Meat and Veggie Meatballs

     I like a good meatball. One that is flavorful, well cooked, and seasoned perfectly. I also like to use meatballs in a variety of meals. They are great with spaghetti, on a sub roll, in soups, or as an appetizer. While my husband likes an all meat meatball, I like mine with meat and veggies in it.

     So, when I decided to make spaghetti for dinner I wanted to make meatballs to go with it. After looking in the refrigerator to see what type of veggies we had, I decided to use red and green peppers as well as an onion. I use different vegetables depending on what I’m using the meatballs for. Since this is an Italian meatball, I thought the onion and peppers would go well with them.

     When I have a lot of time and think ahead of time I like to put the meatballs in my Crock-Pot, pour in a jar of marinara sauce, and cook them all day for a meatball full of flavor. Since I didn’t think ahead of time today, I had to go for the old skillet method. I cooked the meatballs in a little bit of oil until they were brown on all sides. Then I poured in a jar of marinara sauce and finished cooking them through. This way I don’t have to heat the sauce separately.

     The meat and veggie meatballs turned out surprisingly well this time. Frank and I enjoyed them with our spaghetti. They were a little crisp on the outside but moist and flavorful inside. I always end up making a large recipe so that we have meatballs left over for lunch the next day. This time we had meatball subs the next day, YUM!

Meat and Veggie Meatballs

1 T. olive oil
1 ½ pounds of Laura’s Lean ground beef
¼ c. green peppers, finely chopped
¼ c. red peppers, finely chopped
¼ c. onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1. In a large skillet heat 1 T. olive oil.

2. In a large bowl combine the ground beef, vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix well.

3. Form the mixture into 1 inch balls. Put the meatballs into the skillet.

4. Cook the meatballs until they are brown on all sides and heated through in the middle. Serve warm.

**If using the meatballs for spaghetti or something with sauce, add the sauce to the skillet and continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until the meatballs absorb the flavor of the sauce.**