Tim the “Chef”: Meatballs!

I love meatballs because they’re easy to make, easy to store, and something that both parents and kids can enjoy!

Total Time

35-40 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Cool down and pack: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb of ground meat - I regularly use beef, pork, turkey, and chicken

1 jumbo egg

1 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

soy sauce - I use 1 tbsp

garlic pepper

onion flakes

Prep

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking pan with a cooking spray. Place all measured ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Season with soy sauce, garlic pepper, and onion flakes as you'd like. Mix all that stuff up real good. Shape into meatballs or patties, or both!

Notes

You’ll likely have to experiment with the types of meat you’re using and the right amount of bread crumbs. When I first starting making meatballs, I didn’t use ANY bread crumbs. Then I slowly introduced them into my recipe. With too little bread crumbs, the fat (or the good stuff) tends to escape from the meatball or patty. See exhibit below.

Quantity

How many meatballs or patties you make depends on the caloric needs of your kid. Right now I aim for a protein portion of between 150-200 calories for my 15 month old. One pound of ground beef, 85% lean, 15% fat, is about 960 calories. Add in the calories from a jumbo egg (90 calories), one tbsp of olive oil (120 calories), and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs (220 calories, depending on the type of bread crumbs you're using), adds to a total calorie content of:

960 + 90 + 120 + 220 = 1390

If I'm aiming for about 170 calories per protein portion, I can make eight meatballs or patties. When I first started making meatballs for my son when he was about eight months old, I was making batches of 10-12.

Cooking and Wrapping Up

I cook beef for 20 minutes, pork for 21, turkey and chicken a little longer. USDA recommends cooking ground meat until internal temperatures reach 160 degrees. Once I take them out, I usually let them rest on the pan on the kitchen counter for a few minutes. I usually keep three or four portions ready in the fridge, and then freeze the rest.

Reheating

For lunch, I usually prep one protein + two vegetables (call it four baby-fistfuls of total vegetables). A little more than ten minutes before his meal, I'll place his lunch in a bowl on top of a steaming rack in a pot of shallow water. I'll turn it on high heat until the water starts to boil, and then lower to a medium heat. I leave it in the pot from start to finish for about 8 minutes. Use great care taking out the bowl, or you could end up with some burns and a messy and dangerous situation. Let the food cool for a few minutes before serving as it'll get pretty hot in there.

Pro Move

Twenty minutes of cooking time is a lot of down time. If you’re like me and like to meal prep or batch other chores together, this is a great time to prep other foods like vegetables or other proteins like grilled chicken! It’s also not a bad time to simply clean up the likely mess from prepping the meat.

Disclaimer

I’m just Tim the Dad. I’m not a pediatrician, dietician, or professional cook. Please consult all necessary professionals before taking my advice on anything!