Core Beef Meatballs - Steamed

Meatballs for use in spaghetti and meatballs, meatball soup etc.
This recipe steams the meatballs, making lovely and moist.

You can cook in oven instead.

If serving as a finger food, I suggest browning under griller or in fry pan

When mince is on special I'll often do a huge batch and freeze in zip lock bags for quick meals later.

Serves: 30 meatballs

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 500g lean beef mince
• 1 large egg
• 1 TB dry french onion soup mix or dehydrated onion flakes
• 2 tsp gried garlic powder
• 1 TB dry parsley or basil 

Method:
The easiest may to do meatballs is to get your hand in there. Before starting, wash hands well and pour a basin of luke warm water.
Mix all together with your hands.
Dampen your palms and form into small 2 cm balls.
If the mixture sticks to your hand, dampen your palms, this will stop it sticking and give a smoother ball.
Place in single layer in steamer basket. Do not crowd as the fats drain better with a few mm between balls.
Steam for 10 minutes.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 15 pts or 1/2 pt a meatball

Core Meatball Soup

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 x 500g quantity of 2 cm meatballs
• 2 medium Carrots, diced (2 cup)
• 150 g Sweet Potato, diced (1 cup)
• 1 large onion, diced (1 cup)
• 3 TB garlic, crushed
• 250 g Potatoes, diced (2 cup)
• 4 TB BeefStock Powder
• 200 g of McKenzies Soup Mix
• 10 cup Water
• 1 can (400g) Diced Tomato
• 3 TB Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tsp Oregano Leaves
• 3TB tomato paste
• 2 cup Cabbage, shredded
• Salt/pepper to taste

Method:
Make the meatballs. If frozen, if fine to use without defrosting
Sautee onion, carrot, potato, sweet potato and garlic for 5 mins in pan sprayed with oil.
Add rest of ingredients except cabbage and simmer with lid on for 30 mins.
Take off heat, stir cabbage through.
Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving, trying to get an even number of meatballs in each bowl.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 22 pts , or 3.5pts each serving 6

CORE Chicken Balls / Patties

I made these with Thai style herbs and served with hot chilli sauce (since sweet chilli isn't Core). The flavouring was subtle.

If you have kids, you might prefer using just parsley and perhaps serving with BBQ sauce.

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 600g chicken mince
• 2 tsp dry French Onion soup mix
• 2 egg
• 30 g (1/3 cup) rolled oats
• 1 tsp crushed chilli paste (or hot chilli sauce)
• 3 tsp finely chopped basil
• 2 tsp finely chopped coriander

Method:
With a fork, mix together all except the oats.
When thouroughly mixed, add oats.
With wet fingertips and a bowl of water handy (stops sticking) make into 2cm balls and place on baking tray. I made 36 this size, but you could vary the size.
Bake at 180*C for 30 minutes

NB - chicken mince takes a lot to brown. If you like the look of browned meat, slide under the griller for a few minutes (I did)

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 21 points

CORE Hedgehogs (Meatballs)

Hedgehogs are beef meatballs with raw rice mixed in. As they cook, the rice absorbs fluids and puff up so they look like hedgehogs :)

These are great for kids and parties (For finger food - drain off the tomato soup and cook for a couple of minutes extra to "dry out")

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, grated (or 1tsp French Onion Soup powder)
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 2 eggs
• 500g extra lean mince
• 1/4tsp nutmeg
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 cup water

Optional - use a tin of crushed tomatoes, 1/4 can water and basil/Italian mixed herbs instead of the 1 can water. For kids, best to stick to the soup. For adults, a little chilli or Tobasco sauce in the sauce adds a zing!

Optional 2 - Add potato to the sauce for lovely Italian style potatoes in tomato. In picture is 1 can soup, 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1/4 can water, Italian herbs mix and a 100g potato each, cut in half.

Method:

Mix above ingredients excluding water & soup.
With wet hands, shape into golf ball sized balls and put in casserole dish.
Mix water & tomato soup together and pour over meatballs
Bake covered at 200*C for 1 hour to 1h 15m.

Serving hint - serve on a bed of garlic mashed potato, drizzled with the tomato sauce and lots of vegies.

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 24 points (without potato), and it makes about 24 golf ball sized meatballs