RECIPE: Big-batch speedy square meatballs

Kids often don’t eat enough vegetables and fruit, so adding shredded vegetables to everyday foods helps. It also adds moisture and flavour.

“Once you’ve got meatballs, there’s five or six different ways you can turn that into a lunch,” says registered dietitian Carol Harrison.

Meatballs can be tucked away in the freezer and used in soups, subs, pizza toppings, pasta dishes, on skewers with chunks of pineapple, and served with barbecue sauce.

If you make a big batch, it’s time well spent. A great timesaver is to bake them in a pan, then break them apart. They’ll be square rather than round. Here are some tips for freezing meatballs: • Lay cooled meatballs flat in freezer bags so they’ll freeze individually and thaw quicker, too. • Minimize freezer burn by pressing air out of the bag before closing. • Label with a “use by” date. For meatballs, that’s within three months. • Thaw meatballs in the fridge.

Big-Batch Speedy Square Meatballs

Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Makes: 72 meatballs. With your supervision, your child can wash, peel and grate the carrot and attempt a fine dice with the onions, too. Remind your child to set a damp tea towel beneath the cutting board to prevent it from slipping on the counter. 2 lb. lean ground beef 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup dry breadcrumbs (preferably whole wheat) 2/3 cup each of finely grated carrot and finely diced onion 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper Preheat oven to 350 F and spray two foil-lined baking trays with canola oil.

Divide meat mixture in half. Form each half into a big, flat patty about 2.5 centimetres thick and place one on each tray.

Press a knife into each patty to form a six-by-six grid that makes 36 2.5-centimetre squares, but don’t cut all the way through

Bake until a digital thermometer inserted at the centre of the meat reads 160 F, 15 to 20 minutes. (Meat may look cooked, but that doesn’t mean all bacteria are killed. Use a digital thermometer to check for doneness.)

Let cool. Meatballs will break apart easily.