Meatballs with vegetable puree, a dish to serve as a main or as a one-pot meal. These are meatballs made with mixed minced meat, accompanied by a puree made with potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery.
Other meatball recipes:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Meatballs with Vegetable Puree
- 9 oz beef (minced)
- 9 oz pork (minced)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup Grana Padano cheese (grated)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch parsley
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste flour
- to taste peanut oil
- 3 cups potatoes
- 2 cups carrots
- 1 1/4 cups celery
- 1 onion
- 1 cup cup tomato puree
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste oregano (or basil)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
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- Immersion Blender
- Non-Stick Pan
Preparation MEATBALLS WITH VEGETABLE PUREE
In a bowl, mix the two types of meat, eggs, Grana cheese, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, minced garlic (without its core), a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Mix well with your hands.
Form meatballs the size of apricots (about 1.5 oz each), shape them slightly elongated, and press them a bit, then coat them with a thin layer of flour.In a skillet, heat the peanut oil (alternatively, use extra virgin olive oil) and brown the meatballs on both sides. As they are ready, place them on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Prepare the vegetable puree: dice the carrots and celery.
Chop the onion and sauté it in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the celery and carrots, sauté for a few moments, then add a glass of warm water and cook for 6 – 7 minutes.Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes, add them to the pan with the vegetables, and continue cooking until all the vegetables are soft.
Blend everything with an immersion blender, then add the tomato puree. If necessary, add a little water, salt, pepper, and season with a few pinches of oregano or basil.
As soon as the sauce starts to boil again, add the meatballs, cover, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Turn occasionally, and if the puree becomes too dry, add a little water, keeping in mind that at the end of cooking, the puree should not be too liquid. For this reason, it’s advisable to use a non-stick pan so that, even though the puree is quite thick, it won’t stick to the bottom.
Remove from heat and serve your plate of meatballs with vegetable puree hot.
Notes
If you prefer a more rustic vegetable side, instead of blending the vegetables, you can pass them through a food mill using the large-hole disc.
If you want to make the dish lighter, you can cook the meatballs without flouring and frying them, adding them directly to the vegetable puree. In this case, extend the cooking time by about 10 minutes.
If you liked this recipe, you might also be interested in Couscous with Meatballs or Rice with Meatballs and Vegetables or Spaghetti with Small Meatballs.
