Cilantro Chimichurri Meatballs
Looking for something a little different than your average meatball? Whip up a batch of Chimichurri in a couple of minutes, and add this to the meatballs, as well as a drizzle over top. These are baked, and handled delicately to keep them so tender! We eat them for dinner, pictured above with roasted cauliflower, but they are great as an appetizer too!
Ingredients Chimichurri:
3/4 cup flat leaf parsley (or my favourite cilantro)
1 tbsp fresh oregano (or dried if you can’t find fresh)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove (I actually use no garlic but use to your taste)
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Ingredients Meatballs:
1 batch of Chimichurri sauce
2 lbs lean ground grassfed beef (or Ancestral Blend makes for even more moist meatballs!)
3/4 cups bread crumbs or ground fibre blend
2 large eggs
Salt & pepper
Directions Chimichurri:
In food processor combine shallot, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse to chunky.
Move herb mixture to a bowl, add oil, vinegar and pepper flakes. Stir
Store airtight container 2 weeks in fridge.
Directions Meatballs:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper
In large bowl mix together 1/3 cup of the chimichurri with your bread crumbs, ensure everything is wet
Add in ground beef, eggs and salt. Mix well but gently until all the crumbs are incorporated with meat and eggs
Roll meat into 1.5 inch balls (2 tbsps) and spread out on cookie sheet.
Bake 12 minutes then turn to broil and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Use a meat thermometer to ensure meat is 160 degrees F.
Transfer meatballs to a serving platter and serve with remaining chimichurri
Note:
I chop up a cauliflower in floret size chunks to roast when the meatballs are done
Turn oven back to bake 425 degrees F. Leave the beef fat on the parchment, toss cauliflower in this fat, add salt and pepper then roast 20 -25 minutes. Toss 1/2 way through. We like our roast cauliflower cooked to a bit crispy and black.