Posted on May 03, 2016 by Jenny Cromack
As a personal trainer, I love recommending food and recipes which my personal training clients can make in bulk, it means they have a ready supply of food for lunches and evening meals – perfect if you have a busy lifestyle and don’t always have the time to slave away for hours in the kitchen. Here are some meatball recipe ideas I’ve been using – ideal for making in bulk and also perfect for making for the whole family.
Taken from Pixabay
Meatballs….to be honest, the first image which springs to mind when I think of meatballs is those you get in a tin. Did you know these are only about 40% meat, with the rest of the meatball being made up of water, rusk, wheat flour, eurgh! However, a good old homemade meatball can be very healthy especially if you use turkey mince or extra lean mince….I’ll leave it up to you to decide which you prefer.
Here are two healthy meatball recipes for you to try.
Harissa Meatballs
Ingredients – makes 6 portions
- 600g extra-lean mince or turkey mince
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- ½ small bunch fresh parsley, chopped or 1tsp dried parsley.
- Olive oil
- ½ aubergine, diced
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
Method:
1. Place a small amount of oil in a pan and cook 1/2 the onion until soft. Add the garlic, aubergine and pepper and cook until soft.
2. Add the tinned tomatoes, 1 tsp of harissa paste and simmer. I like making my sauces first so they can simmer away and produce a really nice flavour.
3. Cook 1/2 of the onion until slightly soft. Combine this in a bowl with the mince, 1 tbsp of harissa paste and the parsley and shape into small balls , all of equal size so they cook evenly.
4. Add a small amount of oil to a pan, place the meatballs in the pan and cook until browning on the outside and thoroughly cooked throughout. This takes about 6-8 minutes.
5. Once the meatballs are cooked, add to the tomato sauce and simmer for another 5-10 minutes so the meatballs absorb the flavour of the sauce.
Italian Meatballs
Ingredients – makes 6 portions
- 600g extra-lean mince or turkey mince
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- ½ small bunch fresh parsley, chopped or 1tsp dried parsley.
- ½ small bunch fresh basiil, chopped or 1-2tsp dried basil.
- Olive oil
- 1 small courgette, sliced
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 yellow or red pepper, chopped
- 100g button mushrooms thinly sliced.
- 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 small red chilli finely diced – optional , add if you like a bit of a kick to your sauce!
Method:
1. Place a small amount of oil in a pan and cook the garlic 1/2 the onion until soft.
2. Add the peppers, mushrooms, courgette and chilli (if you are using it)
3. Add the tinned tomatoes, basil and simmer whilst you make the meatballs.
4. Cook the rest of the onion until slightly soft. Combine this in a bowl with the mince, and the parsley and shape into small balls , all of equal size.
5. Add a small amount of oil to a pan, place the meatballs in the pan and cook until browning on the outside and thoroughly cooked throughout. This takes about 6-8 minutes.
6. Once the meatballs are cooked, add to the tomato sauce and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
For a low carb option both recipes can be served with courgetti.