Little Meatballs with Parmesan Garlic Rice
Looking for a delicious main dish for two? Then Little Meatballs with Parmesan Garlic Rice is for you. Mini meatballs in a tasty spiced sauce served over a bed of Rice, so good.
I’m not one to do write ups on Cookbooks, but when my friend (I could probably say very good friend) April from Girl Gone Gourmet released her cookbook, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and try something out. So when I saw this recipe for Mini Meatballs and Parmesan in the title I knew it was made for me.
If you have followed me for a while you will know I love carbs and anything and everything Pasta. As the Italian says I didn’t come to Italy for him I came for the Pasta. 😉
How to Make Parmesan Rice
- In a medium sized pot add the water and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice and garlic.
- Cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.
- Drain any excess water, I actually turned the heat up and let the water evaporate, make sure you don’t burn the rice.
- Stir in the butter and cream, then add the Parmesan Cheese. So good!
But in this case I thought the Parmesan Rice would do just as well, and it sure does.
I loved the idea of a Cook Book for One or Two, since our eldest daughter is now in Canada and our 2nd is in her last year of high school with every intention of following her sister … smaller sized recipes will be something I will be making.
And yes I also gifted my daughter with a copy of April’s Cookbook.
To tell the truth it was all a different way of making rice and sauce for me. In Italy we cook our rice like pasta, al dente in boiling salted water, drain the rice when cooked and serve unless of course you are making a Risotto.
More Delicious Meatball Recipes
So if you are looking for recipes for one or two this is the Cook Book for you. Gourmet Cooking for One or Two by April Anderson. Buon Appetito!
Little Meatballs with Parmesan Garlic Rice
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 tablespoon egg (lightly beat egg & use 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
SAUCE
- ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup finely chopped carrot
- 2 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 cup beef stock (homemade or store bought)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
RICE
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup long grain white rice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter (I used salted)
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Parsley
Instructions
MEATBALLS
- In a medium bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and black pepper, then add the ground beef. Mix together with your hands until just combined. Form the meatballs with a tablespoon (15 grams) of the beef mixture for each ball.
- Heat the oil in a 3½ 2 quart (3 litre) saucepan over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on one side, approximately 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs and brown on the other side. Remove the meatballs to a clean dish.
SAUCE
- To the same pan add the chopped onion and cook just until they start to soften, 2-3 minutes. Then add the garlic and carrot and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and flour, stir to coat the vegetables. Add the Worcestershire Sauce and stir, scraping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, salt, bay leaf and fresh thyme and stir to combine. Bring the stock to a simmer and add the meatballs. Adjust the heat to low, cover the pan with the lid slightly askew and simmer the meatballs.
RICE
- In a small pot add the water and bring to a boil, add the rice and garlic and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cook until the rice is tender, approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain off any excess water. Stir in the cream and butter until melted, add the Parmesan and gently stir to combine. Sprinkle with the chopped Parsley. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
- Uncover the meatballs and adjust the heat to medium to bring the sauce to a strong simmer. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has slightly thickened. Remove the bay leaf and serve the meatballs over the rice. Enjoy!
Fabulous. I have made this several times. My husband loves it. I have used leftover meatloaf, cut into large cubes instead of making meatballs. The corners and edges of the cubes break off while stirring the sauce so the cubes end up roundish, and the sauce becomes thicker and meatier. I have also substituted pasta for the rice and that was great too. The sauce freezes well.
Hi Barbara, thanks so much, great idea using meatloaf and pasta. Take care, have a great week.
I want to make this tonight but don’t have paste. I do have a can of tomato sauce. How could I substitute with that?
Hi Kayadell, I would leave out the stock and if the sauce is really thick then add a bit of water to thin it out. Let me know how it goes.
Used this recipe to make meatballs for the first time and we all loved it, specially the rice 👌🏻 Also as someone who is not very advanced with her cooking skills, this recipe was easy to follow .
Hi tToni, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Happy Holidays.
Hi Rosemary! Haven’t tried the recipe yet but will do so tonight for dinner — and of course will promptly let you know how tasty it turned out. I noticed heavy cream is listed as an ingredient for the rice…I was wondering if it’s absolutely a necessary ingredient — whether it’s a make-it or break-it element– and if you suggest any dairy-free substitutes for it that won’t alter the taste of the rice to a drastic degree 😀
Hi Elena, thanks so much, I would increase the butter to a tablespoon (instead of 1/2) or you could use a dairy free cream, if not I don’t think it will make much of a difference. Let me know how it goes.
Haven’t tried yet. Your recipe shows carrots in sauce, but the original picture at start of site shows carrots and another ingredient in the rice. Was looking for that recipe with veggies in rice with meatballs on top.
Hi J, I’m sorry but this is the only recipe I have with rice, veggies & meatballs, are you thinking of this one? Let me know.
https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/italian-sausage-and-vegetable-rice-casserole/
This was delicious and if you have the meatballs already made and waiting in the freezer, it is a super quick dinner to whip up.
Hi Helen, thanks glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
I only used the recipe for the meatball sauce – very moreish and great depth of flavour.
We made this with Whole Foods frozen meatballs and it turned out delicious!! Not many substitutions except for using brown rice and omitting the cream. The sauce required some extra broth to warm up the meatballs but everything turned out delicious 5/5 in my book for ease and deliciousness.
Very tasty and simple to make. I made the meat like small flat burgers instead of balls so they were easier to brown. I used the whole egg to keep it simple and it turned out fine.
Hi Brenda, thank so much, great idea with the burgers. Have a wonderful Sunday.
Well I just made this garlic Parmesan rice guys… It is amazing! It literally taste like risotto it’s so delicious. I hope I can wait until my husband gets home to eat dinner. LOL I have the meatballs simmering on the stove and I can’t wait to try them. I did use turkey because that’s what I had and I was excited about this recipe so I went for it.
Hi Monica, thanks glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Has anyone doubled the recipe? Looks amazing.
Thanks Stephanie, I don’t know if anyone has but I am sure you can without any problem.
Yes…The sauce was a little too saucy. I would only do 1 1/2 cups of broth next time.
How do you measure or what is 1 tablespoon of egg? Thanks
Hi Carol, lightly beat the egg first and then remove 1 tablespoon. Hope that helps.
I had to make these they looked so good, so I made them last nigh and my husband and I loved them. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Beth, so glad you liked them. Have a great weekend.
Your meatballs sound delicious. Found you at Thursday Favorite Things.
Hi Amy, thanks so much, that’s a great link up.