If you are looking for a delicious variation of classic meatballs, then you are in the right spot. Yes, this is the recipe for a quick, homemade, comforting dish. I’m talking about beef-date meatballs.
And they taste as amazing as the famous Swedish meatballs or the classic Italian ones. Not only they make an incredible supper or lunch, but can also be served at parties or picknicks.
Along with the beef-date meatballs, I didn’t make a gravy or a dip, but I served them on a bed of lentils and green peas. All the ingredients were in complete harmony. Sweet and meaty meatballs, earthy lentils, creamy green peas and sweet grilled cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients for ca 20 beef-date meatballs:
- 500g minced beef
- 2 red onions (chopped)
- 18 dates (8 chopped)
- salt, pepper
- 2 Tbsp hazelnut ground
- peanut oil
- 30g lentils (brown)
- 300g green peas (frozen)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 10 cherry (Roma) tomatoes
- olive oil
- 1 spring onion (chopped)
To begin with, I always start preparing the meatball mixture, as I leave it to rest for a couple of minutes. Like that the ground hazelnuts or breadcrumbs (if you like) slightly soak in the liquids. In a bowl, mix beef, chopped onions, 8 chopped dates, salt, pepper and ground hazelnuts. Use your hands to amalgamate well all the ingredients. Put aside for a couple of minutes and prepare the rest.
Put the lentils to cook (after ca 20 minutes they are soft). At halftime, you will grill the tomatoes and start forming the date-beef meatballs. Peel and dice the carrot and wash the cherry tomatoes.
Furthermore, start forming the meatballs. Try to make them around 4 cm big. Like that the inside will be cooked and the outside won’t be over-browned.
Ok, the lentils are half cooked now. Turn on the grill in the oven. Cover a small baking dish with parchment paper or with aluminium foil, lay in the tomatoes, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place everything in the oven for about 8 minutes or until the tomatoes get wrinkled. Turn off the oven, cover with aluminium foil and keep them there until you serve. Five minutes before the lentils are done, add the diced carrot to them.
In a larger frying pan, drizzle some peanut oil. Only when hot, add the beef-date meatballs and brown them on all sides for about 4 minutes. Moreover, place them in a bowl and cover with aluminium foil. The meat will continue cooking and stay moist.
In conclusion, add the frozen green peas to the lentils and cook for 2 more minutes. You might add some olive oil to it.
There you go! A great heart-warming meal is almost ready! Use the rest of the dates for topping the meatballs. With a toothpick, fix half a date on each meatball. Finally, serve these tasty beef-date meatballs on a bed of green peas, lentils and carrots, along with sweet, grilled mini tomatoes and sprinkled with spring onion.
Enjoy!
