Healthy meatballs in garlic tomato sauce. I know, these magic words are music to my ears too! This is a healthy dinner recipe that you and your family will love with some bread, some greens and maybe even a little bit of cheese on the side. The easy tomato sauce recipe for these meatballs is rich and super tasty!
Listen, when I hear the words “something something in garlic tomato sauce” I know it’s going to be good. And since I’ve already had these meatballs in garlic tomato sauce the last three days for dinner, I can now confirm and reaffirm this eternal wisdom. These are SO delicious! They’re garlicky, basil-y and have this beautiful sweet tomato flavor. There are no breadcrumbs in these meatballs, instead they’re packed with vegetables. Well, let’s make it quick, here’s what you’ll need:
Healthy Meatballs In Tomato Garlic Sauce
Ground beef or any other type of ground meat you enjoy! I used lean ground beef here.
Vegetables. So, I didn’t use breadcrumbs, instead I opted for grated/thinly chopped/food processor-chopped seasonal vegetables. In my case those were green cabbage (the tender type), garlic, scallion and carrot. However if in season zucchini and red bell pepper can be a great addition too!
Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste. I found a jar of tomato sauce from last year, so I used that and some tomato paste. The tomato sauce is basically only blended tomatoes. But if you have a natural, good tomato sauce that you like – use it!
Pesto. We’ll be adding some pesto to the sauce and to the meatballs. I made it myself using nuts, fresh basil, olive oil, flaxseed and garlic and it was delicious. No cheese. Store-bought will work as well.
Garlic. I know I mentioned garlic already, but you don’t understand. We need more. Always.
Mascarpone. If you want you can alternatively use cream cheese or some grated parmesan cheese. It really makes the tomato sauce rich and creamy. But if you’re dairy-free, you can definitely go without!
Salt and pepper. Can’t forget about those when you’re making dinner!
How To Make Healthy Meatballs In Tomato Garlic Sauce
The first step in making healthy meatballs in rich and creamy tomato garlic sauce is to get everything out on the kitchen counter and to start washing and chopping vegetables.
Wash the carrot, cabbage, scallion and chili pepper – then chop them really thinly. You can use the food processor, grater or if you’ve got good chopping skills – a knife. Also mince the garlic.
Add the ground meat, salt, pepper, carrot, cabbage, scallion, some garlic and pesto to a bowl and mix until completely combined.
Shape small meatballs and sear them in a cooking pan with some olive oil. Keep the pan covered with a lid for 2-3 minutes until the meatballs firm up. Don’t turn them, they can be pretty tender and you want them to hold their shape.
Add the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, more olive oil, chili pepper (optional), a pinch of salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes with lid on. If the sauce turns out a bit thin, turn the heat up a bit, remove lid and cook for 5 more minutes, so that the sauce can thicken – keep an eye on it.
Add in the rest of the garlic, the pesto and mascarpone (this will thicken the sauce more). Stir to make the tomato sauce rich and creamy. Let cook for 3-4 more minutes, without lid and stirring from time to time.
Serve immediately with some grated cheese, thinly chopped greens (I used arugula) and if you want – bread!
Store & Meal Prep
If there are any leftovers, store the meatballs in garlic tomato sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
If you want to meal prep these – simply adjust the recipe below to however many servings you will need.
More Healthy Dinner Ideas
I hope you enjoy these delicious meatballs in garlic tomato sauce as much as we did! For more healthy dinner ideas, check out these:
- 15-Minute Garlic Shrimp In Tomato Sauce
- Easy Spinach And Rice Recipe
- 15-Minute Chicken and Chickpea Stir-fry
Healthy Meatballs In Garlic Tomato Sauce
Healthy meatballs in garlic tomato sauce! This is a healthy dinner recipe that you and your family will love with some bread, greens and maybe even a little bit of cheese on the side. The healthy meatballs are made without breadcrumbs and use thinly chopped vegetables instead. The easy tomato sauce recipe for the meatballs is rich and super tasty!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 12oz/340g lean ground beef
- 1/3 cup carrot, thinly chopped or grated (or pepper)
- 1 scallion, thinly chopped
- 1/2 cup thinly grated cabbage (or zucchini)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
- 1 tbsp pesto
- Salt and pepper
Sauce
- 2 cups tomatoes, blended or pure tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 red chili pepper (optional)
- 2 tsp mascarpone (heaping) or cream cheese
- 1 tbsp pesto
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Get everything out on the kitchen counter and to start washing and chopping vegetables. Wash the carrot, cabbage, scallion and the chili pepper – then chop them really thinly. You can use the food processor, grater or if you’ve got good chopping skills – a knife. Also mince the garlic.
- Add the ground meat, salt, pepper, the carrot, cabbage, scallion, 1 garlic clove and 1 tbsp pesto to a bowl and mix until completely combined.
- Shape small meatballs (I just squeeze them in one hand and roll) and sear them in a cooking pan with some olive oil. Keep the pan covered with a lid for 2-3 minutes until the meatballs firm up. Don’t turn them, you want them to hold their shape.
- Then add the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, more olive oil, chili pepper (optional), a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes with lid on. If the sauce turns out a bit thin, turn the heat up a bit, remove lid and cook for 4-5 more minutes, so that the sauce can thicken.
- Add in the rest of the garlic, the pesto and mascarpone. Stir into the sauce to make a rich, creamy tomato sauce. Let cook for 3-4 more minutes, no lid and stirring from time to time.
- Serve immediately with some grated cheese, thinly chopped greens (I used arugula) and if you want – bread!
Nutrition Information
Yield 3 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 453Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 104mgSodium 585mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 4gSugar 8gProtein 36g