THE DAIRY KITCHEN
Cheesy Italian Meatballs
By THE DAIRY KITCHEN
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
Preparation
25 MINS
Cooking
30 MINS
Watch the kid's eyes light up when their meatballs start exploding oozy melted cheesy goodness.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil1 carrot, grated
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x 700ml bottle tomato passata or reduced salt crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
400g lean minced beef
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
100g low fat cheddar cheese, cut into 2cm cubes
1/4 cup shaved parmesan, for serving
chopped parsley, for serving
Handy Tips
Passata is a pureed tomato sauce available at the supermarket that can be used in pasta sauces, casseroles and for pizza toppings.
Nutrition (per serve)
| Energy (kj) | 877 |
| Sugars (g) | 5 |
| Protein (g) | 24 |
| Dietry Fibre (g) | 1 |
| Fat Total (g) | 9 |
| Sodium (mg) | 474 |
| Saturated (g) | 4 |
| Calcium (mg) | 237 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 8 |
| Iron (mg) | 2 |
Method
- Heat oil in a heavy based casserole dish and add half the carrot, onion and garlic. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in passata and water, simmer for 5 minutes.
- Combine remaining carrot, onion and garlic with mince, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg and seasonings. Knead thoroughly with your hands until the mixture is very sticky, shape the mixture into golf ball sized balls and stuff each with one cube of cheddar ensuring that the cheese is fully enclosed.
- Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce, cook over low heat, covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve meatballs sprinkled with parsley and parmesan and accompanied with seasonal vegetables.
