Meatballs without tomato sauce

amother

OP ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:09 pm

I usually make ground meat with sauteed onions, squash and carrots, a egg and m.meal or cooked quinoa to bind and cook it in tomato sauce.

I want to try without tomato sauce - a beef patty baked in the oven.

what changes would I need to make it should come out good in the oven?

not dry and tasty.

btw - would this be called burger?

is a burger a meatball without sauce?

amother

Geranium ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:11 pm

If you serve dry meatballs with no sauce yes it’s hamburgers

Why not just make meatballs in a non tomato based sauce.?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:22 pm

amother Geranium wrote:

If you serve dry meatballs with no sauce yes it’s hamburgers

Why not just make meatballs in a non tomato based sauce.?

which sauce is tasty? (no junk)

Amarante ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:35 pm

Many people bake meatballs in the oven and then do a sauce separately because it is easier tan sautéing meatballs.

Hamburgers baked in the oven aren't really that good - just saute a burger. OR grill a burger - very good on a grill pan or one of the electric grills. On a bun you don't need an additional starch and you can make coleslaw as a veggie to keep the theme going.

I would make a meatloaf in the oven instead of meatballs as there are so many variants - healthy as you don't need a "junky" sugary sauce. I have a whole cookbook that is only meatball recipes - uses different kinds of meat as well.

I don't know if this is too "junky" - it does use ketchup which is tomato based but is not your standard Italian type of tomato sauce

Saucy Sesame-Ginger Meatballs

Excerpt From: Jennifer Segal. “Once Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend: 70 Quick-Fix Weeknight Dinners + 30 Luscious Weekend Recipes: A Cookbook

Served over steaming white rice, these meatballs in a sweet sesame sauce make a quick, kid-friendly supper. The sauce has a little kick to balance out the sweetness, but it’s not spicy. In keeping with the kid-friendly theme, I serve these meatballs with edamame seasoned with a pinch of salt.

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 22 meatballs)

FOR THE MEATBALLS

Nonstick cooking spray
1 large egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
¼ cup (12 g) thinly sliced scallions (light and dark green parts), plus more for serving (from 1 bunch)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch/2.5 cm knob)
1½ pounds (680 g) meatloaf mix (see Sourcing Savvy)
⅔ cup (93 g) plain bread crumbs

FOR THE SAUCE

1 cup (260 g) ketchup
½ cup (80 mL) water
6 tablespoons (87 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons Sambal Oelek or Asian chili-garlic sauce (see Sourcing Savvy, this page)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

FOR SERVING

Cooked white rice
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

MAKE-AHEAD/FREEZER-FRIENDLY INSTRUCTIONS

The dish can be fully prepared and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead of time, or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator; when ready to serve, reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until the meatballs and sauce are warmed through.

1. Make the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, soy sauce, water, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Add the meatloaf mix and bread crumbs and, using your hands, work the mixture until evenly combined. Roll into golf ball–size meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and just cooked, flipping halfway through, 18 to 20 minutes.

3. Make the sauce: Meanwhile, in a large skillet, stir together the ketchup, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, Sambal Oelek, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.

4. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Using tongs, place the meatballs in the sauce and cook, uncovered, stirring the meatballs occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened and the meatballs are nicely coated. Spoon the meatballs over rice and sprinkle with the additional scallions and the sesame seeds.

Last edited by Amarante on Tue, May 21 2024, 9:41 pm; edited 1 time in total

ra_mom ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:39 pm

I bake meatballs sometimes in the oven and serve over a parsley garlic spaghetti. No need for sauce.

mha3484 ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:44 pm

If you like asian flavors these are delicious. https://smittenkitchen.com/201.....laze/

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:46 pm

Amarante wrote:

thanks for posting.

but I dont see how baking it first is easier than cooking straight into sauce?

I dont sautee meatblls. I sautee veggies to put into meatbals and then cook in sauce.

I wanted a tasty oven baked without sauce if there is such a thing.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:47 pm

ra_mom wrote:

I bake meatballs sometimes in the oven and serve over a parsley garlic spaghetti. No need for sauce.

what spices?

do you flatten to patties? how do you bake?

↑ Amarante

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:49 pm

amother OP wrote:

My personal experience with cooking raw meatballs in sauce directly is that they fall apart a bit and so standard is to saute them so they develop a bit of a crust and then put them in sauce.

But if it works for you in terms of cooking the raw meatballs in the sauce, then no need to change.

If you want a tasty oven baked without any sauce, then do a meatloaf because meatloafs don't rely on a sauce to be juicy or for flavor. At most people put some kind of glaze on the top but not a sauce.

Gerbera

Tue, May 21 2024, 9:55 pm

I have been making these for years - my kids love them but we eat food with lots of spices. I do not make the stew part....just the meatballs and bake them in the oven. They are incredibly flavourful and they freeze well. I make this with ground chicken or ground turkey too. I am not a fan of cilantro so leave that out.

https://www.food.com/recipe/mo.....04832

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 10:26 pm

Gerbera wrote:

how do you bake them?

open closed?

how long?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 10:27 pm

Gerbera wrote:

can I leave out cinnamon and nutmeg?
will the other flavours become unbalanced?

amother

Dahlia

Tue, May 21 2024, 10:46 pm

These are very delicious
made in a crockpot
My husband has heartburn so we try to stay away from tomatoes if we can...

https://www.kosher.com/recipe/.....12225

Tirza

Tue, May 21 2024, 11:00 pm

Other sauces that go well with meatballs are barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, mushroom sauce (with or without sautéed onions), pesto, apricot sauce.

↑ ra_mom ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 11:08 pm

amother OP wrote:

what spices?

do you flatten to patties? how do you bake?

1 tsp salt and 2 garlic cloves per pound of meat, plus whatever else I'm in the mood of, but enough salt and garlic makes the difference no matter what I add.

Nope, no patties. I make meatballs.
Spread out on a baking sheet at 350 F for 25 minutes.

amother

↑ Geranium ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 11:31 pm

amother OP wrote:

which sauce is tasty? (no junk)

I don’t know what you mean by junk but I make meatballs in mushroom sauce all the time

fireworker

Tue, May 21 2024, 11:35 pm

amother Geranium wrote:

I don’t know what you mean by junk but I make meatballs in mushroom sauce all the time

Can I have the recipe?

amother

↑ Geranium ↓

Tue, May 21 2024, 11:38 pm

fireworker wrote:

Can I have the recipe?

I tend to cook more intuitively but here is pretty typical recipe:

https://www.rivertenkitchen.co......html

amother

↑ OP ↓

Wed, May 22 2024, 4:28 am

ra_mom wrote:

do you spray oil them?

would they dry out if I flatten them?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Wed, May 22 2024, 4:30 am

ra_mom wrote:

do you put in a egg?

how do you bind it to firm up t make balls?