Meatballs with Vegetables

Whenever possible, I try to sneak in some vegetables. After watching so many documentaries and reading up from various sources, I agree that a plant based diet is a healthier choice for men, but I am just not ready to go vegan (yet?) So adding as many vegetables into my family diet as possible is my mission.

Sneaking in vegetables into dishes requires more preparation time. So I usually prepare dishes like this during the weekends. The good thing about this is that the meatballs can be frozen after cooking then served in different ways later on. For a weeknight dinner, I like to bake them in canned tomatoes then serve them with pasta. My younger son likes to pack the meatballs as is for lunch without any sauce. I also served these with my Mac n cheese the other night.

Here are the meatballs from my kitchen:

Ingredients (make about 60 1.5 inch meatballs)

2 lb of ground beef

1 cup of panko or breadcrumbs

1 cup of milk

1 cup of minced carrots, kale, and/or cabbage

1/4 cup of shallots and garlic, finely chopped and fried in oil until fragrant 

Herbs

Salt

How

1. In a small bowl, mix together the panko and milk then set aside.
   
2. In a big bowl, mix together the beef, vegetables and shallot garlic mixture. I used the pulp from my vegetable juice which consists of red cabbage, carrots, and kale. Mix well with hands.
3. Add the soaked panko, a dash of herbs and about 1 tsp. of salt. Mix well again with hands.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 425F. Use a 1.5 inch scooper, scoop the mixture to form balls and lay them on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
   
5. To serve with tomato sauce, lay the cooked meatballs in a casserole dish and add in one big can of diced tomatoes. Cover it tightly with foil and bake in a 375F oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve hot with cooked pasta.