Meatballs take 2

Time to take another stab at meatballs and a new pizza crust for garlic bread.

For the meatballs:

• 1 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (beef, pork, veal combo)
• 4 cloves garlic-chopped/minced
• a handful of chopped Italian parsley
• most of a chopped shallot (optional)
• 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I use Ian's Italian)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (next time I will add a  little pecorino romano in there)
• 2 eggs
• salt to taste

Then:

• Sauce of your choice (approx two 24-oz jars or your own sauce and lots of it!)
• Mozzarella cheese to top it off with (I used a pack and a half of Sargento's 6 cheese Italian blend)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together and form your meatballs (stay on the smaller side I would say).  I made 28 meatballs.  Place the meatballs in a large skillet/pan with Olive Oil and brown the meatballs.  Don't overcook them, as they will continue to cook in the oven. 

Pour some sauce in the bottom of your pan.  Place meatballs on top of the sauce.  Cover with more sauce then add the cheese.  Lots of Cheese.  It should be meatballs, all covered with cheese….I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed…. Sorry, couldn't resist.   Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 mins.  Remove foil and bake an additional 20 mins or until meatballs are cooked through (this is where consistent size control helps).

Meatballs

I wish I was smart enough to ask my Nonna and Grandma to walk me through some recipes when they were alive, but I was a teenager when they passed and didn't think to ask for such things, and my grandmother was not the kind to offer up such ideas.  So I went to Pinterest looking for some gluten free meatball recipes and am also trying to get some from relatives.  Here is one I found and it was not bad.  Next time I am going to the mom and pop grocery store to get the ground sausage, Giant had one option, which while not bad, would not be my normal sausage pick.

  

Side note, totally excited that a cousin sent me her meatball recipe to try and my grandpa's baby sister (closing in on 90) also offered to walk me though hers.  Will be trying out both recipes :-)

Meatballs

 

1 T Salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp ground thyme

1/4 tsp pepper

1 C quick oats

1 large shallot

4 cloves of garlic

7-10 fresh basil leaves

2 lbs hamburger

1 lb ground sausage

1 egg

2 cups olive oil

6 cups tomato sauce

 

1.     Combine first 7 ingredients in a blender until you reach a flour like consistency.(I used gluten free oats, also, had no thyme on hand, so for the marjoram, oregano and thyme I used Italian seasoning blend)

2.     Chop shallot, garlic and fresh basil.  I use a hand grater for my garlic, easier than chopping.

3.     Add hamburger and sausage into a large mixing bowl.

4.     Add flour mixture and chopped ingredients.

5.     Add egg.

6.     Mix by hand until well combined.   (Next time I am going to use the stand mixer, I have a feeling it will go better….)

7.     Roll into 3-4 inch balls.

8.     Heat oil in a large skillet. (I ran out of olive oil, so mine was half olive and half  smart balance oil, and it worked fine)

9.     Brown meatballs 1-2 minutes on each side.

10.Remove from oil and place into a baking dish or roasting pan and cover.

11.Bake for 2 hours at 225 degrees. 

12.Remove and serve as desired.  We chose to dip ours in the sauce, instead of making any pasta or tossing them in the sauce. 

Chicken Parm "Meatballs"

I found this on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it.  These were yummy!  Now, I had some left over breading in the freezer from the Mother's Day meal, as I honestly double to triple any breading recipe as I like it coated!   And I used that left over instead of what is listed below, but it's not that completely different.  It worked really well.

Chicken Parmesan "meatballs"

Ingredients

·1 cup Ian's Gluten Free panko

·1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or more)

·1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·1  egg

·1 pound ground chicken breast (or dark meat)

·1/2 cup diced white onion  (I used dried onion flakes)

·2 cloves garlic, minced

·1 tablespoon dried oregano

·6 fresh basil leaves, torn (my grocery store was out, I used dried)

·1 pinch salt and pepper

·16 small mozzarella cubes, cut from a block

·2 cups  marinara sauce of your choice

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 F.

2.    In a small ziploc bak, combine the panko, half of the Parmesan cheese, and the olive oil.  Set aside.

3.    In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then add the chicken, onion, garlic, oregano, the remaining Parmesan, basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.

4.    Lightly coat a  muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each well. Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture. Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it.

5.    Sprinkle the panko/Parmesan mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat.

6.    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. If needed, you may broil the panko to further brown it.

7.    Let rest 5 minutes. Then using a knife, lightly loosen each cupcake from the muffin tin.

8.    In the meantime, warm the marinara sauce in a small saucepan.

9.    Serve meatballs with warmed marinara

Sweet Turkey and Quinoa Meatballs

This has got to be one of the best quinoa recipes I ever was given and everyone who has tried them has loved them.


Sweet Turkey & Quinoa Meatballs
Makes 6 Servings (about 4 meatballs per serving)
Toss the cooked meatballs with our tangy sweet & sour sauce, place them on a platter with a frilly toothpick in each one, and you’ve got the makings of a festive and fun party food!
· 1 pound lean ground turkey
· 1 large egg, beaten
· 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
· 1/3 cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped
· 2 tablespoons ketchup
· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
· 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce (I use GF)
· 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
· 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil then spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, egg, quinoa, raisins, ketchup, basil, soy sauce, salt, garlic powder, and pepper until well combined. Using a medium cookie scoop with a release (we used a 1½ tablespoon scoop which made 1¾-inch balls), form into 22 to 24 meatballs. Bake until cooked through and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the Sweet & Sour sauce (see recipe below).
Tip: For the quinoa, cook 1/4 cup dry quinoa according to package directions. The yield will be 3/4 cup.
Sweet & Sour Sauce (I don’t' toss the meatballs in this, rather use it as a dipping sauce, so I tend to need to either double or triple this recipe)
· 1/2 small can pineapple juice (3 ounces)
· 2 tablespoons ketchup
· 2 tablespoons brown sugar
· 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
· 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I used 1/4) (Lea & Perrins is GF)
· 2 teaspoons cornstarch (I used 1 tsp)
· 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
· 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
· 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1. Whisk together the pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cornstarch, garlic powder, mustard powder, and ground ginger until well combined. Place in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. (Recipe adapted from About.com.)
Nutrition Information per Serving: 220 calories, 7g fat (2g saturated), 440mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 16g protein, 10% vitamin C, 10% iron