Meatballs
Meatballs
This is comfort food at its best. We don’t eat red meat often, but when we do, this dish tops the list. It is also easier for my IBD daughter to tolerate than a burger. Plus, with just a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, this becomes a decadent and satisfying meal. This is a meal that can easily be tailored for the whole family. Two eat it with regular pasta, my GF tomato-hating teen eats it with pesto and rice, and my daughter and I just serve it straight up in a bowl - maybe with some roasted butternut squash cubes on the side. Which means that I cook some of these meatballs in tomato sauce and some I bake - so you will have directions for both 😀
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups chopped spinach (de-stemmed) or kale (de-stalked)
1 TBSP olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp each of dried parsley, basil and garlic powder - make sure there are no added starches in your spices
2 pounds organic grass-fed ground beef - we do 15-20% fat
2 large eggs, beaten
1 jar additive- and sugar-free tomato sauce - only tomatoes and herbs and no artificial ingredients - or homemade sauce!
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pan and sauté the onion and carrot for approximately 4-5 minutes, then add the chopped spinach or kale or sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the salt and spices and sauté for one more minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly (this step can also be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add in the veggie mixture - stir well.
Add in the meat and stir until well combined. It is much easier to roll up your sleeves and just dig in with your hands until the meat, eggs and veggies are well combined.
If you are baking, use a tablespoon to make 1 ½ inch meatballs. Place them on the baking sheet and bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes, giving the pan a good shake halfway through.
If simmering sauce, pour the jar of sauce into a large saucepan and heat the sauce until simmering.
With a tablespoon, make 1 ½ inch meatballs and gently place them in the sauce - they don’t even need to be submerged at this point. Cook covered over a low heat for 8 minutes - once the meatballs have started to firm up, you can take a spoon and scoop some of the sauce in the pan to cover the meatballs. If you do this sooner, the meatballs will break up into small bits.
Gently simmer for a total of 20 minutes and then turn off the heat and leave covered until ready to serve.
Serve anyway you and your family likes!
*This is an easy thing to whip up ahead of time - simply jam pack a baking sheet with all the meatballs and keep in the refrigerator until ready to cook. I then put about ⅔ of them in the sauce and then bake the remaining ⅓.
