Saving cooking mistakes

[blbst36]

So, I was lazy last weekend and bought some meatballs pre-made.  I cooked them like I would cook my own meatballs - brown, then simmer in sauce for a while.  Well, these meatballs are made with sausage (I also didn't read the labels), so now I am stuck with salty meatballs in salty sauce.  AND they didn't even cook all the way through.  So, uncooked salty meatballs in salty sauce.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas to possibly save the food.  I hate to throw it away, but I don't want to waste more food trying to save it if it is unsavable

 

 

PS - I hope you realize how much I restrained myself while writing this post.  It easily could've gone straight into the gutter.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Unsalted noodles?  Unsalted mashed potatoes?  Tuscan bread?

 

[Nyleve Baar]

Mash them up and use the crumbled meat sparingly in lasagna or some other concoction. If they're sufficiently diluted by other ingredients it should be fine.

[pastrygirl]

add a can or two of unsalted white beans, some water, and some greens, and turn it into soup

[Toliver]

42 minutes ago, Nyleve Baar said:

Mash them up and use the crumbled meat sparingly in lasagna or some other concoction. If they're sufficiently diluted by other ingredients it should be fine.

I agree with this. Throw them in the freezer for use in the Fall or Winter...you could mash them up and use them for soup...just use a low-salt/no-salt chicken or veggie stock and then taste for seasoning along the way. A sort of Goulash comes to mind, as well. 

[blbst36]

If I were to save them for later or make them into soup, would you toss the sauce or keep it?

[pastrygirl]

30 minutes ago, blbst36 said:

If I were to save them for later or make them into soup, would you toss the sauce or keep it?

 

I'd keep it, or save it separately.  Depends on your commitment and budget

[blbst36]

10 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

 

I'd keep it, or save it separately.  Depends on your commitment and budget

 

Well, the whole sauce component cost $1.00, so I think I'd be ok with tossing it   I was just wondering what people had in mind with the suggestions.  I am leaning towards saving it for later to make it into soup later.

 

Would foodsavering it make it more salty some way?  I have to foodsaver everything or it ends up encased in an enormous ice block

[Anna N]

I am learning this: if I didn’t like it fresh  I won’t like it any better frozen. Don’t use your freezer as a morgue. Ditch them now and reserve your freezer space for something you really want to eat.   

[Nyleve Baar]

Save the sauce too. If the only problem is that it's too salty, that's so easily fixed  by balancing it out with unsalted ingredients. I hate throwing out food. Hate hate hate. I mean ok fine, if it's really terrible in some way - spoiled, rancid, bad-tasting - fine throw it away. But I love taking something that didn't work out well in its original form and turning it into something entirely different and edible (or even delicious).

 

So here's my suggestion. Rather than turning your freezer into a morgue, as Anna N describes it, why don't you re-purpose everything NOW, and freeze the new thing. I do find that stuff I put in the freezer that isn't quite edible usually gets ignored forever. But a finished soup or casserole or whatever is always welcome on those crappy days when you don't want to cook.

[FeChef]

you could crumble the meatballs and mix 1:1 meat/rice and maked stuffed peppers. If the sauce is too salty, you could dilute with 1:1 salty sauce and no salt tomato sauce.