I know this has been done to death but . . . meatballs

[lucysmam]

could someone give me some very basic instructions as to what to put in them other than mince.

Also, would you cook them in tomatoey sauce or do them & sauce separately?

And, in a home made sauce or bought one?

Thank-you

I use 500g mince, a small handful of chopped parsley, a tablespoon of grated parmesan and a chopped clove of garlic.

Squidge it all together and make into walnut sized balls, put on a plate and in the fridge to chill.

I make a tomato sauce by chopping an onion and clove of garlic and frying it very gently in some olive oil.
Add a bottle or 2 cartons of passata then half as much water again along with a teaspoon of sugar.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, then add a glug of milk (about 100ml) and add the meatballs to the sauce.

Don't stir them because they'll fall apart but cook it for 20 mins then serve it with pasta or rice.

here's mine

meatballs:
500g mince
1 clove of garlic,finely chopped
1/2 medium onion finely chopped

place the garlic and onion in a frying pan with a tiny drop of olive oil and gently fry for 2-3 mins.

put mince in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and add garlic and onion.

squidge the mix together till well combined then roll into meatballs, walnut sized.

put on a plate or tray and put in the fridge to chill.

Sauce:
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
bunch basil ripped into small pieces
bunch oregano , in small pices
worcester sauce
salt and pepper
2 tins chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
sugar

gently fry the onion, garlic and herbs in a small amount of olive oil for 5 mins.

add a dash of worcester sauce, tomatoes and puree, stir well and season.add tomato puree,a good blob and stir well.

when its cooked for 5 -10 mins taste and add enough sugar to take away the sharpness.

simmer for 30 mins, or until thick

fry the meatballs gently in a frying pan with a little oil if needed, till cooked, turning gently.

when cooked add to sauce and leave whilst cooking pasta.

serve with pasta

yummy and very cheap too.

brilliant, thank-you. Will be trying them tonight

I usually do Delias Pork Meatballs and they are lovely. The dc love them too!

I'm not the cooker in our family - but definitely go with pork mince!

why pork mince?

Dont know why but the pork meatbslls are quite light. Maybe the beef ones would be heavier. Depends what you like

Meatballs:

250g mince(beef, pork, lamb, turkey)
2 slices of bread whizzed up to make breadcrumbs
1 egg
dried herbs
1 crushed clove garlic
handfull of grated cheese

Mix it all together, form into balls, brown in a pan with bit of oil, add a bit of chopped onion, fry till onion softens, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and carry on cooking for another 20mins or so.

The breadcrumbs and cheese make them less dense and the DCs seem to prefer that. They like them with rice

Pork will have less fat but you could do it with either. There is a good recipe in the "Healthy Eating for Babies and Toddlers" book by Anne Sheasby that includes tomato ketchup (1 tbsp) and Worcestershire sauce in the tomato sauce. I'd definitely fry the meatballs first and then cook in the sauce, so it thickens up nicely. It's a very handy recipe.

I never fry the meatballs first because I try to keep the fat content as low as possible and they cook perfectly well in just the sauce.

Children need fat in their diet.

GO ANGET THE OENS AT WAITROSE

20 minutes or so but I make little child sized ones

I know children need fat in their diet but it's far better for them to get this from foods than from frying things.

I make my meatballs with:

Mince
Egg
Matzo Meal
Chopped onion
Chopped garlic
Oregano
Black pepper

I mix it all up,roll into balls and put into oven dish.I then put a large tin on chopped tomatoes on top,grated cheese and stick in the oven for about 45 mins.Really scrummy.

mrspnut ... don't be misled by sensationalist headlines. Using 1 tbsp sunflower or olive oil to brown off some meatballs that you have made yourself with fresh ingredients you chose is not going to make your children obese later in life. You have found it is fine to simply bubble them in the sauce and that works too. But it's not the only way to serve a healthy meal.

JoSammy - I take absolutely no notice of any headlines sensationalist or not. I don't fry food because the calories that it adds to the food could be better gained by eating chocolate instead.

It's not about making me or my kids obese but more about making better use of what we consume.

Ok ... what about frying the onion for the sauce, though? You did say you used it then. We are only talking about a small amount.

Meatballs:

Beef mince (400g size pack)
One large onion, roughly chopped
3-4 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
(sometimes) a chilli
Lots of salt and pepper (they take quite a lot of seasoning), and oregano

Blitz the onion, garlic, chilli (if using) and red pepper in a food processor then add the mince, season, and process again.

Form the mixture into whatever size meatballs you want. I then put them into an oven dish (without adding any extra fat) and bake them. Easier and less spattered grease on the hob if you do it like this! Takes about 20-30 minutes for them to cook.

Whilst they're cooking, make the sauce:

finely chopped onion
tin plum tomatoes
fresh basil if you've got it
garlic, if you want a garlicky sauce

Heat a good glug of olive oil in a saucepan, and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook over a moderate heat until the onion is soft. Then add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, and cook till reduced a little.

Add garlic and basil about 5 minutes before you want to serve.

BIWI, never thought of baking them. Good idea, will save me cleaning the hob again later on.

Am off to make a start on the kids ones in a little while, fingers crossed they turn out ok