Minced beef meatballs / mini-burgers

[AngelDog]

I want to make some mini meatballs or burgers to take out & about for snacks / lunch for my DS1. I have a big thermos-style food flask to keep them warm.

Any ideas for what I can add to them to make them nice and hold together? We can't eat egg or gluten (or any grains).

pesto

I make them from minced lamb with just salt and pepper and then freeze them before cooking them in the oven. They hold together really well.

Maybe plain would work then.

Sadly pesto doesn't work as dairy is something else we can't eat (the list is looong).

I use 50/50 pork & beef mince.

I hold them together with egg - which I know doesn't work for you - but is there any sort of flour substitute you can use??

Was going to suggest Parmesan but that's going to be out too isn't it?

When I've made them with beef they are much more dry and crumbly.

Lamb mince is much more fatty, but a lot of the fat comes out when you cook them in the oven, leaving the meatballs moist and well stuck together.

I make meatloaf but you could make the mixture into patties or meatballs.

Sausage meat
Minced beef
onion - finely chopped and cooked
cornflakes

Mix the meat and onion together, it will be a bit slippy and not form balls properly, jus keep adding crushed cornflakes until it does.

If you oven bake rather than fry you don't need them to hold together as much as you would for frying.

It's really easy to make pesto, I have a recipe here www.toddler-recipes.co.uk/pinenut-free-pesto.html You could either omit the cheese entirely or substitute with a non dairy one if she can eat that? Or add in a tbsp of pine nuts if she can have those?

When I make burgers/meatballs i usually add salt and pepper, a few mixed herbs and a splash of Worcestor sauce. I never use egg and they come out just fine.

What you need to do is stir the meat well either with your hands or a food processor so that the proteins come to the surface. Really squash it about like you're kneading bread. The protein sticks the meat together perfectly well and there's no need for binding agents like eggs or starch.

Thanks, everyone - I'll do some experimenting.

A recipe I have uses a chicken stock cube dissolved in 2tbsp water, medium grated peeled apple, fine chopped onion, 400g mince , salt, pepper and splash of worcester sauce. They work for me every time.

Plain of both worked really well, although the beef were tastier. Cogito, your tip worked really well.

Even better, my super-fussy 3 y.o. decided he loved the beef ones - for today at least.

I used to chuck all sorts of things into my burgers/meatballs (when had the time etc).
Remember, rather fondly, the ones with grated broccoli, grated carrot and heaps of chopped coriander. Most delicious. Egg was the binding agent, generous amount of freshly ground pepper and sea salt and mix with hands for as long as you could be bothered. Rest in the fridge for couple of hours.

[ aah, the memories, will make these again, today even]

Pork mince holds together really well without egg or anything too

I make homemade burgers using grated apple. It's approx one grated apple per 500g mince. It really works holding them together and gives them a lovely flavour!