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Meatballs are Mostly About the Sauce

Meatballs are almost always a combination of protein, egg, binding starch, and seasonings. They can be baked, fried, deep fried, or simmered in liquid. You can freeze them raw or cooked, and with or without sauces. 

My Baked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs recipe includes grated zucchini and cheese. In many recipes, I add Rice Krispies instead of breadcrumbs to create a lighter meatball. Oatmeal can be added instead of breadcrumbs to provide an easy, gluten-free option. I often mix meats; ground pork is delightful when mixed with beef or turkey. I even have a recipe for canned tuna mixed with mashed potatoes. 

I want to share a few ideas for sauces that take a basic meatball to a new level.

Ultimate Party Meatballs by Ocean Spray

1 bag of frozen, cooked cocktail-size meatballs (2 pounds)

A 12-ounce bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce

A 14-ounce can of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Place meatballs in a slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. 

This recipe is also delicious when grape jelly is used instead of cranberry sauce. 

No-Fuss Meatballs

Ingredients for Meatballs: 

1 egg

¼ cup milk

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Pepper, according to taste

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ pounds lean ground meat (I use half pork and half beef.)

Ingredients for Sauce:

1⅓ cups ketchup

2 cups ginger ale

Method:

Combine the first 6 ingredients with the ground meat. Shape into 1¼ inch balls. 

In a Dutch oven or medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat, bring the ginger ale and ketchup to a boil. Reduce heat. Add the meatballs, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat is cooked.

NOTE: I browned the meatballs slightly in the pan, removed them, and poured off the excess fat. I added the ginger ale to deglaze the pan. Then I added the ketchup and meatballs and simmered, covered for 30 minutes. This was very tasty and ridiculously easy.

Excellent for a Change

Select any meatball recipe you prefer or purchase meatballs from your local grocery store. Brown them in a frying pan. This sauce recipe will generously cover meatballs made from 1 pound of meat. 

Remove the meatballs from the frying pan. In the same fry pan, over medium heat, sauté the green pepper and onion in the oil or butter. 

⅓ cup green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter or oil

Add the following ingredients to the green pepper and onion. 

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup

Add meatballs to an oven-proof casserole and pour the sauce over them. Bake uncovered in a 350°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.  

I can make close to 30 meatballs from one pound of meat. I use a scale to measure one pound because we buy ground meat in larger batches. 

See my recipe for Glazed Ham Balls in the 2024 spring issue of Saskatoon HOME Magazine. 

Baked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Ground turkey meatballs can sometimes seem a bit dry—however, the addition of vegetables and cheese results in moist, delicious meatballs. I often make a meal by heating three frozen meatballs in the microwave for a minute and then adding them to a pita pocket, leftover pasta, or even a salad.  

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

½ tablespoon olive oil

1 egg

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ tablespoon Franks Red Hot Sauce

1 cup grated zucchini, squeezed dry 

½ cup quick oatmeal

¼ finely chopped shallots or a tablespoon of freeze-dried chives 

¾ cup Pico Romano cheese, finely grated

Instructions:

Mix meatball ingredients using your hands. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the meat into balls about 2" in diameter and place them on the lined baking sheet. The meat should be moist but able to hold its shape.

Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees F. Serve or freeze for later.

Serving Suggestions:

Frozen meatballs are ready to serve after heating on high power in the microwave for one minute.  

Add to rice or pasta and drizzle with sweet and sour sauce or tomato sauce. 

Add to a pita pocket and heat. Cover in lettuce, cheese, and condiments.

Add to a salad. 

Pictured above: Pan-fried zucchini, meatballs in tomato sauce topped with havarti cheese, and tricoloured quinoa. 

Cranberry Squares

I have made this recipe annually since the early 1970s.

Ingredients for Base:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup butter 

A pinch salt

Method for Base:

Mix the above ingredients until crumbly

Press into an 8” by 8” pan; try using a folding-sided silicone pan 

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes

Ingredients for Filling:

2 eggs beaten

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon sal1

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup raisins

½ cup coconut

¾ cup jellied whole cranberry sauce, drained slightly

Method for Filling:

Beat eggs in a medium-sized bowl. 

Add sugar, salt, flour, baking powder, raisins, coconut, and cranberries. 

Spread the mixture evenly over the base. 

Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.

Icing:

When the square has cooled, ice with the following.

1½ cups icing sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of water

½ teaspoon of vanilla

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and water until icing is a nice spreading consistency. Add more water if needed. 

Oatmeal Jam Bars

Ingredients:

½ cup of butter, melted

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick or instant)

Pinch of salt

1 cup raspberry preserves or jam of choice

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

Line an 8” square pan with parchment paper or lightly butter a folding-edge silicon pan. 

Instructions:

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until melted. Whisk the sugars into the butter and add the vanilla. Add flour, oats, and salt and stir to combine. 

Reserve 1 rounded cup of this mixture for topping.

Press the remaining mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. 

Spread the 1 cup of preserves evenly over the base, right to the edge.

Sprinkle the reserved cup of crumb mixture evenly over the jam. 

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the edges are set, and the top is lightly golden. 

Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for at least 2 hours before cutting it into squares. If using a silicon pan, slide the entire square onto a cutting board before slicing or use a plastic knife to avoid damaging the pan. Serve or freeze for later.

Other recipes for squares are available in Saskatoon HOME Magazine, Winter issue 2023.   

Christmas Cherry Refrigerator Cookies

Dry Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Moist Ingredients:

½ cup softened butter

½ cup shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Additional Ingredients:

1 cup chopped candied cherries or other fruit

½ cup chopped nuts

Method:

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

Cream butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly. 

Sift the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Mix well. Add fruits and nuts. If desired, refrigerate for 30 minutes before handling.

Shape dough into 2 smooth rolls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Wrap them in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the rolls until firm, which will take a minimum of four hours. I usually chill this dough overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F

Using a sharp knife, slice rolls of dough into disks about ¼" thick.

Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2" apart, because they spread as they cook. Bake in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden. 

When baked, remove the cookies from the pan after a minute because they will stick if left longer. Place the cookies on a wire rack to finish cooling. 

These cookies freeze well and are a crisp, colourful addition to a teatime tray. 

Other "slice-and-bake" cookies are featured in Prairies North Magazine, Winter 2023. 

Cherry and Brandy Glazed Picnic Shoulder

Cherry Glazed Picnic Shoulder

Q: When is a ham, not a ham? 

A: When it is a cured picnic shoulder. 

This recipe appeared in Prairies North Magazine in the Spring issue of 2018. It was my first Eats and Treats column and I receive requests for it often. 

Step One:

Go shopping for a cured picnic shoulder. You can search for a regional producer or buy a familiar brand at your favourite supermarket. You will find the words cook and serve in tiny writing on the label. A cured picnic shoulder requires cooking, as opposed to just heating. Make sure you have, in stock, the ingredients to make the glaze. You will need brandy, brown sugar, and a small jar of maraschino cherries. 

Step Two: 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a roasting pan or a 9” by 13” cake pan with foil. Unwrap the meat, and if it is also wrapped in netting, remove that too. Wipe away the excess moisture with a paper towel. Place the roast, rind side up, in the foil-lined pan, but do not add water, and do not cover. Place the roaster in the oven and bake the cured picnic shoulder for 30 minutes a pound or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160°F. 

Step Three:

When the roast is cooked, remove it from the oven, and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, gently remove the rind from the meat and score the fat into diamond shapes, about ¼ of an inch deep.    

Cherry Glaze:

Ingredients:

¾ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons brandy; I prefer D’eaubonne V.S.O.P. 5 Star

1 - 250 ml jar maraschino cherries

Method:

Mix the brandy with the brown sugar in a small bowl and spread the mixture onto the picnic shoulder.

Gently drizzle cherry juice over the surface of the meat, trying not to wash away the sugar mixture. Place cherries in the crosscuts you have made in the fat of the roast. 

Return the roaster to the oven and bake at 300°F for about 1 hour.

Cool the picnic shoulder for 20 minutes, then carve and serve or cover and refrigerate to serve the next day. Once you slice the meat, garnish the platter with cherries. 

NOTE: 

Carving a joint is always challenging because the grain isn't in one direction. Believe me, this roast is worth the effort. You will have some larger slices of meat, which can be served with a variety of sides or frozen between layers of plastic wrap. There are many uses for smaller pieces of meat. We freeze these bits in individual containers or baggies. This sweet meat is perfect for making sandwich melts or adding to pizza, pasta, omelettes, or soup. 

Carrot Raisin Square

This Carrot Raisin Square was featured in Maureen's Kitchen in the Spring 2023 issue of Saskatoon HOME magazine. The article is titled "Green Can Be a Theme." Of course, the glaze on the square is tinted green for a St. Patrick's Day feeling.

I make this cake with gluten-free flour because the recipe contains enough leavening ingredients to support heavier flour. The original recipe called for a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour. This is a forgiving recipe; feel free to experiment. 

Using freshly ground nutmeg, given to me by my eldest daughter, and Mexican vanilla, given to me by my dear friends, took this most recent cake to a new level of deliciousness. 

Carrot Raisin Square

Before You Start:

Butter a 9" by 11" cake pan and set aside. 

Prepare:

1 ½ cups grated carrots

½ cup washed raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup room temperature butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs

Dry Ingredients:

¾ cup Only Oats Gluten-Free Oat Flour 

¾ cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions:

1. Beat together sugar, butter, vanilla, and nutmeg. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each egg.  

2. Stir flour with baking soda and baking powder. 

3. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well. 

Final Step:

Stir in prepared raisins and carrots and scoop into the prepared pan.  

Bake in a 350°F oven for 35 minutes.  

Cool the cake before glazing. This cake can be cut into 25 squares.

Vanilla Glaze

Melt ¼ cup of butter. Blend in 2 cups of sifted icing sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Gradually add 2 to 4 tablespoons of hot water, one spoonful at a time, until the glaze is the desired consistency. 

Sometimes, I glaze the square right in the pan. Alternatively, the whole cake can be removed from the pan and glazed on a serving plate. It is also delicious when served without icing.

TIP: I often grate an entire bag of carrots on grocery day and enjoy them for a few days as a side dish, in a salad or soup, and baked into cookies and cakes. 

Mom's Vintage Rhubarb Pie Filling

Preheat the oven to 450°F

This small recipe works best using a basic 8-inch pie plate. My mother usually baked this pie in a shallow enamelled 9-inch pie plate that she received as a wedding gift in 1947. I cherish that pan and used it recently. I enjoyed the memories that flooded over me that day. 

Ingredients:

Pastry for a double crust pie

2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb, fresh or frozen

1 egg

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons flour

Method:

Whisk the egg and add the sugar and flour, mixing until smooth. Add the rhubarb to this mixture and mix well. Set aside. 

Line a pie plate with pastry, add the rhubarb mixture, and top with pastry. Pinch pastry edges, cut off excess and prick the pie top. 

Place pie in a preheated 450°F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes. 

NOTE:

My mother made this pie using her Vintage Hot Water Pastry. The pastry and filling seemed to become one, resulting in a soft, delicious dessert. I often bake Mom’s rhubarb pie filling using my Easy, Delicious, Buttermilk Pastry. This recipe creates a crispy crust sweetened with a layer of rhubarb goodness. Try a few different pastry recipes and see what you prefer with rhubarb.  

Pastry-Topped, Deep-Dish Apple Rhubarb Bake

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Prepare pastry to cover a 9” by 13” cake pan. Use homemade or purchase puff pastry from a grocery store. Roll pastry into a 10” by 14” rectangle. Refrigerate the prepared pastry topper on a baking sheet or tray until the fruit mixture is ready.  

Filling Ingredients:

9 cups apples, cored, peeled, and sliced (9 to 14 apples)

4 cups sliced rhubarb, fresh or frozen

1 cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour or a thickener of your choice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅓ cup orange or apple juice

Method:

Combine apples and rhubarb in a large bowl. Combine sugar, spices, and flour in a separate bowl. Add sugar mixture to the fruit and toss lightly to coat. 

Pour filling into a 9” by 13” baking pan—drizzle juice over the filling.  

Top the fruit mixture with the chilled pastry—pinch the edges to flute. Cut slits to allow steam to escape. I often use cookie cutters to create a unique look. Brush pastry with a wash of milk and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake the deep-dish pie at 400°F for 50 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the crust is golden brown. 

Try this recipe. You will love it!

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon of Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup finely grated fresh parmesan

1 cup marinara sauce 

Thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

Cut each breast in half horizontally to create 4 thin chicken cutlets. Flatten each cutlet with a meat mallet. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Let rest.

Prepare 3 shallow dipping bowls. Pie plates work too. 

1. Flour
2. Two eggs whisked together with hot sauce
3. Panko breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan cheese

Dredge each chicken cutlet in flour until covered. Let chicken rest on a cutting board or plate. 

Place two trays from the air fryer onto a cookie sheet and oil them with less than a teaspoon of oil. I use a paper towel to distribute the oil thinly. 

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and set the timer for 10 minutes. 

While waiting, dip each piece of meat in the egg mixture, followed by the crumbs, and place on the air fryer racks. 

When the fryer says add food, place the racks into the oven. 

At five minutes, remove the trays and turn the cutlets over. Put the trays back in the air fryer, exchanging positions. The cutlets on the top-level brown more quickly so moving them to the bottom prevents burning. Close the oven door, and the timer will resume. 

When done, remove the trays from the oven. Test with a meat thermometer; each cutlet should be at 175°F. Preheat the air fryer again to 400°F. Set the timer for 3 minutes. 

Spoon marinara sauce on each cutlet, avoiding edges. Top with mozzarella cheese.

When the air fryer reaches temperature, return the cutlets to the air fryer to melt the cheese and heat the sauce. Keep an eye on the cutlets. Mine are usually brown enough in 2 minutes.

Serve with pasta or a baked potato.