Juicy beef meatballs baked on a bed of cubed potatoes, chunky peppers, and whole shallots in a light tomato butter sauce. This baked meatballs with potatoes dish goes in the oven covered, then uncovered at the end to brown everything up.
Blending the onion, parsley, and egg together before adding them to the meat is what keeps the meatballs soft inside. Most recipes just dice the onion, which leaves hard bits in the middle. Blending it means the flavour spreads evenly and the texture stays smooth.
Another one-dish dinner from @ferah_kitchen on Instagram. The dish gets covered with wet parchment paper for the first 35 minutes to trap steam so everything cooks through without drying out, then uncovered to let the tops brown and crisp.
Jump to Recipe
Baked Meatballs with Potatoes and Peppers
Course: DinnerCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Medium4
servings20
minutes45
minutes520
kcal1 hr 5 min
Beef meatballs baked with cubed potatoes, peppers, and shallots in a tomato butter sauce. Covered with wet parchment for 35 minutes then uncovered to brown. One dish, one hour. Recipe by @ferah_kitchen.
Ingredients
- For the Meatballs
500 g (1 lb) ground beef
1 onion
1 egg
A handful of fresh parsley
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
- For the Vegetables
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 peppers (1 red, 1 green), cut into chunks
A handful of shallots or small onions, peeled and left whole
- For the Sauce
1 heaped tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
240 ml (1 cup) water
Pinch of salt
Directions
- Make the meatball mixture: Put the onion, parsley, and egg in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour this into a large bowl with the ground beef, breadcrumbs, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Knead the mixture with your hands for 5-6 minutes until everything is well combined and the meat feels sticky.
- Prepare the vegetables: Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Cut the peppers into similar-sized pieces. Peel the shallots and leave them whole. Spread the vegetables in a glass baking dish.
- Shape the meatballs: Take small pieces of the meat mixture and roll them into balls. Place them on top of and between the vegetables in the dish.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the water and a pinch of salt, stir, and let it come to a quick boil. Pour the sauce evenly over the meatballs and vegetables.
- Cover and bake: Wet a sheet of parchment paper under the tap, squeeze out the excess water, and lay it over the dish. Heat your oven to 200°C (400°F) and bake covered for 35 minutes.
- Uncover and brown: Remove the parchment paper. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the meatballs are browned on top and the potatoes are soft all the way through.
Notes
- You can swap the vegetables for whatever you have. She says any combination works. The wet parchment paper traps steam so everything cooks through without drying out. Original recipe by @ferah_kitchen on Instagram.
FAQs
Why blend the onion instead of dicing it?
Blending the onion with the egg and parsley breaks it down into a liquid that mixes evenly into the meat. If you dice the onion, you get hard crunchy bits inside the meatball that do not cook down during baking. Blending also adds moisture which keeps the meatballs soft and juicy.
How do I stop the meatballs from falling apart?
Knead the mixture for a full 5-6 minutes. This develops the proteins in the meat so they bind together. The egg and breadcrumbs also help hold everything in place. If the mixture feels too wet to shape, add another tablespoon of breadcrumbs. Wetting your hands with water before rolling also stops the meat from sticking to your palms.
Why cover the dish with wet parchment paper?
The wet parchment paper creates steam inside the dish so the meatballs and potatoes cook through evenly without the tops drying out. Foil traps too much moisture and the meatballs stay pale. Parchment lets some steam escape so the sauce reduces slightly. You remove it for the last 10-15 minutes to let everything brown.
Can I use different vegetables?
Yes. The original recipe says you can use whatever vegetables you like. Cut everything into similar-sized chunks so they cook at the same rate. Just avoid anything too watery or too delicate that would break down completely during 45 minutes of baking.
How do I know when the meatballs are cooked through?
Cut one of the largest meatballs in half. The inside should be brown all the way through with no pink. The potatoes should be soft when you push a fork into them. If the potatoes are still hard after 35 minutes covered, give them another 5 minutes before uncovering.
