Easy Baked Italian Meatballs

By Cindy H.

Looking for a simple, hearty meal that's easy to make with pantry staples? This month's recipe comes from Cindy, who prepared this baked Italian meatball dish using chicken meatballs from Gleaners to serve her senior community.

Paired with a fresh green salad from the community garden, it's an easy meal that's both filling and nutritious. While Cindy made a large batch using five packages of meatballs, this recipe can easily be scaled down to use just one package for a family dinner.

One of the best things about this recipe is how flexible it is. Don't have crushed tomatoes? Substitute tomato sauce or your favorite pasta sauce. If you use a seasoned pasta sauce, you can skip the Italian seasoning. You can also swap the cheese for mozzarella or whatever shredded cheese you have on hand.

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Easy Baked Italian Meatballs 🍝

Ingredients

From Gleaners

• 5 packages chicken meatballs

• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack & cheddar cheese

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

From the Community Garden

• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil (optional)

• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

Pantry / SNAP Items

• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce or pasta sauce)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil.

3. Spread the meatballs evenly across the bottom of the pan.

4. Pour the crushed tomatoes over the meatballs.

5. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

6. Top evenly with shredded cheese.

7. Bake for 20 minutes.

8. Garnish with fresh basil before serving.

Serves: 15 (or easily scaled down)

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Homemade Italian Seasoning 🇮🇹 🌱

One of Cindy's favorite ways to stretch her ingredients is by making her own seasoning blends using herbs grown in the senior community garden. Drying herbs at home is a simple way to preserve fresh flavors throughout the year.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp dried basil

• 2 Tbsp dried marjoram

• 2 Tbsp dried oregano

• 2 Tbsp dried thyme

• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary

• 1 Tbsp dried sage

Instructions

1. Hang herb bundles upside down in a shady location until completely dry.

2. Remove the leaves from the stems and store each herb separately until ready to use.

3. Grind the herbs together using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

4. Transfer the seasoning blend to a labeled spice jar and store in a cool, dark place.

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing another practical recipe with our Gleaners community!