Juicy, Delicious, and Flavorful, Oven Baked Meatballs make a great appetizer or as an addition to your pasta.

Ever since my son started saying yes to pasta, I’ve been experimenting different pasta recipes and proteins to go along with it. These meatballs are one of his favorites which he devours in seconds; served either ways, with marinara sauce or with a creamy white sauce.

This is a classic Italian style meatball recipe with garlic, chili flakes, oregano, parsley, herbs, parmesan, onion, egg and breadcrumbs. Once your ingredients are ready, the preparation is very easy; mix everything together, roll it and bake it in the oven, Voila!  Don’t be surprised if your family starts munching it directly from the pan, it’s that good!

So, let’s get into the details of cooking up these meatballs.

What kind of meat portion should I buy?

Most people buy a mix of beef, veal and pork to make meatballs as it brings so much of flavor, but here I have used only beef. I’ve used ground chuck with 80/20 blend, which means 80% lean meat and 20% fat. It makes the meat hold together during the bake, while keeping it tender and juicy.

How can you serve these meatballs?

1. You can go for the classic combination of meatballs with spaghetti or any pasta of your choice.
2. Or you can serve meatballs as an appetizer with marinara as the dipping sauce.
3. These meatballs make a great protein for your sandwich, wrap or on your salad, the options are endless!

How can you store leftovers?

Once you are done with your cooking, make sure to bring it down to room temperature. You can store the leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator, or freeze it in a freezer safe zip lock bag or container for up to 2 months.

For reheating; Meatballs reheat like a gem, although it is ideal to thaw them before heating by transferring from the freezer to the refrigerator a day prior to serving. You can either microwave it, or heat on a pan with its lid on.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Interested in other appetizer recipes? Check these out:

• Chicken meatballs
• Honey Soy Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
• Beef Cultet/Croquette
• Buffalo Chicken Bites

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Meatballs

Juicy, Delicious, and Flavorful, Oven Baked Meatballs make a great appetizer or as an addition to your pasta.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Keyword meatballs, pasta, spaghetti

Servings 30 meatballs

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 large egg
• 1 medium sized white/yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp oregano (dried)
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup water
• A small handful of parsley (finely chopped)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350-degree F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and keep aside.
• In a bowl, using your hands or a spatula, mix together minced beef, garlic, onion, egg, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, chili flakes, water, salt and pepper until its well combined, but make sure not to overmix it.
• Wet your hands with water or oil and using a cookie scoop or with your hands, roll the mixture into small round sized balls and place them on the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes flipping them midway through the cooking until they are nicely browned on the outside and cooked well. The internal temperature should reach 165-degree F.
• Remove from the oven and drain off any leftover excess fat.
• Serve them hot along with pasta or serve as an appetizer with marinara sauce on the side. Enjoy!

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Alright, so this is my first Fat Tuesday dish and a totally un-planned one. In fact, I was just relaxing after my weekend shoot of my upcoming Mojito recipe, and all of a sudden my hubby calls me up from office and asks “What’s Fat Tuesday? Do you know to cook any Fat Tuesday dishes?” It turned out that his workmates quickly decided to do a potluck the next day for Fat Tuesday and had also picked up the dishes they planned to cook. The funny fact is, my husband was clueless and the best dishes were already taken. So that left me with little time, limited choices, and I thought… “Well, I’ve been looking for an inspiration for my next recipe and I badly want to try a new cuisine… and there you go Akhila, an Opportunity right in front of you… Grab it… time for you to get Inspired…!” So, I took a quick look at the list of dishes already chosen by his colleagues and saw no appetizers listed; quickly called him up and without any hesitation said, “I’m making a Jambalaya Flatbread”. I heard a pause (I’m sure he was surprised and confused, hehe…) and he said “Ok dear, as you say!” I dropped the call, sat down and thought to myself “Alright, so now how do you prepare it???”

Jambalaya is one among my favorite dishes; especially the Cajun styled one from our local farm market (Soulard market @ St. Louis, MO) which I love a lot. It is a traditional dish made with rice, vegetables and meats, rich in the flavors from spices and is cooked either Creole or Cajun style. Cajun Jambalaya is tomato less and more of a Central Louisiana style whereas Creole Jambalaya is a New Orleans style.  I would consider my today’s dish as more of a mix of both considering the Cajun seasoning used and the tomato based marinara sauce on top of the flatbread.

This recipe is quite easy to make and calls for only one spice rub; Cajun seasoning. I have used AIDELLS Cajun Style Andouille sausage in this recipe which is a smoked pork sausage, and it along with the chicken and shrimp are sautéed in the Cajun seasoning, cooked till brown, and spread on flat bread coated with marinara sauce, along with veggies & cheese. Super easy and quick, makes a great meal on your table.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking!!!

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Jambalaya Flatbread

Classic Mardi Gras dish with a twist… Jambalaya on a Flatbread!!! Relish the Cajun flavours with chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage, bell peppers, white onions, jalapenos and garlic, flavored in seasoning, all on a thin flatbread, topped with Mozzarella cheese and parsley.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword flatbread, game day recipe, jambalaya

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 32 minutes minutes

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• Andouille sausage (I have used AIDELLS Cajun Style Andouille sausage)
• 15-17 shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail removed)
• 1 chicken breast (sliced into small pieces)
• 1 yellow,red and orange bell pepper
• 1 white onion (sliced)
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers (sliced)
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 2 garlic pods (crushed)
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• Olive oil
• Freshly chopped parsley (garnish)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Store bought flat bread

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
• Slice the andouille sausage and season it along with the chicken & shrimp, in Cajun seasoning (1 ½ tbsp).
• Heat olive oil in a pan, add the seasoned meats, and saute. Cook for 2 minutes on each side till browned. Remove the meats from the pan and set aside.
• Into the same pan, add crushed garlic and saute for a few seconds. Add sliced bell peppers and onions, ½ tbsp Cajun seasoning, saute and cook until softened. Add olive oil if necessary. Remove the veggies from the pan and set aside.
• Add marinara sauce into the same pan, cook on medium heat until it is slightly thick.
• Place your flatbreads on a greased sheet pan, and spread the marinara sauce evenly on top of it as the base. Top with some mozzarella cheese.
• Spread the cooked chicken, shrimp, sausage and vegetables evenly on top of the flatbread, and finally top with jalapenos and some more mozzarella cheese.
• Place the sheet pan in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes until the cheese has melted. Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool.
• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

The post Jambalaya Flatbread appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Prep time: 15 mins; Baking time: 1 hour Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium sized beetroot
• 3/4 cup dry chickpeas / garbanzo beans
• 3 garlic cloves
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tbsp tahini sauce
• ¼ cup olive oil + more 
• salt
• 3 cup water
• fresh parsley (garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak chickpeas overnight. This helps it to rehydrate and increase in volume. Drain it and rinse well before cooking.
2. Pressure cook the washed chickpeas with a pinch of salt and water, for 3 whistles. Take the cooker off the flame, and allow it to rest till the pressure goes off. Drain it.
3. In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Loosely wrap and cover beetroots in aluminum foil and place on a baking tray.
4. Roast for 1 hour or more, until it becomes soft. Allow it to cool, and then peel off the skin and chop into big chunks.
5. In a food processor, add the cooked and cooled chickpeas, beetroot chunks, garlic, lemon juice, tahini sauce and salt.
6. Add olive oil as needed and process until it becomes a smooth puree.
7. Garnish with fresh parsley leaves and olive oil.

Note:

1. Store bought Tahini sauce will be very thick with the oil separated on the top. Stir well before using it.
2. You can find Tahini sauce in any World market, or in the kosher aisle of your supermarket.

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This is a simple dish and requires minimum ingredients – honey, soy and garlic, which are easily available in your pantry and in 35 minutes your beautiful drumsticks are ready…

The first thought which comes to my mind when I plan a drumsticks dish is the usual recipe with a masala marinade, but I was looking for an opportunity to switch my palate from spicy to sweet / tangy, something which me and my friends have been crazy for lately. And that’s how I decided to make Honey as my hero!! I love cooking with drumsticks because it brings out the flavours of your marinade so well, making your dish full of yumminess…

The preparation is very simple, all you need is to marinade your chicken in a sauce mix of honey, soy, garlic, salt and pepper, and bake. What makes the difference is the cooking of the chicken in a pool of its marinade and juices which ooze out during the cook, and basting it at regular intervals. Using an aluminum foil to line your baking pan / skillet prevents the juices from drying out, keeping the chicken tender & juicy.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!!!

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Honey Soy Glazed Chicken

Sweet, Tender and Juicy Chicken Drumsticks with a glaze of Honey and Soy… a definite crowd pleaser appetizer…!!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword appetizer, drumsticks, honey soy chicken

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 3

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 6 chicken drumsticks (with skin)
• 4-6 tbsp honey
• 3-4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• Salt (as required)
• Pepper (as required)
• leaves Freshly chopped cilantro (garnish)

Instructions

• Clean and pat dry chicken drumsticks. Make incisions in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, prepare the marinade by mixing garlic, honey, soy sauce, salt, & pepper, whisk well. Rub the marinade on the chicken ensuring that it is properly coated, and rub under the skin too generously. Marinate for 3 hours at least or 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a cast iron skillet / oven safe dish with aluminum foil, and place the drumsticks on it. The foil prevents the honey and soy sauce in the marinade from sticking to your pan, making cleaning easy. Pour any excess marinade over the chicken.
• Cook the drumsticks in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes until the skin is lightly browned and the inside is no longer pink. After every 15 minutes flip the chicken with a pair of tongs and baste it by pouring the sauces over on top.
• Remove from the oven and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves.

Notes

1. The key to baking drumsticks is pat drying after rinse and making incisions in the chicken. This helps the marinade to be absorbed well.
2. Baking time will be 35 min – 40 mins.
3. Basting the reducing marinade over the chicken at regular intervals keeps it wet, juicy, and flavourful.
4. You can vary the sweetness according to your choice while adding honey.

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