Mini Beef and Portobello Meatballs with Orecchiette

I love the portobello mushrooms in these mini meatballs. They stop the meatballs from being dry without the need for breadcrumbs and also add a lovely flavour. If you can’t get orecchiette pasta, you can serve with any pasta of your choice including gluten free.

This recipe is gluten free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly

Slimming Eats Recipe

Extra Easy -  syn free per serving

Mini Beef and Portobello Meatballs with Roasted Vegetables and Orecchiette

 

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Serves 4

Author: Slimming Eats

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb of extra lean ground beef
• 200g/7oz of baby portobello mushrooms (or similar type mushroom)
• salt and black pepper
• spray oil
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, roughly chopped
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup/120ml of chicken stock
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbs of tomato paste
• pinch of mixed herbs
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• 300g of orecchiette pasta (or similar type dried pasta) *can use gluten free
• fresh chopped Italian parsley or basil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c or 350f (gas mark 6)
2. Place the mushrooms in a mini food processor and do a couple of spins of the blade to finely chop the mushrooms (be careful not to over do it, as you do not want the mushrooms pureed, you just want small pieces of mushroom)
3. Place in a bowl with the ground beef and season with salt and black pepper.
4. Combine it all together and form into mini meatballs.
5. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spray over the top with spray oil and bake in the oven for 20 mins.
6. Spray a frying pan over a medium high heat with some spray oil.
7. Add the onion and fry to soften
8. Add the garlic and yellow pepper and fry for a further 5 mins.
9. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, mixed herbs and splash of balsamic vinegar, bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer until sauce reduces down and thickens.
10. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, then add rhe orecchiette pasta and cook until al dente.
11. Add the meatballs to the dish, along the orecchiette pasta and gently mix it all together.
12. Divide among 4 plates, and sprinkle with some fresh chopped Italian parsley or basil.
13. If you have a HEa spare you can add some grated parmesan.
14. Enjoy!!

3.5.3208

The recipe above has been calculated for Slimming World, however for those of you following the Weight Watchers plan or another calorie controlled type diet. Below is the approx. nutritional information (using calorie count recipe analysis)