Recipe: Meatloaf Meatballs

For the past few weeks I’ve been browsing through and admiring my new acquisition: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman of the www.smittenkitchen.com. It is amazing! And I would absolutely recommend it to anyone.

I’ve been following Deb’s website for awhile now, and have often found her recipes to be creative but at the same time very manageable. Using everyday ingredients, and often inspired by familiar dishes, with support of amazing photography and fun prefaces Deb puts an new spin and inspires many of her readers, myself included.



Armed with my new cookbook and “encouragements” from my husband (who hasn’t failed to let me know that he would like to try something from the said new cookbook) I decided to give a try to the Tomato-Glazed Meatloaves recipe. I must admit I haven’t followed the cookbook’s recipe to the tee for lack of certain ingredients, but the end result was still very successful and incredibly tasty. So, thank you Deb for your inspiration!

Meatloaf Meatballs
Makes 4-6 servings

Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet onion
½ medium red onion
2 medium carrots
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp celery seed
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced (or pressed through the garlic press)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
½ tsp paprika
1 large egg, beaten

Glaze:
4 tsp vegetable oil
¼ cup tomato paste
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt

Preparation:

To make the glaze combine the ingredients in a small saucepan, simmer over medium heat for a few minutes, whisking constantly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, add the onion and carrots, pulse until finely chopped. Then add the vegetables to a preheated skillet, with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the celery seed, salt and pepper to taste; cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to brown.

Add the cooked vegetables to the large bowl with remaining ingredients, mix together. With wet hands, form the mixture into 8 to 12 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs in a baking dish, spacing them so they are not touching, allowing them to brown all over. Brush each meatball with the glaze, and bake until cooked through (depending on the meatball size approximately 30-45 minutes).

Serve with mashed potatoes as Deb’s book suggests or anything else that you might have on hand.

Nom nom…