Spring has been very reluctant to show its face in NY, so I still hanker for comfort food. But with warmer weather promised soon, I hope, I’m mindful of my fat intake, so I made a delicious batch of lean meatballs and they were spectacular, you have to give these a try.

Lean Meatballs by Diverse Dinners

Yesterday was a mostly gloomy day, a terribly gloomy and chilly day where a bowl of lean meatballs would’ve done the trick. I was really craving a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, but I had late brunch plans so I was saving my appetite. I daydreamed of wrapping my feet under me while I watched Casablanca – again, while shoveling chunks of meaty goodness in my mouth. Alas it was not meant to be, perhaps next weekend, if the weather continues to kill my enthusiasm for the outdoors. As we say back in the UK, it’s flippin nippy outside! For those of you unfamiliar with this terminology – nippy means cold, as in, there is a nip in the air. I thought I should make that clear.

These lean meatballs are full of flavor and nice and juicy. I used 90% lean ground beef. Soaking the breadcrumbs in milk, is the trick to avoiding dry fall apart meatballs when using ground beef which is lower in fat content. You can use low-fat milk if you want to keep your lean meatballs as low-fat as possible.

I served my lean meatballs in a marinara sauce. They were added to the sauce, and cooked on a medium heat, allowing the meatballs to take in the flavor and juices of the sauce – yum!

You can also bake these lean meatballs, and serve them as an appetizer. Once cooked just drown the meatballs in your preferred sauce and stick toothpicks in them – et voilá appetizers are served.

Lean Meatballs by Diverse Dinners

Print Recipe

Lean Meatballs

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Author: Viella

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coarse ground breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup parmesan
  • 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley minced
  • 2 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 cup onions minced

Instructions

  • In a bowl, pour milk over breadcrumbs, combine and set aside.
  • Whisk eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper and parsley.
  • Use your hands to combine the ground beef with onions in a large bowl.
  • Add milky breadcrumbs, then add egg mixture, and combine thoroughly.
  • Grab a heaped tablespoon of the meat mixture and form into a meatball, and place then on a large plate or tray.
  • Continue until you have created all of your meatballs. Do not overwork the meat, you want your meatballs as juicy as possible.

Meatballs in a sauce

  • Carefully place the meatballs into a simmering sauce and allow them to slowly cook in a covered saucepan.

Baked meatballs

  • Place the meatballs on a baking sheet making sure there is some space around each meatball.
  • Place them in a preheated oven at 400 for 30 minutes.

Notes

To make fresh coarse ground breadcrumbs, pop a 5"-6" piece of a ciabatta loaf or crusty baguette in a blender and pulse until completely ground.