Beef

Secret Ingredient Meatballs

by:
August  8, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves about 12 meatballs
Author Notes

I came up with this meatball recipe a few months ago when I was doing a lot of cooking with miso. You'd never know the meatballs are made with miso, but it enhances their flavor in a really nice way. I don't have a picture of these today, but I'll try to add one later in the week. —WinnieAb

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound lean ground beef, preferably grass-fed (or a combination of ground beef, veal and pork)
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 egg, whisked with a fork
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil or thyme
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 1/4 cup water or milk, optional
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, garlic, egg, dried basil and red pepper flakes.
  2. Add panko to the meat mixture and mix well. If the mixture seems to dry, add water or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, for moisture, and if it's too wet, add up to 1/4 cup more panko. Stir in the miso and mix well to combine.
  3. Using clean hands, shape into 1-2 inch meatballs and arrange on a baking sheet. To cook, bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (or you can simmer the meatballs for 25-30 minutes in your favorite sauce).
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WinnieAb
I grew up in a restaurant family (my parents owned the now closed Quilted Giraffe in NYC) and I've always loved to cook. My interest in the connection between food and health led me to pursue a graduate degree in naturopathic medicine. I don't practice medicine anymore; I have a blog called Healthy Green Kitchen that I started in May of 2009 and I wrote a book called One Simple Change that will be published in January, 2014. I live in upstate New York with my family and many pets.

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5 Reviews

Sagegreen
Sagegreen August 10, 2010
I noticed red miso in adamsvetcooking's meat-so balls, too, which look wonderful. White miso is what I use in my soups but never thought to use with meatballs. A great idea. Thanks.
 
gingerroot
gingerroot August 10, 2010
I love miso and these sound delicious. I'm saving and will try soon! (Have you tried it with other kinds of miso?)
 
lastnightsdinner
lastnightsdinner August 8, 2010
Oh, YUM, Winnie - I'm a huge fan of the miso+meat combo, and these sound fabulous!
 
lapadia
lapadia August 8, 2010
Thanks for sharing, you use white miso, is that in place of the salt?
 
MyCommunalTable
MyCommunalTable August 8, 2010
Sounds so interesting. I am going to have to try this just so I can taste it.