Piri Piri Meatballs
Make these piri piri beef meatballs to spice up your weeknight dinner. Add lemon zest and sour cream at the end to really make the dish sing.
Serves 4
Effort: Easy
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Gluten free option - see hints & tips.
Ingredients
500g beef mince
1 tbsp + 1 tsp piri piri seasoning - Screaming Seeds
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup breadcrumbs - see hints & tips for GF
1 egg
1 tbsp finely diced fresh parsley
1 punnet cherry tomato
1/3 cup olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 sour cream
Extra parsley to serve
Instructions
In a bowl add mince, 1 tbsp piri piri seasoning, tomato paste, paprika, breadcrumbs, egg & parsley then season well with salt & pepper. Combine everything together without over working the mince mixture or you will end up with dense meatballs.
Leave to set for 1/2 hour or up to 24 hours in fridge.
Heat a large fry pan with 1/3 cup of olive oil and roll your meatballs into inch round balls - makes 20 meatballs. Drop in to the pan and cook for about 8 minutes—progressively turning as they brown on each side—until cooked through and crusty all over.
Add the cherry tomato’s to the fry pan halfway through the cooking process and let them cook into the olive oil to create a rustic tomato sauce.
To serve coat the meatballs with the sauce, drizzle with sour cream, sprinkle lemon zest & fresh parsley over the top.
Hints & tips
Gluten free alternative - To make this dish GF change the breadcrumbs to gluten free bread crumbs or almond meal.
Beef mince - This recipe uses beef mince as it is a staple meat choice for most families. Try using half/ half beef & pork mince OR chicken mince if you prefer. Both alternatives work well.
Sour cream - no sour cream on hand? Natural yoghurt will work as well.
Serving suggestions - These meatballs will go along side most things. Baked potato & salad, as piri piri subs or even rice & veggies. A great dish to have with what you have on hand.
Portion size - A great dish to double for larger families. If you want a smaller portion you could make the meatballs & freeze half before cooking them.
Storage - Will keep up to 3 days in the fridge. Suitable to freeze both before and after cooking. If freezing after cooking leave the lemon zest and sour cream off. They can be added when you defrost & eat them later.
