More Meatballs

Can you really have too many good meatball recipes? I don’t think so, and that’s why I decided to try something new; quinoa meatballs.  The quinoa replaced the breadcrumbs, not the meat. This exchange makes these meatballs suitable for gluten-free, as well as your paleo friends. I made them with a simple tomato sauce and I think anyone eating them wouldn’t notice the difference (if you were trying to sneak some whole grains into someone’s meal). The one difference I noticed was that these meatballs were very tender, and for me that wasn’t a problem. 

You’ll need to cook up some quinoa in advance and chill it before using it. It’s kind of thing you could make a large batch of, and use for a few different dishes like the quinoa salad from earlier this month. Having used it in these meatballs I plan to try it in turkey meatballs, as well as in meatloaf.  Most recipes I’ve seen direct you to wash the quinoa, but I prefer to toast it. I am a firm believer in toasting things. When I cook with nuts I always toast them first, same with most grains, and even Israeli cous cous. Toasting adds another layer of flavor that you can really taste. Just think about how good the pecans on top of the pie taste.

Because I used grass-fed beef for these meatballs I skipped the salt, but if you’re using grain fed beef you’ll need some.  I think this recipe would also work just as well with turkey, but if you’re using all white meat turkey you might want to add an additional egg yolk, to keep them from getting too dry.

Beef and Quinoa Meatballs

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Ingredients

• 1lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onions (chopped fine)
• 1/4 cup finely grated carrot
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook the quinoa

Step 1

Toast the quinoa in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes

cook the quinoa

Step 2

Slowly add 2 cups of water, and dried herbs

Step 3

Lower heat and cover, cook for 20 minutes, and cool thoroughly

Meatballs

Step 4

Preheat oven to 375 Put all ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix with paddle on low until all ingredients are well combined

Step 5

Form into 2" round balls

Step 6

Place meatballs on a rimmed sheet or cookie tray lined with foil or parchment Bake for 20 minutes, or until brown Put meatballs into sauce and cook an additional 30-40 minutes

Step 7

To make a quick and easy sauce, saute 1/2 cup chopped onions until translucent, add 1 smashed garlic cove and saute 1 more minute. Add 1- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes with basil, and simmer while meatballs are cooking