Easy family meatball recipe with seasonal autumn ingredients
May 9, 2017
May 9, 2017
Last week I cut into the first of our home grown pumpkins. It is an ingredient that requires a little planning to take full advantage of it and avoid wastage. I always consider our home grown pumpkins to be a special treat for our meal table. A triumph from the garden. They provide input to numerous meals so I like create at least one meal from each one that features the glorious golden colour and nutty flavour.
This particular pumpkin, the first for this year, I used to make a batch of soup. We also baked, mashed and fried some as side dishes for various meals. With some still left over I added 500 grams to this autumn-inspired meatball recipe. My children enjoy eating pumpkin so I was not trying to hide it in the meal but at the same time I did assume they wouldn’t notice it. It seems as they get a little older they are starting to be more discerning with their tastes (and eyes) and they did recognise it as an addition to the meatballs. It’s golden colour was evident when cutting into the meatballs. It seems my days of veggie smuggling are coming to an end.
I do have a personal motto of – prepare dinner, then add another veggie or a handful of fresh herbs. Meatballs provide a perfect opportunity to add in an extra veggie or two. It gives each meal a slightly different flavour and allows you to use what is on hand, rather than strictly sticking to a set of ingredients. Each season provides some new ingredients to add. You will find some examples of our other favourite meatball recipes at the end of this post, one utilising spinach and the other the veggies and herbs of summer.
Baked meatballs is an easy dinner on the days when you don’t want to, or cannot, supervise the cooking process. This recipe is simple to prepare and a great family meal at this time of year (or any time) when the evenings cool and everyone begins to request new meals – eg: no more salad!
A family friendly baked meatball recipe, taking advantage of autumn produce. Gluten free and egg free
Heat the oven to 170 degrees celcius
Mash the baked pumpkin and add to a mixing bowl with the other ingredients
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl to combine
Roll mixture into golf-ball-sized balls
To a baking tray add the rolled meatballs
Place the capsicum slices into the baking tray placed between the meatballs
Add the passata, pouring evenly into the tray, between the meatballs
Place into the oven to bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through
Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese, parsley and any desired sides or rice.
Bake pumpkin prior to commencing this recipe
Serve with your choice of rice or sides
These are the other family friendly meatball recipes we also enjoy:
Are you a fan of one pan dinners? What is your family favourite?
So yum. I love using pumpkin as an egg substitute.