Lean Beef Meatballs with Homemade Sauce

Flavorful Lean Beef Meatballs with easy to make Homemade Tomato sauce. You’ll return for 2nd’s, 3rd’s etc.!

Lean Beef Meatballs was spun from an online recipe: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/meatball-recipe/ (Note: I have not interacted with any of the authors of this site, but this recipe appears to be one of the simplest and most accommodating out there)

I don’t remember where I first tried meatballs, but somehow found myself on the hunt for good meatballs. So, I finally decided to try making this myself. Found multiple recipes online, chose this one, added my own aspects to it, and will continue to finesse.

As you would have read, I spent some of my formative years in Nigeria. Culturally, Africans make soups/stews as key parts of most meals, and I learnt how to cook a few. This sauce here was gleaned from a classic Nigerian tomato stew … with less oil, more vegetable based ingredients, and a meatball sauce is made!

Let me know what you think with a comment + rating on this recipe, and I’ll love to see your creation.

Ingredients

MEATBALLS:
1 pound 80% lean ground beef (or half ground pork) – O.G. I used 85%/15%
1 large egg (beaten)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs – O.G. I substituted with crushed butter crackers
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion – O.G. I love onions, used 1/2 cup of red
2 teaspoons minced garlic – O.G. I skipped this
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt – O.G. I used sea salt and only 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped fresh Italian Flat leaf parsley (optional) – O.G. I skipped this
SAUCE:
5 medium “Better Boy” or “Beefsteak” tomatoes
2 large red bell peppers
1 medium red onion and 1 yellow/sweet onion
2 medium jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup chicken stock – see my recipe for making savory chicken stock from scratch
1/2 teaspoon sea salt – or as needed

Directions

MEATBALLS (steps 1-4) and SAUCE (steps 5-9):

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
Combine the meat, egg, cracker crumbs, cheese, salt, onion, and black pepper in a bowl. Stir just until combined, do not over mix. Add a Tablespoon or two of water (or stock), as needed to keep mixture wet.
Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the meat. Then form into 1 1/2″ balls and place on the pan.
Bake uncovered for 17-20 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle.
Slice and blend tomatoes, peppers, and onions, together – based on your preferences, can fully puree or allow for texture in the blended mix to allow for hearty sauce
Pour blended mix into saucepan, cooking mix on medium heat until dry
Add chicken stock and steam on low heat stirring continuously until fully ingratiated
Add meatballs into sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes
Enjoy!!!