Adapted from Whole Foods Market recipes

Sneak whole grains and veggies into crowd-pleasing meatballs with this easy recipe that will stretch your food dollar, too. Serve with your favorite pasta and marinara sauce or on a hoagie with cheese for a dynamite meatball sub sandwich.

Cook’s Review: “They turned out excellent!  My husband and son like them a lot.”  ~ Sharon S.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1 pound (95-percent) lean ground beef*

3/4 cup cooked NOW Organic Quinoa Grain*

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup grated zucchini

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 egg

*NOW items available at your local health food store

*For a vegetarian version, 1 and 1/3 cups dry NOW Textured Soy Protein (TSP) Granules* (item 6333) may be substituted for the ground beef. Soak the granules in water for a half-hour before use (they will expand to about twice their original size).

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with foil then grease with cooking spray; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together beef, quinoa, onions, carrots, zucchini, ketchup, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, salt, oregano, thyme and egg until well combined.
4. Shape beef mixture into 16 balls and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
5. Roast until cooked through and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.
   
   (Note: To cook quinoa, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Pour in ½ cup quinoa, cover and simmer until water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside off of the heat for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.)

Calories: 150
Calories from Fat: 45
Total Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 75 mg
Sodium: 470 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 8 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein:17 g