I Love these mini meat balls because they are so versatile and you can load them with vegetables. They are great as a finger food, awesome to add to a salad, pasta or even make a meat ball minestrone soup. Put them on a roll with a tomato sauce and you’ve got a meatball sub far more nutritious than you’d get at any chain store!
I usually make these in big batches because and freeze them. You can take them out of the freezer and pop them straight into the lunch box and they will defrost by mid morning. They are also a great back up to have for an evening meal if you are running out of time. You can make these in whatever size you like too, so choose whatever size works for your family.
Ingredients
- 500g grass fed beef mince (or can use chicken mince but make sure its hormone free)
- 2 tblspns Tamari Sauce (this is a gluten free soy sauce)
- 1 tblspn Tomato Paste (or roast some cherry tomatoes with olive oil, herbs & salts, then smash them when cooked)
- 1 medium zucchini grated
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1 small brown onion grated
- 2 tspn Chia seeds (optional)
- Season with salt & pepper
Directions
- Put all of the ingredients into a bowl
- Mix well
- Form into mini meat balls
- Put in fridge for 30mins to 1 hour
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees
- Cook for 20-25mins, turning frequently
Tip
I cook mine on a wire rack over a pan so the natural juices drop through to the pan below rather than the meatballs soaking in the juices. I do not squeeze the juices out of the carrot and zucchini because this helps them stay moist and stay together because there is no egg or bread crumbs in here.
Another 2 ways from this recipe.
- Add to penne pasta with a tomato based sauce
- Add to some quinoa with garden salad items such as cherry tomatoes, cucumber and olives
Want to Print a copy of this recipe?
Click here to download the TRC Mini Meat Balls Recipe sheet
