A twist on a classic featuring vegetables as the hidden heroes.
Emmi’s meat balls
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Emmi’s Meat Balls
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Slow Cook
Cuisine
Italan
Author:
Emma Aouad
Servings
6
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
This is our version of meatballs to hide lots of veggies and provide a wonderful complete meal for the kids. I like to use pork and veal mince as it's so soft and easy to consume even for the little ones under 1 years old. You can easily substitute for beef or chicken mince.
I alternate between using a slow cooker or saucepan over the stove, but for the purpose of this recipe and accompanying to most peoples needs, I'll write it cooking on a stove top.
Hope this ends up on your rotation during winter! Enjoy x
Ingredients
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2 x 400g ‘Mutti’ tomato Polpa
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4-5 sprigs of basil, leaves only finely chopped
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2 cloves of garlic, crushed
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1kg pork and veal mince
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2 eggs
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1 carrot, shredded
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1 zucchini, shredded
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sea salt to taste
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Pepper to taste
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3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves only, finely chopped
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2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped
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4-5 sprigs of Parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
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1-2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 tablespoon of my homemade vegetable stock (get the recipe here)
Directions
In a mixing bowl add mince, eggs, carrot, zucchini, oregano, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Roll in to small balls (approx 2 cm cube) and pop on plate ready to fry.
In a wide saucepan, on medium to high heat, sizzle the meat balls in a little olive oil for a minute or two on each side until slightly brown.
Remove from the saucepan and set aside momentarily.
In the same saucepan, add olive oil, crushed garlic and chopped basil and sautée for a minute. Turn the heat off or pull the pan away and put the tomato polpa in. Add a little water to the cans to get the left over polpa and add to the sauce.
Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil, adding 1 tablespoon of vegetable stock and taste- using the stock to adjust the saltiness to your liking.
Once the sauce is bubbling, add the seared meatballs into the sauce and turn down to low, putting the lid on.
Stir every 10 minutes, watching that the sauce isn’t ‘catching’ on the bottom.
The sauce is done when the meatball are soft and almost break apart (I usually cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours- low and slow).
NOTE: If you find the sauce is still a little runny, (after about half hour) add half a cup of soaked lentils or split peas and leave on low to cook.
Recipe Note
You can play around with the type of beans. I find this is just another great way to get some added nutrients without compromising the flavour (or texture for the little ones).
If you find the sauce thickens too quickly, add water, a little at a time, and stir, providing more time for the meatballs to slowly cook through.