Charlie's Meatballs

Makes 36 meatballs

These meatballs are a variation on my Goodbye Meatballs, tailored to pack in more protein and vegetables. While I still believe that meatballs should be seared if they’re going to be simmered with red sauce (the browned bits really make it), I bake these meatballs because it’s quicker and easier (I’m making them so often, I really need them to be quicker and easier) and I’m not building a sauce around them. I’ve done pretty much every variation you see below and they all work. While differences between batches are minimal (use yogurt and zucchini and the meatball mixture might be looser; use chicken, cottage cheese and cauliflower and they’ll be a funny sort of white color) it does keep things interesting. If you’re able to get your hands on some excellent dark meat ground turkey, or an “ancestral blend” (light and dark meat chicken ground with the liver, gizzards, etc.), that’s actually my preference here.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cottage cheese, ricotta or Greek yogurt  
• 1½ cups finely chopped kale  
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• ½ cup rolled oats 
• 2 large eggs
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped 
• ½ medium onion, very finely chopped 
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pound ground turkey, chicken, pork or beef
• 1 pound cauliflower, broccoli or zucchini, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.   
2. Combine cottage cheese, kale, Parmesan, oats, eggs, garlic, onion and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes or so to soften the oats (you can also let the mixture sit overnight in the fridge). 
3. Add turkey, cauliflower and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix until everything is well blended. 
4. Using your hands, roll tiny meatballs, baby-sized (will depend on the age of your baby, but I usually go with approximately the size of a small apricot) and place them on the sheet pan, spaced about 1” apart. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, transfer to the oven and bake until browned on top and cooked through, 15–20 minutes (you may want to rotate the sheet pan halfway through depending on your oven). Let cool. Store some in the fridge and the remaining in the freezer. 

DO AHEAD: Meatball mixture can be made 1 day ahead, kept wrapped and refrigerated. Meatballs can be baked and refrigerated 5 days ahead or frozen 3 months ahead.