Monday, March 24

Easy Egg Free Italian Meatballs with Broccoli

I love this easy baked Italian meatball recipe for a few reasons. It's egg free and great for someone with food allergies to eggs. Yet, the meatballs still hold together nicely. It's also simple and easy.  It' requires minimal ingredients, yet it still tastes great. And finally, my favorite part of this baked Italian meatball recipe is the HIDDEN broccoli that you (and your kids!) can't even taste.

I'm not much into hiding veggies. I LIKE to know that my kids will eat veggies without having to hide them. Broccoli is a big favorite in our house. But lately the kiddos haven't been eating it, most likely because I've been serving it too frequently. So, what's a mama to do? HIDE the broccoli!

These meatballs are seriously moist - even when microwaved two days later.


We ate these meatballs on top of wheat pasta (since Little Guy can now eat wheat). We also still eat gluten-free quinoa pasta as an alternative. So, if you're gluten free - that's a great option too!


RECIPE: Easy Egg Free Italian Meatballs with Broccoli

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 cup chopped cooked broccoli (I warmed up frozen broccoli and it worked great)
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (I used Ian's Panko Bread Crumbs, but any plain wheat or gluten-free breadcrumbs would work. I've also substituted quick cooking oats if I don't have bread crumbs!)
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce, marinara sauce or ketchup (use a brand with no high fructose corn syrup)
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (this includes anchovies just FYI for food allergies!)
Seasonings:
  • 1/2 Tbsp basil
  • 1/2 Tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 Tbsp Thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • salt is only needed if you use a low or no salt tomato sauce
Directions:
  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
  • Use a whisk or fork to mix together seasonings with bread crumbs
  • Add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce
  • Cook your broccoli (steam it, or take a shortcut and microwave frozen broccoli for 1 minute with a tsp of water)
  • Chop your broccoli in a food processor into fine pieces and add it to the bread crumb mixture
  • Add ground beef and turkey and mix everything with your hands
  • Scoop meatball mixture with a tablespoon (or just use your hands to estimate like I do!) and roll in your hands until golf ball sized meatballs are formed
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 22 - 25 minutes or until at least 160 degrees

What's your favorite meatball recipe!!??

Yes, I know breadcrumbs are fairly easy to make, but I prefer the easy route some days! Here are two kinds of Ian's breadcrumbs, wheat and gluten-free, I've used in the past for various recipes. I used the Original Panko Breadcrumbs for this meatball recipe.


3 comments:

Diane said...

These look delish Kathryn, I just had some chicken meatballs in marinara sauce at the Olive Garden on Saturday , they were so yummy.

Jo-Lynne Shane said...

Yummy! I love meatballs. And I love the idea of hiding veggies inside. Brilliant!

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Thanks Diane! Yes, Jo-Lynne, the secret broccoli is one of my favorite parts of these meatballs!

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