Seriously, what grandparent doesn't keep Chef Boyardee ABCs and 123s, Ravioli or Spaghetti & Meatballs around for the grandkids? I know ours do. I don't give them that at home...for several reasons...they gross me out, they ingredients list gives me hives and most of all...I would have to dress them in trash bags to eat that stuff in my house! AHHHHHHH....
Okay, so the convenience of opening a can, dumping it into a bowl and microwaving it is wonderful, especially with 4 kids under 6 years old...yeah...I get that. And they will straight hammer it! Yep, my kids are very good eaters and will take out adult portions of baked salmon...but that doesn't mean that they don't like the things that all other kids like too!
Making these meatballs is really easy, but the best thing about them is that you can make about 3 dozen and store them in the fridge or freezer, making dinner prep take minutes!
Choose whatever noodle suits you! Although I love the flavor or these butternut squash noodles against the spicy chili and tomato boldness in the pictured sauce for Bryan and I, my favorite noodle is far and away the zucchini noodles especially with a good ol' marinara. If you still don't have a
veggie spirilizer, well then you really need to get on that....but
spaghetti squash is a wonderful choice too!
In this recipe I used a blend of sausage and ground turkey, you can definitely use all turkey or ground beef if you want! I like the blend and the kids eat it very well!
What you need... about 36 meatballs depending on size!
1 lb. sausage
1 lb. ground turkey (the packages are actually about 20 oz. usually, and I use the whole thing)
1/2 shallot, minced
4-6 large baby bellas or cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs
a few sprigs of thyme, just the leaves
Preheat oven to 400F. Live a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. You can use a mixer, but I like to just use a wooden spoon and my hands to get it blended really well, after all, you have to roll them out with your hands anyway!
Once the meat is well mixed, begin rolling out meatballs. Scoop a spoonful of meat and roll it between your hands until it's in a ball. I like them to be about 1.5" in diameter. Place them on the cookie sheets with a little space in between. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for 20 more. Allow to cool on the baking sheet, then store in an airtight container until you need them!
When you are ready...
1 20oz. jar organic, no sugar added pasta sauce - I use the HT Organics or Muir Glen Marinara Please note: The one pictured is HOT, do NOT make that for children!
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (this is optional but it gives the sauce a creamy texture closure to Brand CB in the can
parmesan for sprinkling (optional)
Add pasta sauce to a large, deep sauté pan. Place however many meatballs you need in to the sauce and turn to medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes on medium, just until the sauce begins to bubble. Turn the heat down to simmer and stir in the ricotta cheese. Cover and allow to simmer until serving. In the meantime, get your noodles ready. Plate noodles, top with sauce and meatballs. Sprinkl;e with parmesan and serve!
your favorite noodles - As I said I prefer the zucchini noodles from the veggie spiralizer, then just warmed through in a sauté pan with olive oil, but for the kids I dropped just a few pasta noodles to pile on top of the veggie ones, once they get started they don't ask questions, sometimes it's just the initial take that can't stunt them...yes...I am tricking them! Don't judge...
 |
| What you need... |
 |
| Add meat to a large bowl... |
 |
| stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix... |
 |
| continue mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands until well combined... |
 |
| Roll into bite sized balls, place evenly spaced on a lined baking sheet... |
 |
| Bake for 20 minutes at 400F, then flip... |
 |
| Return to oven for 20 more minutes... |
 |
| Remove and store in an airtight container in the fridge until you need them! You can also freeze! |
 |
| For butternut squash noodles, peel squash... |
 |
| cut off end and separate the slender end from the bulb... |
 |
| scoop out seeds... |
 |
| Retain these for something else, just clean seeds and chop. |
 |
| I kept these for veggie chili... |
 |
| Cut the slender end into planks... |
 |
| then into fifths... |
 |
| spiralize... |
 |
| Add 1 jar of sauce to a large/deep sauté pan and turn to medium heat... |
 |
| Cook on medium until the sauce begins to bubble... |
 |
| Stir in ricotta and turn down to simmer... |
 |
| Cover and simmer until your noodles are ready. |
 |
| If using veggie noodles, cook them for about 5 minutes in an oiled sauté pan until gently softened, toss with salt and pepper. |
 |
| Plate noodles... |
 |
| For the kids I covered with a few pasta noodles on top... |
 |
| Top with sauce and meatballs... |
 |
Dust with parmesan...serve.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment