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More Recipes

September 2011

More Meals

Toddler Meal

Chicken Meatballs

Serves 4
Recipe adapted from Whining and Dining: Mealtime Survival for Picky Eaters and the Families Who Love Them, (by Emma Waverman and Eshun Mott)

You'll Need

½ cup large-flake or one minute oatmeal (not instant)
¾ cup milk
1 lb ground chicken
1 tsp chopped garlic
½ cup finely grated carrot or parsnip
½ cup chopped cooked spinach or kale (if using frozen, squeeze out the moisture)
1 large egg, beaten
3 Tbsp tomato paste, divided in half
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Prep and Cook

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet or metal baking pan with parchment or foil and lightly grease with olive oil. Set aside.
Place oatmeal in a small bowl and pour milk over top. Stir together and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes or until milk has been almost fully absorbed.
Combine chicken, garlic, grated vegetables, spinach, egg, half the tomato paste, and oatmeal mixture, discarding any extra milk in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Mix until just combined.
Form meatballs into 1 inch size and place on prepared baking sheet.
Combine the rest of the tomato paste with the olive oil (it will not mix together very well).
Brush a little of the tomato mixture on top of each meatball.
Bake for 20–25 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with tomato sauce for dipping or over pasta or rice.

Good to know: We have added carrot, parsnip and greens to these to boost up the nutritional factor, but feel free to substitute any other grate-able vegetables you have on hand.