We have a family dinner winner!
I’m ridiculously excited about these meatballs.
We had them for dinner last week a million different ways (on top of pasta, on top of zucchini noodles, as a side with our Hanukkah latkes) and we never got tired of them, which is saying a lot because I’m one of those people who has a hard time finishing leftovers because I get bored.
But then these meatballs happened, and I think I could probably eat them every day for the rest of my life. Tender, juicy, and just a little bit cheesy, they are packed with quinoa and gluten-free.
A healthy meatball my whole family will eat? I think I’m in ♥
The other amazing thing about these meatballs (the first thing being the fact that my three-year-old will actually eat them) is that you can make them in about 30 minutes from start to finish. Just mix all the ingredients, shape them into balls, and pop them into the oven. No pan-frying, no special sauce to make.
The quinoa takes the place traditionally held by bread crumbs in this recipe, but it’s not just an afterthought. Its nutty flavor shines through, so you taste it just as much as you taste the chicken. There’s also a little hint of lemon zest, garlic, and parmesan.
Three feels like a hearty, red-sauce restaurant-style serving, but it’s really only a modest amount of meat.
Would you believe this bowl is actually mostly veggies and gluten-free grains? In a word, YAY. ↓↓↓
New Year’s is just around the corner, and I’m making some changes here on my blog. Next year I hope to offer you a lot more simple and healthy weeknight dinner recipes, like these easy baked chicken meatballs with quinoa. Until now, I’ve stuck to vegetarian fare (with the exception of this soup, and a dab of anchovy paste here), but in 2016 I’m going to branch out a little bit.
I’m excited, are you excited?
- 1 pound ground chicken (preferably organic)
- 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, quinoa, parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. With clean hands, gently work the mixture together until it is well combined. Shape into 12 balls (each about the size of a golf ball) and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, mix together the tomato paste and olive oil. Brush over the tops of the meatballs. Bake until they are tender-firm to the touch and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.
Heather at Fearful to Fearless says
Hi, I found your post over at the Inspire Me Mondays link party. These look delicious! I was planning on making meatballs this week so I pinned this recipe to give it a try. If you’re looking for more gluten-free recipes, come check out my corner of the blogosphere at http://fearfultofearlessblog.com/
Tracy | Baking Mischief says
I’ve only ever eaten quinoa in casserole-type dishes. I love the idea of using them in meat balls! I am definitely going to have to try this!
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
Great idea to replace breadcrumbs with quinoa in meatballs, these sound delicious! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend?!
Ashlie Dulien says
These are so amazing. My 14 month old and husband both devoured them! Hubby loved them so much, he asked me to make them again tonight and to double the recipe. This may be a silly question, but if I freeze them, do you recommend I freeze them before or after baking?
Lucy Baker says
Hi Ashlie, so glad you like them! They are favorites in our house too. I think you could freeze them raw or cooked, but I like to freeze my meatballs already baked, just because that makes dinner even easier when I defrost them! If you are serving them in sauce, I would just add some sauce to the freezer container to coat the meatballs.
laura says
Do you know how many calories? I seasoned mine a bit different because i was serving with a pumpkin marinara, so i used more sage/cinn/nutmeg instead of the lemon.
Emily says
Can these be made without the cheese? I have a diary allergy and these look great but curious as to whether the meat will hold without the cheese
Lucy Baker says
Yes, you could definitely leave the cheese out and they would still be great!
Raquel says
Silly question… do you per cook the quinoa?
Michelle says
Hi. I want to make these and freeze them. Are you recommending to cook them first before feeezing. Or mix then freeze? I am planning to let the quinoa cool first.
Thanks
Raven says
Hi there,
I was curious if you had the micronutrients for these meatballs. I’d love to add then to my meal plan.
Thank you!
Patrice says
This meatball recipe has been taken to the next level. The meatballs are light and tender with a burst of flavor. Here is a tip for beginners: The key to tender meatballs is to mix all other ingredients first. Then add your meat and Panko crumbs(optional). Over mixing can cause dense meatballs. Thank you for sharing this recipe. The chicken quinoa meatballs are now my families favorite. To note… I omitted the tomato paste and mist olive oil on the meatballs. I also added an extra clove of garlic. Enjoy!
Elle says
I tried these meatballs tonight and I doubled the recipe so I could eat them for a few days. I ended up with 30 golf ball sized meatballs. My 3 year old said, “Mom this is a good dinner.” with his mouth completely full of meatballs. I served them with tomato sauce, vegetables, garbanzo beans, and more quinoa. I took a lemon from our tree and parsley from the garden so these tasted very fresh. I would also concur that a little extra garlic would be nice. Just a tip: the meatballs I cooked on the top shelf of the oven were moister.
I will store the extras in the tomato sauce in the fridge. Very simple and quite nice, kid friendly too!