Serves 4
Meatballs are easy to make, fun to serve, and they freeze well. In my opinion, they are the perfect food to have on hand for a rainy (or busy) day. I used to make them the traditional Italian way, chopping all the ingredients by hand, until I discovered that I could put most of the ingredients in the food processor. This how this fast, versatile meatball recipe came to pass; you can even add a few vegetables to these little protein balls to make them more nutritious:
Ingredients:
1 old dinner role (or 3/4 cup bread crumbs)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1/2 cup of any vegetable such as zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or peppers
1 lb ground beef (or turkey, buffalo, pork, veal or chicken)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of grated organic lemon rind
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon of marjoram
1 tablespoon of mustard or tomato paste
1/2 bunch of parsley
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cut dinner role in chunks and process in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. (Substitute with store bought breadcrumbs if you do not have a food processor.)
Cut onion and all other vegetables into chunks and add to the processor.
Mix until you get a fine paste. If mixing by hand, chop the ingredients smaller, and mix together in a bowl, using your hands to incorporate.
Place the paste into a medium-sized bowl, and add all other ingredients, combining the ingredients very well with your hands. The more it is blended, the better the meatballs will hold.
Using your hands make balls to the size of your liking, ranging from cherry tomatoes to oranges, and arrange on a cookie sheet.
Bake meatballs in the oven. Timing depends on the size. Table-tennis-sized balls take about 25-30 minutes, smaller less, larger more; meatballs should be cooked through.
Serve with a side of vegetables, potatoes or pasta with oil and cheese.
Cool and freeze leftovers for a quick fix go-to protein!
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