Microwave Meatballs

Meatballs  in tomato sauce with courgettes

These are so easy and quick to make, I would never go back to frying meatballs. You can vary them by adding different herbs and spices, garlic, chili or other ingredients. We love an Italian style version, with oregano, basil, and garlic, served over spaghetti with tomato sauce. Another firm favourite is a Thai style version, with green Thai curry spices and a green curry sauce with coconut milk and coriander, served with rice, although we do argue about the level of chili heat.

A food processor makes the recipe very simple, as you can blitz the breadcrumbs with the garlic, fresh herbs and spices in seconds. If you don't have one, you'd have to chop the garlic and herbs and make the breadcrumbs by putting the bread in a plastic bag and bashing it with a rolling pin to break it up.

The uncooked meatballs freeze really well; to stop them sticking together, freeze on a tray, then put them into a zip lock freezer bag.

meatballs ready to zap in the microwave

Basic meatball recipe (makes about 25 meatballs, enough for 4 or 5 people)

500g minced (ground) meat (for the Italian version I tend to use a mix of beef and pork, for the Thai version, minced turkey is a good and healthy alternative)
about 100g stale bread (if it is very fresh, you might need to toast it lightly or dry it out in the oven to get it to crumb effectively)
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper

Additions:
The delight of this recipe is that the variations are endless - try out different combinations to find your favourite.
- good handful of fresh herbs (for Italian style try sage, basil, oregano, thyme; for Thai style use basil and coriander - experiment with different combinations, you can't really go wrong)
- if you don't have fresh herbs, use a teaspoon or two of dried herbs, eg Italian seasoning, or a teaspoon of Thai green curry paste
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 small fresh chili (optional)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp paprika
cayenne pepper to taste


1. Blitz the bread in a food processor (with the fresh herbs and garlic if using)
2. Mix the breadcrumbs, meat, beaten egg and other flavourings in a big bowl so that they are thoroughly combined. Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Using your hands, shape the mixture into balls, using around 25g of mixture for each ball.
4. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in a shallow microwaveable dish - a pyrex type pie dish is a good container to use.
5. Cook uncovered on full power in the microwave for 2 - 3 minutes, then rearrange the meatballs so that they can all cook evenly. Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. They will be almost done by now. I normally finish them off by adding them and their cooking juices to whatever sauce I am using and simmering on the stove in a big frying pan or wok.

cooked meatballs emerge from the microwave

A note on sauces: you can make your own basic tomato sauce, like this one from my Veggie Daughter vegetarian cooking blog Veggie Daughter Tomato Sauce  or you could use a shop bought sauce. For the Thai style, the easiest way to make the sauce is to use your favourite Thai curry paste, mixed with coconut milk  and maybe some caramelized red onions and courgettes (I tend to use Mae Ploy brand Thai sauce and follow the instructions on the tub). A jar of Thai curry sauce would also work fine.