Spicy Meatball in Tomato Sauce

 

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 6 cups olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 medium-sized head cauliflower (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, lamb, or veal
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tabil (a Tunisian spice blend of coriander seed, caraway seed, garlic powder, cayenne pepper)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs beaten
• All-purpose unbleached flour, as needed, for dredging
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons harisa (Tunisian hot chili paste of guajillo chili peppers, garlic, oil, caraway, and coriander)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili

For the meatballs:

Directions

Preheat frying oil in a deep-fryer or 8-inch deep saucepan to 375 degrees F.

Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the whole cauliflower until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and break into small florets.

Place the meat, onion, cinnamon, parsley, tabil, salt, and pepper in a food processor, in batches if necessary, and process until well blended. Remove to a bowl.

Have a bowl of water handy to keep your hands wet while making meatballs. Meatballs are formed by flattening a lemon-sized portion of meat into a thin patty and wrapping the patty around a cauliflower floret to completely enclose. Form into an oval shape, then dip into the eggs and dredge in flour, tapping off any excess flour.

Cook the meatballs in oil until golden, about 4 minutes, without crowding the fryer. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper toweling to drain.

For the sauce:

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Dissolve the tomato paste in the water, and add to the pan along with harisa and ground red chili. Add the meatballs and cook covered until most of the liquid evaporates, about 25 minutes. Add a little water to rehydrate sauce if it is dries out before that time. Serve meatballs covered with sauce.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Notes

Where we saved fat: stretched out the decadence of the beef by adding a Portobello mushroom and using an egg white; we added fiber by using whole-wheat spaghetti.

Ingredients

• 1 slice whole-wheat sandwich bread, ground into coarse crumbs
• 8 ounces ground sirloin
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 portobello mushroom, stem removed and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 large egg white
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed by hand
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1 small bunch fresh basil
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
• Parmesan, for serving, optional

Pulse the sandwich bread in a food processor to form coarse crumbs. Add the beef, 1/4 cup onion, mushroom, 1 tablespoon garlic, parsley, and egg white; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg; pulse again to finely chop and combine. Portion into about 20 meatballs (about 1-inch in diameter) and place on a plate.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat; add the remaining garlic and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and broth. Tie sprigs of basil and thyme together with kitchen twine; add to the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Add the meatballs and continue to simmer, without stirring, until the meatballs are partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Turn the meatballs; cook 10 minutes more or until fully cooked.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; serve the meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti.
Nutritional analysis per serving (analysis without optional Parmesan)
Calories 413; Total Fat 11g (Sat Fat 2.2g, Mono Fat 6.2g, Poly Fat 1.4g) ; Protein 24g; Carb 59g; Fiber 10g; Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 639mg

Healthy Dinners

Healthy Dinners in 40 Minutes or Less

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 whole-wheat burger buns

Directions

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.