This meal brings me back to my childhood when I used to cook this with my mom for our Sunday family table for lunch. Those veggie packed meatballs in rich tomato sauce are perfectly juicy and delicious. And of course this meal is suitable for any age (yes you can serve this to your baby from six months old) as the majority of my recipes. Perfect for picky eaters! So let’s dive in!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
For the meatballs I used my oven-baked veggie packed meatballs recipe.
- Minced beef. I used organic grass-fed and grass-finished minced beef. However, you can use minced turkey or chicken, just make sure to add a little extra olive when you are kneading your meatballs. You can even use minced lamb or bison, I have done this before and the result was equally tasty.
- Vegetables: carrots, cauliflower, onions, garlic. I like to add extra vegetables in my dishes. I feel like they add a ton of flavor and nutrition so this is a win-win.
- Egg. This is our banding agent for the meatballs.
- Pantry staples: extra virgin olive oil, tomato puree or passata.
- Herbs: parsley and mint.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, pepper. Those spices bring such a great flavor into this dish.
โI love adding extra vegetables on my recipes. They add extra flavor and nutrition. However, this is not the main way that I serve vegetables to my kids and I donโt recommend to just hide vegetables. You should keep offering veggies in any possible way and in their original shape so your kids get exposed and learn to love them.โ
HOW TO STORE
Those veggie packed meatballs in rich tomato sauce is a great meal to save in the freezer so I would suggest to double the recipe and save the half in an airtight container for later. It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Of course, you can keep it in your fridge (if they survive) for up to 3 days.
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Need more inspiration?
If you are looking for delicious family style dishes you should check out my:
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Veggie packed meatballs in red sauce
Course: MainDifficulty: Easy10
servings20
minutes50
minutesIngredients
Two batches of my veggie packed meatballs
- For the red sauce
3 medium sized carrots
1 medium sized onion
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
20 oz (566.99 grams) tomato puree
48 oz (1360.78 grams) tap water or vegetable stock
1 cinnamon stick
ยฝ tsp grounded clove
ยฝ tsp grounded nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook the meatballs in your oven following the instructions on my “veggie packed meatballs” recipe
- In a deep pot over medium heat saute the spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) with olive oil until fragrant
- In the blender, blend the vegetables (onion, garlic, carrots, cauliflower)
- Add the vegetablesโ mixture in the pot and stir well
- Add the tomato sauce, water, salt and pepper and bring it to a boil
- Let it simmer for 15 min over medium heat
- Gently add the oven baked meatballs one by one
- Cover with the lid and boil over medium heat for 15 minutes