Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

I had some ground beef leftover from making burgers and instead of making more burgers, I wanted to do something different, i.e. make meatballs. Plain meatballs, that is. Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and whatnot would be tasty, but I didn't want anything fancy. I turned to Pioneer Woman for this simple version and added herbs to my own liking. I've never thought of adding milk to meatballs and didn't realize how weird it would be until I actually did. The meat turned really soft and I was afraid the shape wouldn't hold. But I followed Pioneer Woman's advice and placed them in the freezer for five minutes and, though they were still a bit mushy, they held their shape fine when cooking. These meatballs are very tender thanks to the milk! I loved the plain taste of beef with the background flavors of oregano, salt, and pepper.

As for the sauce, I knew I wanted to cook the meatballs with the sauce, so I searched around and found one that sounded delicious! I love balsamic vinegar in tomato sauce, so I instantly chose this recipe. It smells amazing as it is simmering. I adjusted the instructions so I could cook everything in the same pot, so click on the link if you'd like to read the original post. The meatballs are originally baked with barbecue sauce smothered on top, so head to Pioneer Woman's site for that recipe, too.




Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman and The Kitchn

- 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tbsp onion, finely minced
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs (oregano or basil works)
- Black pepper, to taste

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 (28-oz) cans peeled plum tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt & pepper

1. In a bowl, combine the beef, oats, milk, onion, salt, herbs, and black pepper. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
2. Heat oil in pan and add meatballs. Brown on all sides for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, crushing them with a spoon or your hands as you add them.
4. Add the garlic, bay leaf and balsamic vinegar and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook until slightly reduced, about 20 minutes, and then taste and add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.

TVP Meatballs

I learned about TVP last year as I was looking for good sources of protein for a vegetarian. I had used it only once for Sloppy Joe's but I preferred frozen tofu so the bag has remained untouched after that. I wasn't sure how to use it and in what. I searched for TVP recipes and saved a few, but when I kept going back to them, they didn't seem that promising. Then I ran into this. Uh, perfected TVP meatballs? Even with some cursing? It seemed promising to me, but what was even better was that I started seeing this recipe on a lot of other blogs too. This must be it!

As I was waiting for the TVP to cool, I was mixing up the dry ingredients only to realize that I did not have breadcrumbs! Sometimes we have panko breadcrumbs, but we haven't been frying anything so there was none in our pantry. I didn't even have any bread because I ate my last slice yesterday with dinner. I grabbed my keys and drove out to the supermarket quickly (but not breaking any laws) and just as quickly came back home. Twenty minutes and a de-frazzling session later, I was ready to finish. Whew! After mixing everything together, it looked like it would turn out dry and I kept praying that it wouldn't. So hungry at this point... Baking and waiting... Plating and taking pictures... Biting into the meatball... Gasp! Moist! Soft! Not dry at all! Okay, these meatballs really are the best and full credit and kudos to Tracy at A Vegan for Dinner. I will definitely be making more of these. I have enough TVP for another batch, but I'm just gonna go and buy 32819038 pounds from the bulk section at Whole Foods! ;) Plus, you get 10% off if you buy bulk in 5-lb increments. Yippee!

I hope the long list of ingredients doesn't scare you off. I usually take a look at a long list and get intimidated by the amount of stuff that goes in there, but these are actually all spices that you have in your pantry. I'm so happy for once that I do have everything. Since I am cooking more, my pantry has grown so much! This is so easy once you've done your mise en place. Go make them now! :)



TVP Meatballs [Makes 26 small meatballs]
From A Vegan for Dinner

- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce [didn't have this - I just replaced it with soy sauce]
- 1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp beef bouillon [I used chicken]
- 1 tsp onion powder [didn't have this]
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup hot water
- 3/4 cup TVP
- 1 tbsp flaxseed + 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp cornmeal
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp vital wheat gluten

1. Mix the Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, bouillon, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, and thyme in a medium bowl. Add the hot water and then stir in the TVP. Let this mixture cool so it's not too hot to work with.
2. Mix the flaxseed and the water together and let it be for 10 minutes so it can gel up.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the cornmeal, oatmeal, breadcrumbs, flour, and vital wheat gluten. When the TVP is cool, add the dry ingredients to the TVP mixture. Mix together and then add the flaxseed mixture. Knead into a solid ball. Take a scant tablespoon of the mixture and shape into a ball. Place on baking pan, sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes.