After the pea meatballs, I couldn’t help but share with you the recipe for bean meatballs with tomato sauce! They are irresistible: they might look like meatballs with sauce, so you’ll even get the little ones to eat them. I already published last year the recipe for chickpea meatballs with sauce and you loved them. So, this time, since I am learning to eat beans, I share with you this version of borlotti bean meatballs with tomato.
The meatball format is one of my favorites and, looking at the statistics of the most-read recipes on the blog, it is also yours. So, thinking about how hard it often is to get little ones to eat vegetables and legumes, I decided to publish here on the blog my recipe for bean meatballs from a can or glass jar. A quick, easy, and delicious recipe, as we like, so you can prepare it by following the video recipe below and taste it with your family.
The main tips for preparing delicious bean meatballs with tomato sauce will be written in the recipe text itself, but here in the introduction, I want to emphasize one important tip. You absolutely must not turn these meatballs over repeatedly. They are very soft and risk breaking or crumbling if frequently touched with a spoon; rather flip them in the pan with decisive wrist movements. In short, flip but don’t stir or anything else. The cooking time is about 10 minutes: we are using canned beans, so it’s not long, and the tomato sauce is almost cooked, so there’s no need to turn the meatballs many times.
To make you crave meatballs even more, I’ll leave some links below to some of my favorite recipes. You’ll find the Collection Meatball Recipes, where they are divided according to main ingredients, such as meat, vegetables, or legumes. Then the latest recipe: pea meatballs without potatoes and ricotta, super easy and quick to prepare; the chickpea meatballs with tomato sauce, as I mentioned earlier; and lastly, my all-time favorites: baked zucchini and tuna meatballs. I love them and prepare them so many times in summer because they are also delicious cold.
Before moving on to today’s recipe for borlotti bean meatballs in tomato sauce, I remind you that I am waiting for you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! An unmissable appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory treat!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter and Spring, All seasons
Ingredients to prepare the bean meatballs with tomato sauce
- 13 oz borlotti beans (in a glass jar)
- 8 oz tomato pulp
- 2.1 oz cheese (grated)
- 2.1 oz breadcrumbs
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- to taste basil (dried)
- to taste dried parsley
- 1 pinch nutmeg (powdered)
- 1 pinch curry
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp water
- to taste white onion (finely chopped)
In the list of necessary ingredients to prepare the bean meatballs with tomato sauce, you can choose the spices and herbs you prefer most. In the list, I’ve proposed those I love and used for this recipe.
Tools to prepare the bean meatballs with tomato sauce
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Pan
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 2 Plates
- 1 Colander
Steps for the bean meatballs with tomato sauce recipe
I start the preparation of the meatballs by finely chopping the white onion. Very little is needed, so don’t overdo it: it’s not today’s protagonist. I pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a non-stick pan and start to sauté the onion. Once it is translucent, I add the tomato pulp. I add salt, pepper, and dried basil, and let cook for about ten minutes over medium-low heat, uncovered.
Meanwhile, I drain the borlotti beans from the water in the glass jar, or can if you are using canned beans. I quickly rinse them under the tap water stream and then pour the beans into the bowl of the food processor. I add a little water and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. I don’t need to create a cream, but to get a compact mixture.
Once the beans are well chopped, I pour them into a bowl. I add the breadcrumbs and the cheese, in my case lactose-free grated cheese. I sprinkle with salt, pepper, curry, nutmeg, and some dried parsley. With a spoon I work the dough until it becomes nice and firm, ready to be worked with hands.
I pour some breadcrumbs onto a little plate and place a plate nearby to arrange the meatballs as I go. I then take a small amount of the mixture with a spoon and start shaping the borlotti bean meatballs. I roll them in the breadcrumbs and continue until all the bean mixture is used up.
I arrange the meatballs in the pan where the tomato sauce is cooking, to start the cooking process which will be very brief: about 10 minutes, the perfect time to let them soak up the tomato flavor. I add a little basil to enhance the aroma of this dish.
As mentioned earlier, I do not turn the meatballs with a spoon, but I try to flip them using the handle and a strong wrist motion to avoid breaking or squashing the meatballs.
I am finally ready to serve at the table the bean meatballs with tomato sauce and basil. An easy, quick, and super tasty second course, perfect for scooping up the sauce! I recommend toasting the bread slightly, so it’s the right consistency to scoop up the sauce.
All that’s left is to wish you a good meal and remind you that I await you every day here on my cooking blog with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one!
Tips, storage, and recipe variations:
Tips: as mentioned earlier, it’s important to work the mixture well but not reduce the beans to a liquid cream. Do not turn the meatballs to avoid breaking them or losing shape. Don’t overdo the spices or herbs so as not to overpower the bean’s delicacy.
Storage: you can store the borlotti bean meatballs with tomato sauce in a container with a lid after they have completely cooled at room temperature. They can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days or in the freezer for a week. Then reheat the meatballs in a pan by adding a drizzle of oil or water.
Primary variations: you can vary the type of beans, from borlotti to cannellini, from Spanish white (Corona) to red or black. You can choose the spices you love to add flavor and taste to these meatballs, as well as vary the herbs suggested in the ingredient list.
