Are you ready for Surprise Meatballs? The Meatballs with Quail Eggs guarantee a wow effect! Perfect every time, easy and quick to prepare, they will amaze both adults and children!
Have you ever read a recipe and then forgotten about it? Please tell me it has happened to you too so I can console myself and not feel alone, and that I’m getting old. I read this recipe about 5 years ago while I was at the hairdresser, and I tried it a few weeks later. I was immediately inspired by those little eggs, the meatballs I love so much, and the ease of the steps without needing to fry.
I took the opportunity to invite my partner’s brother over for lunch and tried this recipe right away. It was really easy, we devoured them all and appreciated the flavor of both the hard-boiled quail eggs and the mixed ground meat with sausage. In short, the three of us recommend them!
The most famous version of this recipe is the Breaded and Fried Quail Heart Meatballs. Also known as the Scottish Eggs, but I’m not proposing them fried, or at least not today. I’m proposing the Scotch Quail Eggs, so Scottish Quail Egg Meatballs or Scottish Quail Egg Meatball. Much closer to my tastes, since I practically never fry, and more in line with my cooking.
I preferred not to bread and fry these meatballs just to see if their taste and flavor would appeal to me. However, I did add some flour externally to properly seal the meat and its juices during cooking. So, a middle ground, since I then added some nice and good white onion finely chopped, extra virgin olive oil, nutmeg, parsley, and chives.
I have collected for you the Meatball Recipes that I have made over the years, from the classic ones to the meatballs in sauce, with various types of meat or other ingredients like tuna, potatoes, or zucchini. A true Collection of Recipes that I gift to you! Of the most read, I leave the clickable links below, just choose the title that intrigues you the most or the recipe to try and you will find yourself reading it here on my blog!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
- Energy 134.09 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 1.64 (g) of which sugars 0.11 (g)
- Proteins 6.96 (g)
- Fat 10.76 (g) of which saturated 3.59 (g)of which unsaturated 6.10 (g)
- Fibers 0.08 (g)
- Sodium 448.39 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Meatballs with Quail Eggs
- 12 quail eggs
- 0.88 lbs mixed ground meat
- 1 chicken sausage (and turkey in my case)
- 1 egg yolk (from chicken eggs)
- to taste parsley (finely chopped or dried)
- to taste chives (finely chopped or dried)
- to taste all-purpose flour
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- Half white onion (not too finely chopped)
- 1 coffee cup white wine
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
You will also need some water to boil the quail eggs.
Tools for Meatballs with Quail Eggs Recipe
- 1 Small Pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pan
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Kitchen Spatula
- 2 Plates
You can order the kitchen spatula with the logo of Le Ricette di Bea by writing in the comments or via chat on the various social profiles linked to my cooking blog.
Steps for the Meatball Recipe with Quail Eggs in the Pan
Let’s start the meatball recipe by placing a small pot with plenty of cold water on the stove. We wait for the water to almost boil. Then we gently add, one by one, the quail eggs. Let them cook for about 3 or 4 minutes at most. Being much smaller than chicken eggs, the quail eggs will be ready in a few minutes. Then quickly pass the eggs under the tap water to completely cool them and stop the cooking. Put them aside on the work surface; we’ll remove the shells later.
Let’s proceed by preparing the meat mix for the meatballs. Take a nice large bowl, pour in the mixed ground meat and the chicken and turkey sausage after removing the skin. If you don’t want to use a sausage, you can add about 50 – 60 grams (approximately 2 oz) more ground meat to the bowl.
Crack a chicken egg and add only the yolk to the bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Then add the herbs; I chose parsley and dried chives. Mix everything with your hands. The mixture will be sticky, as it should be. Do not use breadcrumbs or cheese because they would absorb the moisture of the meat and will not help when we form the quail heart meatballs.
Pour some flour onto a plate and keep it nearby. Also have a second plate on hand where we will place the meatballs we will prepare now. Now remove the shells from the previously boiled and now nicely cooled quail eggs. Let’s start the actual preparation of the meatballs.
Take a bit of the mixture and flatten it on the palm of one hand, about 40 grams (1.4 oz) of ground meat. Place the quail egg in the center and with the fingertips, pinch the meat toward the center. In the video recipe, the formation of the meatballs with egg heart is shown very well. This should help you understand how to do it if words are not very clear.
Place the meatballs one by one on the empty plate, use all the prepared quail eggs and the ground meat. In my case, I used 12 eggs and then with the little remaining ground meat, I made two plain meatballs.
Then coat the meatballs, one by one, in the flour and place them back on the plate. While we coat them one by one, seal well, pressing with more pressure, to prevent them from opening during the pan cooking.
Chop half a white onion, or golden onion, not too finely, and pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a large non-stick pan and let the onion sauté. Just before it’s completely wilted, add the small cup of white wine and let it evaporate. When the wine is almost evaporated, we can add the meatballs with eggs.
Let cook for about 30 minutes, although it depends on the size of the meatballs you managed to make. Keep an eye on the timer from 25 minutes onward. Remember, never cover the pan with a lid, do not change the flame intensity which should be medium-low, and especially turn them from time to time to prevent sticking or getting dark only on one side. Nobody likes undercooked meatballs.
At this point, all that remains is to serve the meatballs with quail eggs nice and hot along with the sauce obtained from the cooking. I hope you liked this recipe and I wish you a good appetite! I also remind you that I’m waiting for you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day!
Tips and Variations
You can substitute the chicken and turkey sausage with another variety of sausage or salamella. If you want to make the meatballs with quail eggs lighter, you can avoid adding the sausage and instead increase the amount of meat by about 50 – 60 grams.
You can avoid adding the nutmeg if you don’t like it, or replace it with another spice of your choice.
If you want to follow the Scottish recipe for fried quail eggs, you can skip adding the flour and roll the meatballs in breadcrumbs. Heat up some frying oil and cook the meatballs with quail eggs this way. They will surely be heavier, but you will respect the recipe!
You can store the scotch eggs in a container with a lid in the fridge for a couple of days after cooking and letting them cool to room temperature. You can also choose to freeze the meatballs with quail egg in a container with an airtight lid for a few weeks.
