Mozzarella Meatballs

Ingredients:

6 pounds lean ground beef
15 mozzarella string cheese, or a 1-pound block of mozzarella cut into 120 cubes
3 cups dry bread crumbs
⅔ cup milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup minced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 18 cloves)
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepperSauce:
4 cups ketchup
2 cups red wine vinegar
2 cups Worcestershire sauce
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 18 cloves)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons black pepper

Supplies:

6 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled

On hand for each entrée:

Cooked rice or noodles

Directions:

1. Remove string cheese from wrappers and cut each string into 8 equal pieces. Place in a large bowl or 1-gallon freezer bag and freeze until it is time to form meatballs.

2. Preheat oven to 500°F.

3. Using your hands, thoroughly combine beef, bread crumbs, milk, eggs, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Shape into 1- to 1½-inch meatballs, around each piece of frozen mozzarella. Seal meatballs well to keep cheese from oozing out.

4. Place meatballs close together on lightly greased broiler pans or rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool meatballs.

5. While meatballs are baking and cooling, mix ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic, onion, mustard, and pepper in a large bowl. Divide sauce evenly among freezer bags. Divide cooled meatballs evenly among bags of sauce.

6. Seal and freeze.

To Serve:

1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Pour meatballs and sauce into an ungreased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Yield: 6 entrees, about 20 meatballs each
Freeze up to: 4 months

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