Loaded Beef Meatballs

A few posts ago, I wrote about being on Team Beef Montana, a state-wide running team that comprised of beef enthusiasts and ranchers who also love to run.  Read that post here: TEAM BEEF MONTANA. As ranchers, we eat beef fairly often in our household and I'm always looking for healthy and yummy beef recipes.  I'll post some tried-and-true recipes periodically that exemplify this. Today I thought I'd share one of my favorites with all of you so you can eat some delicious beef to fuel your activities!

My only disclaimer before diving in is that I am in no way a food photographer, and I think that shows in the images below. I'll have to work on that a bit if I want to keep posting recipes!

Loaded Beef Meatballs
I like to make very large batches of meatballs and then freeze them. That way, they're ready to go when I'm craving spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, or meatball casserole, etc., and I can take out just what I need for that meal. The recipe is based on using one pound of lean ground beef, so multiply amounts accordingly as you ramp up your batch.

I find that meatballs are an excellent way to sneak in some extra fiber and veggies, so I often vary this recipe based on what I have on-hand. I always include the flax and oats, though. You can really get creative with the type and amount of vegetables you are sneaking in. Once you bake the meatballs, with all the other seasonings in there, no one ever notices that there's extra fiber and veggies mixed in!

Ingredients:
One pound lean ground beef
1 TBSP flax seed meal
1/4 cup instant oatmeal
1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms (canned or fresh, doesn't matter) Or, sub in shaved carrots, zucchini, or chopped spinach... just about anything works.
1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheese, such as parmesan or mozzarella.
3-6 cloves chopped garlic (adjust to suit your taste)
1/4 cup milk
One egg white
Fresh or dried herbs, to taste. I like parsley, basil, and oregano, and lots of them!
Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.  Prepare a large broiler pan. (Broiler pan is best so that any fats from the beef can drain off during baking.)
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I find it easiest to just make sure my hands are clean and then dig in and mix with my hands.

Here's my meatball mix, everything mixed together. I used a 2 lb pkg of beef. 

3. Shape meatballs into 1" balls and place on to broiler pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

I don't like to have to cook mine in batches and I only have one broiler pan, which is fairly small, so I just use a giant sheet pan instead. If I remove them from the heat and cool on a wire rack, they still drain off the fat nicely.  So, here they are ready to go into the oven! My 2 lb pkg of beef makes between 45-50 1" meatballs.

After baking, you can use meatballs right away in the dish of your choosing. Or, let them cool completely to room temperature and freeze in a large gallon freezer bag.

Here's a plateful of cooked meatballs, right out of the oven.
Once cooled, I'll put them in the freezer so they're ready to go for another day. 

Tonight's dinner was spaghetti and meatballs, with a side salad. 

What's really great about making a meal like this in the summer is that we can use lettuce and salad fixings from our garden, homemade tomato sauce from garden tomatoes, and our own beef in the meatballs. Now I just need to ask Jeff to grow some durum or semolina so we can grind it up and use it for our own homemade pasta! Served with a nice glass of red wine, and some fresh seasonal fruit for dessert, this meal covers all the bases.

Hope you enjoyed this lean beef recipe! Let me know if you try it and how it goes, especially if you use a different vegetable, cheese, or fiber mix added in!