Meatballs

Meatballs


This week I wanted to share a recipe that goes down well with my family and on the off chance I decide to eat red meat my stoma tolerates. Sadly I couldn’t get a decent picture of the meatballs as 00Steve and the kids tucked in before I get a chance to take a photo! But I guess that means it is just that tasty! Small wins I guess!! Ra-Ra also enjoys helping make the meatballs which is a great way to encourage your kids to eat better or just eat in general.

  • 1 pack of beef mince
  • 1/2 an onion red/white or 3 shallots
  • 3 mushrooms – yes you may be able to eat mushrooms with little worry to your stoma
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 glug (totally technical terminology there!) of balsamic vinegar
  • some gravy granules
  • mixed veg
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • sprinkle of both basil and oregano

First you want to chop up the mushrooms and onion rather small and add them into a bowl with the mince. I suggest getting the mince out beforehand so it isn’t too cold. Pop in the puree and paprika and squish the mixture together until it is thoroughly combined. Now get a large pan or frying pan and make the meatballs; we prefer smaller ones and a 500g pack of mince just makes short of 20 meatballs.

Depending on how many you make you may need to cook these off in batches so they get evenly cooked. I turn them every so often so they are cooked all the way through but slightly crispy on the outside. Again depending on how many you have and how big they are time varies.

Once cooked you can start making the sauce. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan first to “deglaze” the pan which helps lift any of the bits stuck to the bottom which will add flavour to the sauce. Now add your chopped tomatoes, herbs and gravy granules. The gravy part is 00Steve’s trick to thicken up the sauce and add depth of flavour – who am I to judge when both of our kids wolf it down. Once the sauce has thickened I add some frozen mixed veg – now you can add whatever sort you like here, my kids eat sweetcorn but I don’t so I just pick it out!

Put on a lid or a cover and simmer until either your pasta or chips (it works well with both) have cooked and top with a bit of cheese or a lot of cheese I won’t judge.

The meatballs keep in an airtight container for a couple of days and excess sauce works really well poured over chips!

Again sorry for the atrocious photo!! If you try this or make adaptations I would love to hear about them in the comments!


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