Delicious Meatballs with Hidden Veg
MauriceShare
Turn these into meatballs for your sauce with pasta or couscous, or rissoles for you summer BBQ! These delicious meatballs are a meal in one - containing a balance of protein, carbs and veg!
Meal-in-One Meatballs
Rated 5.0 stars by 2 users
Category
Dinner or Snack
Author:
Maurice
Servings
6
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
So your family don't like vegetables and insist on pure meat.....well make sure your picky family members don't see you make these meatballs, they're 25% veg! This keeps them extra moist, and helps keep the cost down for two reasons: 1) you don't need as much mince, 2) you can comfortably use the 3 star mince so the meat fat can add flavour without being too greasy!
Now all you have to decide is if you turn shape these into rissoles for the summer BBQ too!
Ingredients
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9 Rainbow Veg Blocks (or any of your choice)
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500g beef mince (3 star mince)
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500g pork mince (3 star mince)
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1 whole egg
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¼ cup grated parmesan
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¼ cup finely chopped parsley
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3 finely crushed garlic cloves
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2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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1 cup of breadcrumbs*
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Cracked pepper to taste
Directions
Detailed Instructions
Defrost the Veg Blocks in the microwave for approx. 2 minutes (it's ok if there aren't fully defrosted as they will breakdown in the meatball mixture).
Scrap all the defrosted Veg Blocks into the large mixing bowl.
Add all other ingredients and mix well. Best to use your hands, but can also just use a wooden spoon if you really don't like getting your hands dirty.
Shape the mixture into balls and place on a place or tray. Watch the video above to see how to shape meatballs using an ice-cream scoop. Use baking paper between layers of meatballs if you are piling them on top of each other, so they don't stick.
Leave to sit for 30 mins in the fridge (if time poor, 15 mins minimum), so they hold their shape when you cook them.
Heat a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add meatballs. Wait 5 mins before stirring or moving the meatballs (if you don't feel like frying them, toss them straight into your pasta sauce to cook for about 30-45 mins. Just be careful not to break up the meatballs when stirring the sauce).
Simple Instructions
Defrost the Veg Blocks and add to a mixing bowl with all the other ingredients.
Mix well.
Shape the meatballs and place on a tray. Leave to rest for 15-30 mins before cooking.
Cook in a frypan or toss them directly into your pasta sauce.
Recipe Note
*I use regular fine supermarket breadcrumbs for this recipe. You can use other types such as panko or sourdough breadcrumbs, however, the meatball will have a closer texture to a regular meatball when using the standard fine breadcrumbs.
When cooking the meatballs I don't use a lid. This traps the excess liquid and 'stews' the meatballs instead of dry frying - you want a nicely browned-off meatball.
Using the ice-cream scoop to shape the meatballs is a game changer. It keeps the meatballs consistent in size, is quicker than rolling by hand, and keeps your hands clean. You can still do this recipe by hand, but I highly recommend a small ice-cream scoop for next time.