Chicken meatballs in tomato sauce in a frying pan. Tiny and delicious: meatballs in tomato sauce

First, think about your side dish. It could be pasta, baked vegetables, light salad, rice or mashed potatoes. I'm going to make some puree. To do this, boil 3-4 medium-sized potatoes in their jackets in salted water. Then add water and leave aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the meatballs.

For them we will need 600 g of minced meat (in my case it is pork and beef), you can grind the meat through a meat grinder yourself.

Add 1 tsp to the minced meat. salt...

...1 tsp seasonings French herbs or finely chopped fresh rosemary and thyme. In general, all seasonings are an additional option that you can replace/remove/add your own. Dried or fresh basil leaves also work very well. Chop them finely and add to the minced meat - it will be great!

Now let’s pepper (you can skip this step)…

... and add 1 tbsp. breadcrumbs.

Further

Add 3 tbsp. ricotta I really love this recipe because of the ricotta. It gives a certain creaminess to our minced meat and this makes the meatballs more airy and acquire a creamy taste.

Now add 1-2 tsp. sweet paprika. The minced meat will turn a pleasant pinkish color and a sweetish aftertaste will appear. Let's mix.

Add 1/2 head of white onion to the minced meat. First, finely chop the onion or grind it in a blender - whichever is more convenient for you. Mix again.

I got 18 pieces. I didn’t bake everything in the oven at once; I just threw the rest of the meatballs in the freezer.

P.S. Place them on a small plate that will fit in the freezer, a short distance apart. This way they will not stick together and will retain their shape.

Let's bake meatballs

Grease a baking dish with butter and place the meatballs at an equal distance from each other so that they do not stick together. My pan size is 20 by 20, it contains 9 meatballs. Place in an oven preheated to 180C for 40 minutes.

Let's prepare tomato sauce

While the meatballs are baking, make tomato sauce for them.
In a preheated frying pan, melt a little butter and fry 1/2 of the finely chopped onion until golden brown.

Now pour in tomato paste or passata (Italian thick sauce made from pureed tomatoes). Simmer for 5 minutes, add 100 ml of water and continue simmering for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally.

Finely chop a bunch of dill or basil leaves and add to the sauce.

Let's add some salt. Mix everything and simmer for a couple more minutes.

P.S. If desired, you can add dried oregano and 1-2 tsp. red wine vinegar. The sauce will acquire a slight sourness. If your sauce turns out to be a little bitter due to the tomato paste, just add a little sugar. So, taste the tomato sauce and remove from heat.

Take out the meatballs (after 40 minutes) and pour in our tomato sauce. Turn the balls over a little so that they are evenly saturated with this sauce. Place them back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Let's start making puree

Pour 180 ml of milk into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Now grate nutmeg into hot milk for taste. It goes perfectly with milk and butter. It’s not for nothing that it’s added to bechamel sauce.

As usual when we're talking about about minced meat products, I traditionally do not recommend buying in a store or market ready minced meat. Just a piece of meat and twist! In this case, you know and see what kind of meatballs you will get.

Personally, I prefer to take pork neck, which has a perfectly balanced fat content - it doesn’t seem like lean meat, but it’s definitely not fatty either. Well, here it is, as you wish. and whenever possible. If you have a lean ham (or kumpyak), then you can add 150 grams of fresh lard and roll along with the meat.


How are meatballs different from the same meatballs? Vegetables and cereals must be added to the latter. The meatballs contain mostly only herbs and spices.
So, let's get down to business.

Peel the garlic and roll 2 cloves together with the meat.
Grate the cheese on a small grater.
In a bowl with the twisted meat, add ground crackers, grated cheese, eggs (I have medium size - 63-65 grams), finely chopped parsley (I have fresh frozen), salt and pepper.


All that remains is to add salt, pepper, or better yet a mixture of peppers (I have a mill with a mixture of 5 peppers) and stir everything well. The minced meat should be uniform enough so that the meatballs do not fall apart, but form beautifully.

Mix thoroughly, and then beat our minced meat a little more - scoop it up with your hand and forcefully throw it back into the bowl. And so 10 times. You will see the difference - the minced meat will become smoother and more viscous.


Pour flour into a plate.
With wet hands, form small balls and roll in flour on all sides. Traditionally, meatballs are made approximately the size of a walnut.


Heat a large frying pan (mine is 28 centimeters in diameter), add about two tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the meatballs a little. To keep them more or less round, fry them over maximum heat, shaking the pan often, or rather, just move it sharply back and forth. In this case, the meatballs will roll without losing their shape too much. But! If the pan is small, it is better to fry in two batches.


Fry for literally a couple of minutes, just so that the meatballs stick and are covered with a light crust. Set aside, it's time for the sauce.
Peel the onion and cut into fairly small cubes. Also chop the remaining two cloves of garlic.

Place the frying pan on the fire, pour in about two tablespoons of vegetable oil and add the onion. Fry over medium heat for two minutes until lightly browned. Add garlic and fry for literally another half a minute.
While the onions are frying, peel and grate the carrots. Add to the pan and fry for another minute.


There are some tomatoes left. Since this is the off-season, I take canned ones in their own juice, already crushed. If you just fresh tomatoes, then it is better to remove the skin from them. To do this, pour boiling water over them for a minute, and then change the water to cold. After this, the skin will come off easily. Chop the tomatoes with a knife or in a blender.

Add the contents of the jar along with all the juice to the pan.
Here you can completely make this sauce homogeneous. Simply transfer the contents of the pan into a bowl and use an immersion blender. Literally thirty seconds - and you have a completely smooth sauce. Pour everything back into the pan and continue cooking. Personally, I didn’t do this, but here it’s optional.

Pour 200-300 grams of broth or water into the frying pan. I have frozen broth in my freezer, so I used broth.

All that remains is to season the whole thing. Add salt, a couple of pinches of sugar, bay leaf and dried thyme. The latter can be replaced, for example, with oregano or basil. If you use fresh, then instead of a teaspoon there will be a tablespoon of chopped herbs.


Bring the sauce to a boil and pour over our meatballs. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 7 minutes over low heat. Then turn off the heat and let it stand, letting the flavors infuse under the lid for another 10 minutes.
Serve, for example, with pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.
Enjoy your meal!

Pasta with meatballs tomato sauce- classic Italian cuisine, which we decided to present in four different and unique variations within the following recipes.

Ingredients:

  • pork - 1 kg;
  • white onion - 70 g;
  • bread breading - 40 g;
  • dried basil and oregano - 3 g each;
  • tomatoes in their own juice - 400 g;
  • meat broth - 240 ml;
  • garlic cloves - 4 pcs.;
  • grated parmesan.

Preparation

Pass the pork through a meat grinder along with onions, add breading, herbs and spices. To make the meatballs easier to mold, beat the minced meat on a table or plate, divide into portions, roll into balls and put in the freezer for about 20 minutes. When removed from the freezer, the meatballs should easily hold their shape so that they can be fried, leaving them round and not turning into cutlets. Fry the meatballs not until cooked, but until they have a distinct golden brown crust.

Simmer the tomatoes in the broth until they form thick sauce. Add the crushed garlic and salt to the sauce, add the meatballs and cover the pan with a lid. Stir the meatballs into tomato-garlic sauce until done, sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Fish balls in tomato sauce - recipe

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

  • fish fillet - 500 g;
  • champignons - 130 g;
  • grated ginger - 3 g;
  • green onions - 5 feathers;
  • bread breading - 20 g;
  • starch - 15 g;
  • egg - 1 pc.

For the sauce:

  • olive oil - 35 ml;
  • tomato paste - 62 g;
  • garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
  • water - 120 ml;
  • parsley.

Preparation

Separate the selected fish fillet from the bones and skin, mix it with finely chopped champignons and poached in a frying pan. To give the minced meat a slight spiciness, add grated ginger, and to prevent the meatballs from falling apart during baking and further stewing, beat an egg into the minced meat and add a mixture of starch and breading.

Divide the minced fish into equal-sized portions and roll each into balls. Place the balls on a sheet of parchment and bake for 20 minutes at 170°C.

While the meatballs are in the oven, we have the opportunity to make the sauce. For the sauce, fry the garlic in olive oil for about 30 seconds, mix it with tomato paste, fill everything with water and leave to thicken for 10 minutes. Add parsley and meatballs to the sauce, keep the pan on the fire for about 15 minutes, and then remove and serve.

Chicken meatballs stewed in tomato sauce with cream

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

  • chicken - 650 g;
  • boiled rice - 90 g;
  • egg - 1 pc.;
  • white onion - 70 g;
  • garlic clove;
  • flour - 80 g;
  • vegetable oil.

For the sauce:

  • butter - 50 g;
  • flour - 25 g;
  • chicken broth - 480 ml;
  • sour cream - 80 g;
  • tomato sauce - 110 g;
  • paprika - 5 g.

Preparation

Pass the chicken through the middle grill of the meat grinder along with the onion, add spices and boiled rice to the minced meat. To bind, beat the egg into the mixture, add the crushed garlic into the paste and a little oil. Make meatballs of equal size from the prepared mixture and roll them in flour.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs in it, then transfer them to a plate.

Mix tomato sauce with sour cream. On butter saute the flour and dilute it with broth. Season the sauce with paprika and add sour cream and tomato sauce. When it thickens, place the meatballs in it and cover the pan with a lid. Now all that remains is to cook the meatballs in tomato sauce over low heat for 12-15 minutes or until fully cooked, stirring them occasionally to coat them evenly with the sauce.

Before serving, the dish can be drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh parsley or oregano.

Meatballs in tomato sauce will help complement the first course or replace a hearty side dish - 5 best recipes that have captivated many with their simplicity and at the same time sophistication. Small meat balls were traditionally added to soup to add satiety to the first dish and improve its taste. Now they are prepared as an independent dish, using various technologies and combining different products. What is the difference between meatballs and meatballs, how to cook them correctly - all this in best recipes from famous chefs.

Compared to meatballs, meatballs are called more elegant, harmonious and complete.

Traditionally, meat balls are made from:

  • pork – 550 g;
  • onions - 2 small onions;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • sour cream – 30 ml;
  • tomato paste – 45 ml;
  • ground paprika – 1 tsp;
  • allspice, salt and bay leaf;
  • vegetable oil.

You need to prepare minced meat, add salt and pepper to taste. A pinch of nutmeg will help complement and improve the taste of the product. The minced meat must be thoroughly mixed and beaten a little to give it elasticity, airiness, lightness and uniformity. This will have a positive effect on the taste of the final product.

Small meatballs are formed from the minced meat - their size should not be larger than a quail egg.

To prevent meat from sticking to your hands during cooking, you need to constantly wet your fingers in clean water.

Pour oil into the frying pan, heat it and place the meatballs in the container, frying them on both sides until golden brown. While the product is being prepared, you need to mix sour cream, paste, spices in a separate container, pour them clean water and simmer for 8 minutes. The finished sauce is then added to the meatballs, and they continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. The prepared dish is served warm, as an independent dish or as an addition to any side dish.

Cooking chicken meatballs in a frying pan

Prepare chicken meatballs Even a novice housewife can make it in tomato sauce.

To prepare the product you will need:

  • minced chicken or fillet – 400 g;
  • onion – 1 pc.;
  • carrot;
  • round grain rice – 100 g;
  • tomato paste – 2.5 tbsp;
  • mushrooms – 250 g;
  • sour cream – 2 tbsp.

Rice must be cleared of debris and rinsed under running water. Boil the cereal in boiling salted water until half cooked, cool, first straining off excess liquid. Add minced meat, ground onions and spices to the rice, mix everything and form meatballs. Fry them in a frying pan, first rolling them in flour.

In a separate frying pan, fry onions, chopped carrots, and mushrooms. Then add sour cream, pasta and a little meat broth. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add sauce to meatballs and cook covered for at least 25 minutes, reducing heat. Serve to the table, garnished with greens.

From minced fish

For children and those watching their figure, you can add minced fish meatballs to the menu.

They are prepared from the following products:

  • fillet of any fish (hake, catfish) – 350 g;
  • bitter onion – 2 pcs.;
  • butter – 35 g;
  • flour – 60 g;
  • salt, spices;
  • carrot;
  • parsley root;
  • dry white wine – ¼ cup;
  • laurel;
  • tomato paste – 25 g.

Carrots and parsley root should be chopped and fried in vegetable oil. Pour in the pasta diluted in water, wine, season with black pepper, bay leaves and simmer for 2-4 minutes.

Remove skin and small bones from the fish fillet and grind together with the onion through a meat grinder. The minced meat should be peppered, salted, added the required amount of oil, kneaded and begin forming meatballs. Fry the balls, roll them in flour, in vegetable oil, then pour in the sauce, simmer for 5-7 minutes. Serve by adding parsley and dill.

Meatballs in tomato sauce in a slow cooker

In a slow cooker, this favorite product is prepared from:

  • ground meat – 500 g;
  • rice cereal – 100 g;
  • bulbs – 2 pcs.;
  • carrots – 1 pc.;
  • tomato paste – 1 tbsp;
  • homemade sour cream or cream – 40 ml;
  • sunflower oil, salt and spices.

First, the minced meat is prepared - it is mixed with ground onions, spices and salt. Afterwards, you need to prepare the sauce in a slow cooker by frying the onions and carrots in oil in the “Frying” mode, adding pasta, flour, and sour cream to them.

Form small balls from the minced meat, add to the sauce, pour boiled liquid over it. Cook in the “Stew” program for 35 minutes, then add spices and simmer for another 10 minutes.

In tomato-garlic sauce

You can prepare tender and juicy meatballs from:

  • minced meat – 0.5 kg;
  • chicken eggs – 2 pcs.;
  • white stale bread – 120 g;
  • milk – 0.5 cups;
  • cheese – 120 g;
  • spices and salt to taste;
  • garlic - a couple of cloves;
  • tomato paste – 30 ml;
  • vegetable oil.

You need to grate the required amount of cheese, chop the herbs, and soak the bread in milk. Mix the minced meat in a container along with eggs, bread, cheese, spices, herbs, form meatballs and place them on a baking sheet.

To prepare the sauce, you need to fry the onion and garlic, previously finely chopped, in oil, pour them with paste diluted in water, simmer, add meatballs. Simmer the meat balls covered for 30 minutes.

Choosing the right side dish for a dish

Of course, meatballs can be served as an independent dish, supplemented with vegetable salads or herbs. However, a properly selected side dish, which is quite simple to prepare, will help make the meal more satisfying.

Spaghetti with meatballs in tomato sauce

Spaghetti with meatballs in tomato sauce takes just over an hour to prepare. To prepare, take 300 ml of tomato sauce, a little olive oil, minced meat, onion, basil leaves, spaghetti, spices.

The dish is prepared as follows:

  1. Small meatballs are prepared from minced meat, onions and spices.
  2. Ready-made semi-finished products are fried in a frying pan, poured with sauce, and simmered for 8 minutes.
  3. Spaghetti is boiled in salted water, poured with oil and sauce. Meatballs are placed on top.

Serve the dish immediately after cooking, garnished with basil leaves. You can serve the salad with cheese and olives separately.

Italian pasta

Pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce is the perfect addition to a family lunch or a romantic dinner.

Ingredients you need to stock up on:

  • paste – 250 g;
  • minced meat – 550 g;
  • onions, garlic;
  • sweet pepper;
  • parsley;
  • egg;
  • breadcrumbs;
  • sweet peppers, tomatoes;
  • olive oil;
  • salt and spices.

The minced meat is mixed with an egg, chopped onion, and spices. Balls are formed from the resulting mass, placed on a tray and refrigerated for about 15-25 minutes (this technique will help achieve a golden crust when frying).

Finely chopped garlic and pepper need to be fried, add previously blanched and ground tomatoes to them. Simmer for 10 minutes, add spices to taste.

While the sauce is being prepared, the meatballs are fried separately in a frying pan, placed in the gravy and simmered for 15-20 minutes.

Preparation

You can make such a dish from any meat product or from a mixture of them, depending on your personal taste preferences and wishes. You can follow our example and mix beef with pork, or you can combine other types or use beef, pork, chicken, turkey or other minced meat separately. In addition, we recommend using not fresh bread, but slightly stale bread, for example, yesterday’s bread.

    Let's start cooking. Let's start by preparing the vegetables. Onion remove the husks and rinse thoroughly under running water. Next you need to grind it. This can be done in two ways: either on a cutting board, cut it as finely as possible with a regular knife or grate it on a fine grater. We take a deep container in which it will be convenient to mix all the ingredients, and put the minced pork and beef into the bowl, after which we send the onion preparation to the meat product. Cut off the crust on white bread and transfer it to a bowl, then pour cow's milk. Keep in liquid until it swells. After this, take out the softened bread, squeeze it out of the milk, adding this ingredient to the minced meat. Rinse the greens thoroughly under running water. Shake off the parsley to get rid of any remaining water. Next, finely chop it on the board and send it to the meat product. We supplement the composition with the main ingredients for the balls with mustard, salt and ground black pepper. Break a chicken egg into a bowl.

    Mix the resulting mass thoroughly with your hands, not with a spoon. Additionally, you can beat the workpiece on the work table or throw it into a bowl. We repeat our manipulations several times.

    We form small balls from the finished mixture. Take a frying pan and place it on the stove. We set the fire to moderate. As soon as the container heats up, pour in vegetable oil. We recommend using sunflower rather than olive oil. Place the first portion of meatballs and fry on one side for three minutes. Then use a spatula to transfer it to another barrel and fry for the same amount of time. We exchange the finished pieces for raw ones and fry them under the lid according to a similar scenario. We put all the balls into a bowl and leave them for now.

    Now let's start preparing the tomato sauce. Strain the meat juice and oil from the frying pan through a sieve, and wash the dishes themselves thoroughly. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and pour boiling water over them to make it easier to remove the skin. Pass the pulp through large holes on a grater. We remove the garlic cloves from the husks, wash and chop them using a press. We also chop the rest of the parsley, after rinsing and shaking off the water. Return the clean frying pan to the stove, set the flame to medium and pour in the meat and butter juice. We heat the mixture and then add the tomato pulp into it. Simmer, stirring occasionally. Three minutes will be enough for the mixture to thicken. Next, add the pasta, chopped garlic and continue to simmer, stirring. After two minutes, add ground black pepper and salt. We set the flame power to high, and then pour the specified amount of water. Bring to a boil. After this, reduce the heat again, simmer for three minutes and add chopped parsley. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and let the sauce steep for three to five minutes. Place the meat balls in a container to warm up slightly.

    Place pasta on portioned flat plates, meatballs on top and pour tomato sauce over everything. Our French dish is completely ready, serve it to the table. As you can see, preparing food at home turned out to be really not that difficult. We hope ours is simple step by step recipe with photos helped you make a dish for the whole family. Now go to the tasting and enjoy the delicious taste qualities. We wish you bon appetit!