Both my kids love meatballs, so I knew these would be a winner and they were. I also find meatballs are a great way of sneaking in a bit of veg to your fussy ones, if you chop them up finely in a food processor and bind them into the meat, your kids won’t even know they are there 
Meatballs in a Tomato-Maple Sauce
Makes approx 15 meatballs
Ingredients
- 450g of extra lean beef mince (or you can use turkey, pork etc)
- 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- fresh Italian Parsley
- olive oil
- black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 cup (240ml) of passata
- 1 cup (240ml) of low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
Directions
Add a little olive oil to a frying pan over a medium high heat add your peppers, onion and garlic and fry until softened. Allow to cool and set the frying pan aside (you will use it to cook the meatballs)
Add to your beef mince along with some finely chopped Italian parsley and season with some black pepper.
Bind the ingredients together thoroughly, using the back of a wooden spoon. Roll into approx 15 equal size balls.
Add a little more olive oil to your frying pan and add the meatballs turning over frequently until lightly golden all over. Remove the meatballs and set aside.
Add the passata, chicken stock, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup to the pan, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer for approx 20 mins, until meatballs are cooked through and sauce has thickened.
These meatballs are great served with a rice, pasta or potatoes. Your kids will love the sweetness of them too.
Tagged: babies, baby, baby led weaning, beef, children, fussy eaters, kids, little grazers, meatballs, recipes, weaning
