My family loves meatballs and we make an assortment of sauces to go with them, like these delicious honey garlic meatballs. Sometimes when we make them, we add shredded veggies to the ground meat (the veggies go especially well with ground turkey) which helps the meat go further, adds some extra flavor as well as extra nutrients and is a great way to be sneaky and hide vegetables where kids may not expect it!
Let’s get started!
Combine the ground meat (we have used ground turkey) with the shredded carrot, onion and zucchini. You can also omit the shredded onion and substitute it for onion powder. Add salt, pepper, garlic and soy sauce. Mix well. Shape into meatballs. At this point, I bake them in a large roasting pan and then transfer some to a casserole or smaller roasting pan to cook with the sauce and freeze the rest for a later time.
It is so nice when you just are not sure what to cook to pull out precooked, homemade meatballs and toss them in a roasting pan with onion, celery and bell pepper and this delicious honey garlic sauce and bake them. By the time the rice or potatoes are cooked and the veggies like sauteed green beans or salad are ready, the meatballs are ready to be served! It is so much help in the kitchen with those meal time slumps!
Honey Garlic Meatballs
4 lbs ground meat like beef, pork or turkey
1 carrot, shredded
1 onion, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp fresh minced garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup soy sauce or Tamari (a gluten free soy sauce)
Combine altogether and stir well. Roll into walnut size meatballs. You should have roughly 80 meatballs. Place meatballs in a large roasting pan and cook at 350F for 40 minutes, stirring half way through. At this point, I often cool the meatballs, divide into 3 portions (or 2 if you have a larger family to feed) and freeze. If using immediately, transfer some of the meatballs into another smaller roasting pan or casserole dish.
Over top the cooked meatballs, add one sliced onion, one sliced celery stalk and one sliced red bell pepper and scatter over meatballs. Make the sauce (recipe below) and pour over top. Cook 30 minutes. Serve with rice or potatoes and veggies.
Honey Ginger Sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
4 tbsp raw honey
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp fresh minced ginger or ground ginger
1 tbsp cornstarch
For the sauce, whisk altogether. Pour over meatballs and cook (directions above).
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours