Let's celebrate National Meatball Day today, with these low calorie meatballs, seasoned our Latino way.
My kids absolutely LOVE meatballs. And let's be honest, who doesn't? My boys eat them as if they were candy. I have a wonderful recipe inherited from my mom, but what I usually lack is the time to prepare it: make the meatballs, fry and stew them in a sauce. But I have my "emergency" recipe with pre cooked, frozen meatball (they can be beef, pork, chicken, or turkey meatballs), that I stew in a tomato sauce with garlic, onions, a pinch of cumin, and a sprig of bay leaves. This recipe is so tasty, that I don't add any salt. And they are ready in 45 minutes! So happy National Meatball Day!
Meatballs
Yield 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped or grated onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds of Roma tomatoes processed in a blender
1 2-pound package of frozen pre cooked meatballs
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 dried bay leaves
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Preparation:
In a deep skillet with a lid, put the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic, until wilted, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cumin, and stir. Add the frozen meatballs. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat.
Add the bay leaves and simmer for 45 minutes covered. You may need to remove the cover and let the liquid undermine a bit if you want a thicker sauce.
Images via Enriqueta Lemoine
