Healthy Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce

hese meatballs in mushroom sauce are a delicious meal idea, low in fat and made using simple ingredients.  Cooked from scratch in just over 35 minutes!

Equipment

• ▢Large non-stick pan with lid 28cm/11 inches in diameter, 5cm/2 inches deep
• ▢Food processor

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• ▢1.1 pounds (500 grams) ground meat approx. 7% fat
• ▢1 small/medium soft bun torn into small pieces, alternatively use 1-1.5 slices white bread
• ▢1 small onion finely chopped
• ▢5-6 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
• ▢⅔ teaspoon fine sea salt plus ½ tsp ground pepper
• ▢2 teaspoons oil for browning the meatballs

For the Mushroom Sauce

• ▢12 ounces (340 g) regular white mushrooms (¾ of a pound), wiped, chopped into large chunks
• ▢1 medium onion finely chopped
• ▢1 tablespoon oil
• ▢2 tablespoons all-purpose/plain flour
• ▢1¼ cups (300 ml) stock vegetable or chicken
• ▢¼ cup (60 ml) light/single/half and half cream approx. 18%
• ▢2 tablespoons sour cream regular or reduced fat
• ▢Pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the meatballs

• To a food processor add the onion, parsley and bread pieces. Pulse briefly until the mixture is crumbly.
• Add the meat, salt and pepper andpulse again a few times just to combine the ingredients (do not overblend).
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and form good size meatballs (you should have 12-14 meatballs).
• In a large non-stick pan heat up 2 teaspoons of oil, add the meatballs and brown them quickly over a medium heat turning often (this should take no longer than 4 minutes). Remove from the pan and set aside (they will finish cooking in the sauce).

Make the mushroom sauce

• Place the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse several times until finely chopped, but be careful not to overblend the mixture (you can do this in 2 batches).
• To the pan add 1 tablespoon of oil, heat up then add the onion and cook gently for about 3 minutes stirring often. Add the finely chopped mushrooms and cook over a medium heat for several minutes until all the juices have been absorbed, stirring often.
• Add the flour and stir until it’s no longer visible.
• Pour in most of the stock and the cream and continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens. Stir in the sour cream and adjust the seasoning as needed (the sauce should be quite thick at this point).

Assemble the recipe

• Place the meatballs in the sauce, cover, bring to the boil then simmer gently for 10-12 minutes (or until the meatballs are cooked through) stirring occasionally.
• Top up with a little more stock, if necessary, remove from the heat and enjoy your meatballs in mushroom sauce!

Notes

• You can use any ground meat with approx. 7% fat (I used turkey).
• I like to combine the meatball ingredients in a blender (rather than stir by hand) as this produces soft meatballs, but you can stir the ingredients with a spoon if you prefer a coarser texture.
• I recommend using the same large non-stick pan to make the meatballs, cook the mushroom sauce as well as the final dish.
• Brown the meatballs (but do not cook completely) before combining with the sauce. Transfer to a plate (to stop the cooking process) while you make the sauce.
• You probably won’t need to add any salt into the sauce (the stock is salty) but be generous with the pepper.
• These healthy meatballs in mushroom sauce are best served hot.
• If the sauce thickens add a splash of water to loosen the consistency.
• Storing: Keep refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: Make the meatballs, brown them and set aside to cool. Cook the mushroom sauce then cool completely before combining with the meatballs. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight then transfer to a shallow pan and cook as per Instructions. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 516mg | Potassium: 740mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 687IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 3mg