Best Healthy Meatball Recipe (with Veggies) (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep vegetable meatballs from falling apart? ›

How can you keep vegan meatballs from falling apart? As the recipe is written, the meatballs should hold together; however there is always some variability in ingredients. If your dough is too loose, try grinding more oats into flour and add them to the mixture.

The solution: Milk does wonderful things for meatballs, especially when mixed to a paste with fresh bread crumbs. Still better is buttermilk, which, as we had discovered when testing meatloaf recipes (see "Memorable Meat Loaf," September/October 1996), delivers a delicious flavor.

The beef in meatballs also is a rich source of micronutrients, particularly zinc, iron and vitamin B12. According to the National Institutes of Health, zinc is a potent antioxidant involved in DNA repair and replication. The recommended daily amount for zinc is 8 milligrams for women and 11 milligrams for men.

You want them firm enough so they don't fall apart when cooking, while still keeping a tender, juicy texture. That is why it is key to use a binder or two.

ANSWER: Usually when meatballs fall apart, it's the binder that is the problem. Most meatball recipes call for using bread crumbs and eggs. But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either.

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior. Baked meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you'll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make a larger batch at once.

The Key to Tender Meatballs

Here, we're soaking fresh or dried breadcrumbs in a little milk until the bread becomes soggy, then mixing that right into the meat. This binder (aka panade) helps add moisture to the meatballs and also prevents the meat proteins from shrinking and becoming tough.

Yes. There are recipes that call for plain yogurt and mayonnaise instead of eggs. But keep in mind that mayonnaise is made with eggs. If someone has an egg allergy you should not use mayonnaise.

Meatballs are also a great choice if you're looking for simple and tasty ways to lose weight and eat healthy. You can make Italian meatballs, Asian inspired meatballs, barbecue meatballs and so much more. It's all about what herbs and spices you decide to put in the meat mixture.

Are veggie meatballs good for you? ›

And the good news is, meatless meatballs can taste just as delicious and are even healthier than their meaty counterparts.

It depends on the ingredients used to make the burger and pasta. Generally, pasta is considered a healthier option because it is usually made with whole-grain flour, which is high in fiber and nutrients. However, a burger made with lean ground beef and whole-grain buns can also be a healthy option.

You can use eggs, breadcrumbs, grated or creamy cheeses (think ricotta or feta here), ground nuts, or a mixture of these ingredients to bind the balls and help them stay together while you cook them and as you eat them—no one wants a meatball that breaks apart all over the plate.

This is especially important when working with pork, turkey and chicken, which are very wet when ground. Refrigerating gives the fat in the meat time to solidify, which helps maintain the shape. Chill your meatballs for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.

Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the physical composition of meat fibers. It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond.

Aquafaba is the liquid from a carton of cooked garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. All you do is strain the liquid from the beans into a bowl and that is your aquafaba. You can also create your own aquafaba egg replacer by soaking 1 cup of dried chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.

How to stop meatballs from falling apart. Making them with just meat and seasoning alone can result in the meatball becoming dry or falling apart during cooking. For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs.

Chill your meatballs: refrigerating your meatballs an hour before cooking helps them hold their shape throughout the cooking process. They can chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking, making meatballs a great make-ahead dish, too.

Cook's Illustrated explains that adding too many eggs will put your meatballs at risk of having a soggy texture. Any additional and unnecessary liquid will also cause difficulty mixing and forming meatballs. Adding a single egg should be enough to do the trick, with two being the maximum for each pound of meat you use.