Veal meatballs in vegetable sauce

Name: Veal meatballs in vegetable sauce
Ingredients: For meatballs: 250-300g veal; one carrot; one small onion; one larger garlic clove; 3 tablespoons rice; 1/2 teaspoon salt; a bit of pepper; 1 egg. For the vegetable sauce: 3 medium carrots; 1 slice of celery; 1/2 kohlrabi; 2 small onions; 1/2 green pepper; 1 cup of tomato juice; 4 garlic cloves; chopped fresh basil; salt and pepper.

Meat - Veal meatballs in vegetable sauce by Melina B. - Recipia

Veal meatballs in vegetable sauce When I want a meat dish but not too heavy, I prepare these veal meatballs in vegetable sauce. The meat is combined with a bit of rice, carrot, onion, and garlic, and the sauce is made from boiled and pureed vegetables. The meatballs are briefly boiled, then cooked in the sauce in the oven, where they develop flavor and remain tender. The quantities below yield about 18-19 meatballs. Quick info Total time: not specified exactly in the original recipe; the dish includes preparing and boiling the vegetables, boiling the meatballs, and 35-40 minutes in the oven Preparation time: unspecified Cooking time: approximately 5 minutes for the meatballs after they rise to the surface of the water, plus 35-40 minutes in the oven Oven temperature: 180 degrees Celsius Servings: approximately 3-4, depending on the portion size Yield: 18-19 meatballs Difficulty: easy Recipe type: lunch or dinner with meat and plenty of vegetables Ingredients For the meatballs 250-300 g veal meat 1 carrot 1 small onion 1 larger clove of garlic 3 tablespoons of rice 1/2 teaspoon of salt A little pepper 1 egg For boiling the meatballs Water, in a pot of about 2 liters A little salt For the vegetable sauce 3 medium carrots 1 slice of celery 1/2 kohlrabi 2 small onions 1/2 green bell pepper 1 smaller cup of tomato juice 4 cloves of garlic Chopped fresh basil Salt and pepper Preparation method 1. Prepare the meatball mixture Chop the veal, carrot, and onion together. I use a food processor, but the ingredients can also be chopped manually as finely as possible. Place the mixture in a bowl and add the washed and well-drained rice, salt, a little pepper, garlic, and egg. Mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. 2. Boil the meatballs Bring water to a boil in a pot of about 2 liters and add a little salt. When the water starts to boil, form small balls from the meat mixture and carefully place them in the water. From the indicated quantities, about 18-19 meatballs are produced. Let them boil, and from the moment they rise to the surface, boil them for about 5 more minutes. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and place them in a heat-resistant dish that can be placed in the oven. They do not need to be fully cooked at this stage, as they will continue to cook in the sauce. 3. Prepare the vegetables for the sauce Peel the carrots, celery, kohlrabi, onion, and bell pepper. Wash them and cut them into large pieces. Bring water to a boil with a little salt. When the water is boiling, add the vegetables and boil them until they are tender. They do not need to be very soft; it is enough that they can be easily pureed. 4. Puree the vegetables When the vegetables are cooked, place them in a blender in two batches. For each batch, add half a cup of the water they were boiled in and puree until you obtain a sauce. Also add the cup of tomato juice. If you puree the vegetables in two batches, combine the obtained sauce in a bowl before pouring it over the meatballs. 5. Bake the dish Pour the vegetable sauce over the meatballs placed in the dish. Season with salt, pepper, chopped fresh basil, and the 4 cloves of garlic. Gently mix only on the surface, just enough to distribute the spices and garlic in the sauce. Place the dish in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius and let the meatballs cook for 35-40 minutes. The dish must be large enough to prevent the sauce from overflowing. If you use a smaller dish, place it in a larger one before putting it in the oven. This way, any sauce that spills over will not reach the bottom of the oven. 6. Serve Remove the dish from the oven and serve the meatballs hot, along with the vegetable sauce. The sauce is thick due to the pureed vegetables, and the meatballs finish cooking directly in it. Why I make the recipe often I love the combination of veal and a large amount of vegetables. The sauce is not based on a heavy base, but on boiled and pureed carrots, celery, kohlrabi, onion, and bell pepper. Additionally, meatballs are easier to serve than a whole piece of meat, and the 18-19 pieces can serve multiple portions. It is also a useful recipe when I want to include more vegetables in a lunch without preparing a complicated side dish separately. The rice in the meatballs helps with the consistency of the mixture, and the sauce keeps them tender after baking. Tips Wash the rice before adding it to the mixture and let it drain well. If too much water remains, the mixture may become too soft. The meatballs are placed in boiling water and boiled for about 5 minutes after they rise to the surface. Do not overboil them, as they will stay for 35-40 minutes in the oven. The vegetables for the sauce should be boiled but not overly soft. They will be easier to puree if they are tender, but it is not necessary to let them break apart in the water. Use a dish that is large enough. The sauce should fit without reaching the edge, especially since it may bubble during baking. If the sauce comes out too thick after pureeing, the recipe source allows using the water in which the vegetables were boiled to adjust its consistency. This water is added anyway in the blender, half a cup at a time for each batch. Substitutions If you do not like the taste of celery, you can replace it with parsnip and parsley root. These maintain the character of the vegetable sauce but have a different and milder taste. Variations You can use between 250 and 300 g of veal, depending on the quantity available. The rest of the ingredients for the meatballs remain the same. For the sauce, the proportion of vegetables can be adapted within the limits of the ingredients already used in the recipe. Carrot, onion, kohlrabi, bell pepper, and celery form the base of the sauce, and the tomato juice adds color and flavor. If you prefer a more aromatic sauce, keep the fresh basil and garlic until the stage when the sauce is poured over the meatballs. This way, the flavors cook together with the dish in the oven. Serving ideas The meatballs are served hot, directly from the dish with sauce. They can be eaten as is since the sauce contains many vegetables, and the meatball mixture already has rice. For a more substantial meal, the portion can be accompanied by a simple side dish, but the recipe is designed to be served primarily with the vegetable sauce. Frequently asked questions How many meatballs does this mixture yield? From the indicated quantities, about 18-19 meatballs are produced. The number may vary depending on how large the balls are formed. Do I need to boil the meatballs before putting them in the oven? Yes. The meatballs are placed in boiling water and boiled for about 5 minutes after they rise to the surface. Then they are removed with a slotted spoon and placed in the dish, where they finish cooking in the sauce in the oven. Can I puree all the vegetables at once? The original recipe specifies pureeing in two batches, with half a cup of the water in which the vegetables were boiled for each batch. If your blender is large enough, you can puree them together, but it is important to keep the necessary liquid to obtain a sauce. What if I don’t like celery? You can replace the slice of celery with parsnip and parsley root, according to the variant indicated in the recipe. How do I know when the meatballs are done? After 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees, the meatballs are cooked in the sauce, and the vegetables and sauce are well heated and flavored. Also respect the initial boiling stage, as the dish cooks in two stages. Nutritional values The values below are estimates and may vary depending on the fat content of the veal, the exact amount of vegetables, and the portion size. The estimate is calculated for about 4 portions and does not include an additional side dish. For one portion: Calories: approximately 250-300 kcal Proteins: approximately 22-26 g Carbohydrates: approximately 25-32 g Fats: approximately 7-11 g Fiber: approximately 6-8 g The majority of carbohydrates come from carrots, kohlrabi, onion, rice, and tomato juice. The fat content mainly depends on the veal used. Since the sauce does not contain oil or cream in the original recipe, the dish remains relatively light. Storage and reheating Keep the meatballs along with the sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator. It is recommended to consume them within a few days. Reheat the portion in a suitable dish, over low heat or in the oven, until well heated. If the sauce thickens after cooling, it can be gently mixed before reheating. The meatballs keep better in the sauce than separately, as the sauce helps prevent them from drying out.

Veal meatballs in vegetable sauce

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