The Good Meatball

Soft, juicy meatballs for your little softies. The addition of zucchini and quinoa gives the beef meatballs a little extra goodness without forfeiting on taste.

500g beef mince
¼ cup grated zucchini
½ brown onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
½ tbs dried Italian herbs
¼ cup cooked quinoa
1 cup of almond meal* 
1 egg, whisked
1 cup of beef stock
1 cup of passata
Olive oil to fry

* For nut allergies, replace with ½ cup brown rice flour

Squeeze out the moisture from the grated zucchini by pressing through a sieve and then wringing it out with a clean tea towel. It’s important to draw out as much water as possible, otherwise your meatballs will be too soft.

Place beef mince, grated zucchini, onion, herbs and garlic into a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Tip the mince mixture into a medium bowl and stir through the cooked quinoa and the egg. Start rolling out small meatball. Keep the meatballs on a clean, dry surface until they’re ready for frying.

Optional: Add 1 cup of almond meal to the meatball mix to bring it together. If there are nit allergies in the family, substitute the almond meal for ½ cup of brown rice flour.

Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil then start browning the meatballs in small batches. Once they’re cooked on both sides, slowly add enough beef stock to cover the meatballs up to their middle. Simmer until cooked through, then remove from pan. Repeat the process for the rest of the meatballs.

Once the meatballs are cooked, add the remaining stock and passata to the pan and simmer to your preferred sauce consistency. Serve meatballs and sauce with pasta, rice or cous cous.

Original recipe by Hayley McKee for Hagen’s Organic
Photography Kelli Morris