Healthy Baked Meatballs

Healthy Grilled Meatballs are packed with flavor and nutrition! These are kid- and adult-approved, win-win! Serve these over pasta with your favorite sauce.

We love good meatballs. Seriously, it turns the most plain old spaghetti into something extraordinary. A good spice element is important, but it’s not enough to make kids complain. When it comes to kids, we want them to be as healthy as possible. These meatballs don’t use any traditional breadcrumbs. Instead, they’re full of wheat germ, wheat bran, and flax meal. Da da! They are so delicious! We like to bake them a little longer than called for so they get nicely charred on the outside. Once the meatballs are formed, they can be frozen until ready to bake. Simply place them in the freezer on a baking sheet, and once firm, store them in a zip-top freezer bag.

Cooking class: When you buy ground beef, it will have a percentage written on it. This percentage will tell you the fat content. The percentage range is between 70% and 97%. The figure refers to the percentage of meat in the product. The remaining percentage is fat. So when you buy 70/30 beef, 70% is meat and 30% is fat. While fatter ground beef packages are usually less expensive, since it’s fat, more of the product will melt during cooking. However, as the fat melts from the meat, it keeps the meat from drying out by constantly giving off liquid and flavor. Lean beef, on the other hand, is obviously healthier. If you use lean ground beef then you should be aware of the fact that it will dry out more easily.

• How lean ground beef should I use?

  We recommend lean ground beef, preferably 80 percent lean or higher, for healthy grilled meatballs. However, it still works if you only have fattier ground beef.

• Dairy-Free Alternatives to Healthy Baked Meatballs:

  This is a fairly easy dairy free recipe. Replace milk with your favorite unflavored milk substitute. To substitute cheese, you’ll want to stick with the plant-based brands you know and love, substituting dairy-free Parmesan cheese substitutes.

• Storage and Reheating Instructions:

  Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Individual meatballs, wrapped in paper towels, are heated in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until heated through.

If you liked this recipe, you might be interested in these other delicious ground beef recipes: