Sometimes for dinner, I crave some filling protein, which has a warming and comforting feeling. These Italian meatballs completely fit the bill! It’s such a classic dish and reminds me of my childhood. I’ve swapped the gluten-heavy pasta for nutrient-dense courgetti, which gives the recipe a healthy makeover!
This Italian meatballs recipe also only uses a handful of ingredients, given how amazing the finished product tastes! All the ingredients are easy to find, and most are already in your kitchen, so you don’t need to stress about buying them. It’s perfect for a weeknight – all you need to grab is some beef mince, mushrooms, onion and courgettes. If you’re like me, you’ve got a whole array of herbs and spices that always somehow end up going to waste – this is a great recipe to make if you’ve got some spare herbs hanging around! The protein-packed mince will leave you feeling satisfied for ages after eating this!
This recipe uses beef mince but if you want to use a different protein, you can try turkey by following this equally delicious recipe here.
Italian Meatballs and Courgetti – The Perfect Pair
You also won’t feel tired at all after eating this – goodbye pasta coma! The courgette tastes lovely with the meatballs. It lifts the whole dish. It’s a great way to get some extra vegetables in your diet by making an easy swap! Courgettes are so great for us – they are high in vitamins A and C and are also a rich source of potassium, which is good for the heart. The soluble fibre in their skin also slows down your digestion, stabilizing blood sugar and insulin levels.
Delicious Italian Meatballs and Courgetti
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (minced beef) - lean
1 medium egg
2 tablespoons rosemary - fresh, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oregano- 2 cartons chopped tomatoes - 400-gram each carton
- 6 medium chestnut mushrooms - chopped
1 medium white onion
4 cloves garlic - crushed through a garlic crusher- 1 handful basil leaves - fresh, finely chopped
- 1 handful halved plum tomatoes - optional – gives the chopped tomatoes a thicker consistency
1 pinch salt - to taste
1 pinch ground black pepper - to taste
1 small jar ghee - for cooking
Instructions
- Prepare the meatballs. Break the egg into a large bowl and beat it. Then, add the beef mince, rosemary, oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix this thoroughly using your hands (it’s not too gross, really!).
- To cook the meatballs, heat the ghee in a large frying pan on medium heat. Shape the meatball mixture into balls about 1.5 inches in diameter and place gently into the pan. Turn the meatballs now and then, making sure that they brown all over.
- Once these are cooking, we can make the sauce. In another pan, on medium heat, add some ghee and cook the onion, mushrooms, garlic and basil. Cook these until the onion and mushroom have started to soften slightly.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes and (optional) chopped plum tomatoes. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and season. Pop the meatballs into the mixture and let simmer for five minutes.
- Finally, prepare the courgetti using a spiralizer or a julienne peeler (easy to use and cheap to buy!). Melt a spoonful of ghee in a pan and pop the courgetti. Keep stirring until it’s cooked to the texture you like!
