Italian Wedding Soup

I love this soup so much!  It's warm, delicious, hearty and comforting. I've always been a fan of Italian wedding soup, but I've found ordering it tends to be hit or miss.  Sometimes it's really good and sometimes not so much.  This is my first time making it, and I'll probably never order it again.  The homemade version was so much better than I could have ever expected and better than any version I've had in a restaurant.  I think this is due to the spinach.  When soup is held in a warmer the spinach keeps cooking and loses flavor.  At home the spinach is just barely cooked and tastes fresher. Seriously so good.  And this so easy to make when you already have the meatballs in the freezer.

This recipe calls for the frozen meatballs I wrote about in another post.

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

Serves: 4

7 oz cooked and frozen tiny meatballs
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock*
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
3/4 cups orzo
4 cups baby spinach

1. Bring the stock to a boil and add the frozen meatballs and carrots.
2. Once the stock is back to a simmer add the orzo.
3. When the carrots and orzo are cooked and the meatballs are heated through, add the spinach.  Cook until the spinach is just wilted.

*Better than Bouillon is a really good quality stock base that you can just mix with water to make stock.  It's super easy and convenient and available at most grocery stores.

Meatballs

I love meatballs, and these are my favorite.  Not only are they tender, flavorful and delicious, but they are versatile as well.  So far I have five different ways to serve them, but there will probably be more in the future.  The mix of meats is what makes these meatballs so delicious.  I find meatballs made only with beef to be a little dry and tough.  Adding ground pork and veal makes all the difference. I multiply this recipe by six, so I'll have plenty of meatballs for all these different applications

Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Simple Side
Column: EG & EH
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

Easy Non-Freezer Meals

After a couple months and four service visits my new freezer is finally working.  It was fixed shortly before I left for a three week road trip with my kids.  I didn't have the time or energy to fill the freezer before the trip.  Now I'm back and recovering. I'm getting ready to do some freezer cooking, probably next week.  In the meantime I thought I would post some of the easy meals I've been making while I have not had a freezer.  Something I noticed is that a number of them are things I already make for the freezer.

These easy meals that freeze well are a good option for those who don't want to dedicate a whole day or week to making freezer meals.  Instead you can make these meals for dinner make enough to freeze at the same time.  Check out the new "eat one, freeze one" category in the index to find meals that would be a good candidate for this.  I've been making a lot of the meals in that category lately.  Here's more meals I've been making that are easy and don't freeze well.

Mascarpone Walnut Pasta

I used to make this dish a lot before I started freezer cooking.  It's delicious and easy.  It was nice to have it again while we were waiting for our freezer.  I briefly considered working on a casserole version of this dish, but it's so fast and easy it doesn't seem worth it.  I didn't think to take a picture.  The last time I made it, so you'll have to use your imagination. :)

Mascarpone Walnut Pasta

From: Great Pasta Sauces

Serves 6

1 lb pasta (I live campanelle, but you can use something else)

4 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
8 oz mascarpone
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt and pepper

1. Put the pasta on to boil according to the package instructions.
2. In a large frying pan melt the butter.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add the walnuts and gently stir for 3 to 4 minutes until they are toasted.  Be careful not to burn!
4. Stir in the mascarpone then the parmesan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Add the cooked pasta and toss to combine.

This is very tasty served with a bacon and spinach salad.

Baked Ziti

Last year I made a meatball pasta baked dish.  I haven't posted yet because I haven't quite gotten the proportions right, but it is one of my favorite freezer meals.  Due to having a baby recently I haven't had the energy this year to make it.  That many meatballs is a big project.  Instead I made this baked ziti.  It is much faster and easier but has a similar flavor profile.  I will eventually get back to my meatball casserole, but this delicious meal fills that slot for now.

Difficulty: Easy
Category: Simple Side
Recipe Column: DN

Get the recipe at Smitten Kitchen.  I pretty much make the recipe as is.  Undercook the pasta slightly and rinse it with cold water after draining to stop the cooking process.  Also I don't bother to cut up the spinach.  I just add the whole leaves to the sauce.

To freeze:
Divide the pasta into containers, bags or pans. If you do pans you can top with shredded cheese before freezing.  I use containers to save space in my freezer, so I leave the cheese off.

To serve:
Thaw the pasta in the fridge overnight.  If you haven't already, transfer the mixture to a pan and top with shredded cheese.  I use a pre-shredded Italian mix.  Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees until heated all the way through, about 45 minutes.  Serve with salad or vegetables.

Pumpkin Pasta

This pasta casserole is full of delicious fall flavors.  It has been part of my freezer repertoire for many years and led to my purchase of the titular very large bowl of this blog.  I was trying to make a large batch of this and while it all technically fit in my largest bowl at the time, the bowl was so full that I couldn't stir effectively.  It took forever to mix that batch and made a large mess. Afterwards I got online and purchased my 30 quart bowl that I use for my freezer cooking now.

Adapted from: Veganomicon
Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Heat and Eat
Recipe Column: AM

Sausage Broccoli Pasta

This dish has been a huge win as a freezer meal.  It is delicious, a complete meal and my kids like it.  Plus it's fairly easy and inexpensive.  It's pretty much perfect.  I make a triple batch, which is huge and makes enough for 7 dinners for my family.