivered via the Mayo Clinic App.

These recipes are created by the executive wellness chef and registered dietitians at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. Find more recipes and other healthy living insights on the Mayo Clinic App.

Watch: Stock your freezer with homemade meatballs.

Journalists: The broadcast-quality video (1:36) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please 'Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network.'

HOMEMADE ITALIAN MEATBALLS
Serves 6

¹⁄3 large onion, minced
2 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
¹⁄3 cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
1 ½ tablespoons egg substitute
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¹⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

Heat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. In a small saucepan, saute the onions and garlic until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine the onions, cheese, parsley, garlic, egg substitute, salt and pepper; mix well. Add the beef; gently mix with hands until just combined. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs — about ¾ ounces each. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160 Fahrenheit.

Nutritional information per serving size 1 cup: 198 calories; 10 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 0 g transfat; 4 g monounsaturated fat; 76 mg cholesterol; 502 mg sodium; 2 g total carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber; 0 g total sugars; 26 g protein.