The diet of a child who is already 1 year old is gradually expanding, new dishes are introduced into it, among which are meatballs.

• white fish;
• turkey;
• chicken;
• veal

Meat balls with the addition of vegetables and rice are a tasty and healthy food that is suitable for children with a stable chewing reflex. A large number of recipes can be found on the Internet, so you can feed your baby nutritiously and variedly.

Meatballs for children: advantages and features of the dish

Meatballs are optimal for baby food because:

• they are softer and more tender than meatballs due to the fillers (rice, vegetables);
• they are safe for the baby’s stomach because they are cooked without frying, unlike cutlets;
• By eating this dish, the baby learns to chew meat food correctly - this is an important stage in the transition from children's pates to the common table.

Meatballs are prepared in several ways, you can:

• bake in the oven (in sauce);
• stew in the microwave;
• steam in a double boiler or slow cooker.

Food preparation

Although recipes vary in the amount and type of ingredients, it is important to adhere to a few basic principles of food preparation.

• Meat and fish.

A one-year-old baby is not yet ready to chew coarsely ground minced meat dishes. Veal and turkey should be passed through a meat grinder twice, and only when the child becomes confident in handling meatballs can the meat be ground in one go.

Fish and chicken have a more delicate structure; they do not need to be ground a second time. Please note: it is recommended to use a screw grinder rather than a blender, which turns the product into a pate.

If you plan to add rice to the meatballs or cook it as a side dish, you should give preference to round-grain varieties that cook well. Long-grain rice is drier and tougher; it “sticks” the minced meat worse.

In addition, small children do not chew hard rice well and swallow it whole or refuse the dish. An unchewed product is practically not absorbed by the body. Therefore, use short-grain rice and cook it with more water than the standard recipe, so that the product can cook a little longer than usual. If there is excess water left in the saucepan, drain it through a colander.

• Vegetables.

You can add carrots, cauliflower, or other vegetables to the minced meat. They make the dish more tender and juicy, as well as more healthy due to the presence of plant fiber and vitamins.

Please note: to prepare meatballs, use only those vegetables to which the baby’s body is already adapted, and they are guaranteed not to provoke an allergic reaction.

Vegetables with a delicate structure are chopped with a sharp knife; peeled carrots can also be finely chopped or grated on a fine or medium grater. You should not use a blender, since your task is to teach your baby to chew pieces of food. When cooking for children under one and a half years old, carrots and onions for meatballs can be ground in a meat grinder along with minced meat - they will be crushed into small pieces.

• A raw egg.

A standard ingredient that “glues” crushed foods together, preventing the meatballs from falling apart during cooking. If your child is allergic to egg whites, add only the yolk or replace the egg with a small amount of raw potatoes, finely grated.

• Salt, spices.

A minimum of salt is added to children's dishes. Spices are best avoided as they can cause allergies. Hot spices are contraindicated for children's delicate stomachs. If you want to add some piquancy to the meatballs, add chopped parsley to the minced meat - they are hypoallergenic and beneficial to the child’s body, as they have a beneficial effect on digestion.

Cooking features

The minced meat is mixed with chopped vegetables and rice (depending on the recipe). Balls the size of a small walnut are made from it by hand. To prevent the minced meat from sticking to your hands, grease them with vegetable oil.

A typical serving of meat for a 1-2 year old child is about 100 grams. If you are preparing a dish just for your baby, you can freeze the “unclaimed” meatballs for future use by wrapping them in cling film or foil, or placing them in an airtight freezer container.

• Double boiler.

In this case, the dish is cooked on its own, without gravy. Steamed meatballs can be supplemented with sour cream or vegetable sauce prepared separately.

• Microwave.

Add a little water to a glass saucepan with a lid - you get a version of a steamed meat and vegetable cutlet. You can use sauce instead of water.

• Oven.

To prevent the meatballs from drying out in the oven and becoming tough, it is advisable to cook them in a sauce, choosing suitable recipes.

• Multicooker.

Allows you to cook meatballs like in a double boiler, if there is a corresponding function. In a multicooker without a steaming option, balls of minced meat, rice and vegetables can be stewed in sauce.

Basic Recipes

Veal meatballs

• finely chopped minced meat – 300 g;
• boiled rice - 3/4 cup;
• 1 medium carrot;
• medium sized onion;
• 1 raw egg;
• salt and finely chopped fresh dill - to taste.

The balls are formed from a mixture of crushed ingredients and steamed for 40-45 minutes.

Fish meatballs for children

• white fish fillet (cod, etc.) – 300 g;
• rice, boiled until tender – 6-7 tbsp;
• 1 raw egg;
• small bulb;
• flour - 2 tbsp;
• salt, fresh dill to taste.

Make minced fish fillet and onion, add the rest of the ingredients. Steam for 20-25 minutes. If the child is over two years old, the meatballs can be baked in the oven without sauce (placed on parchment paper), but if they are left too long, they will become tough.

Chicken meatballs for children

• minced chicken – 500 g;
• 1 medium sized carrot;
• 1 small onion;
• 2 tbsp. l semolina;
• 25 g butter;
• 1 tbsp. flour;
• 1 glass of milk;
• 1 raw egg;
• salt to taste;

The minced meat is mixed with chopped onions and carrots, raw eggs, and semolina. Meatballs are formed from the resulting mass. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add milk, add flour and simmer, stirring, until thickened.

Place the meatballs in a baking dish (with a lid), pour in the sauce, and sprinkle with a small amount of grated cheese. Bake covered in the oven for about 35 minutes until done. This recipe can also be used to make turkey meatballs for children.

Meatballs with gravy for children can be prepared from any minced meat (fish, poultry, lean meat).

For the gravy you need:

• 1.5 cups boiling water;
• 1 tbsp. flour;
• 1 tbsp. low-fat sour cream;
• 1 tsp. tomato paste;
• bay leaf, salt to taste.

Boiling water is poured into the saucepan, the remaining ingredients are added, everything is thoroughly mixed. Dip the meatballs, lightly fried in vegetable oil, into the gravy and bring the dish to readiness.

You should not follow the recipe exactly, since cooking is creativity. If for the first time it makes sense to keep the proportions and use the prescribed set of ingredients, then in the future you can safely introduce vegetables that your baby prefers or, conversely, foods that you want to introduce your child to.

Meatballs are rightfully one of the most favorite minced meat dishes. Both adults and children love them!

Do you want to treat your family with these wonderful meat balls in gravy?

Then you will definitely need our selection, which contains eight different, but very tasty recipes.

In our selection you will find both simple and light, as well as more exotic types.

Choose your family recipe and with our step-by-step photos you will succeed!

Meatballs with rice in tomato sauce step by step recipe with photos

Let's start with a classic recipe, which is often present in the menu of kindergartens, and simply in home cooking.

Ingredients

• minced meat - 500 gr
• rice boiled until half cooked - 1.5 cups
• chicken egg - 1 piece
• medium onion - 1 piece
• salt, pepper - to taste
• spices - coriander, cumin (to taste)
• flour - 2 - 3 tbsp. spoons

For our tomato sauce

• carrot - 1 pc.
• medium onion - 1 piece
• garlic - 1 - 2 cloves
• tomato paste - 1 tbsp. heaped spoon
• sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon
• paprika - 1 tbsp. spoon
• dill
• bay leaf - 2 pcs
• salt, pepper - to taste
• boiled hot water

Preparation

Chop the onion. It is better if the pieces are very small, so that after cooking they do not stand out in the meat and do not crunch on the teeth.

Grate the carrots on a fine grater.

Chop the garlic. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to add it, but then the dish will lose some of its flavor.

We use pork/beef minced meat, and if you want the meatballs to be more dietary, then chicken or turkey will do.

Boil the rice until half cooked, 10 minutes, then drain the water. You can use short grain or long grain rice, depending on what you prefer.

Mix rice with minced meat, onion and garlic.

Put the egg there, salt, pepper, and add spices to taste.

Mix everything into a homogeneous mass. You should get beautiful, aromatic minced meat.

We begin to form meatballs.

Scoop up the minced meat with a tablespoon and roll it into a ball between your palms. They should be the same size so that it doesn’t happen that some of them will already be ready, and those that are too large will remain raw.

If you wet your hands with water before molding, the stuffing will not stick to your hands.

Then each ball needs to be rolled in flour and placed on a cutting board.

Place our meatballs in a frying pan.

Fry until golden.

Place the fried balls in a separate pan.

It's time to prepare the tomato sauce. To do this, place the chopped onion in a frying pan and fry until soft and light golden brown.

Then add the carrots, and together they should simmer until the carrots become soft.

Mix tomato paste with sugar and place in a frying pan. Stir and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Pour 1-3 cups of boiling water into the frying, at your discretion. If you add less water, the sauce will be thicker and there will be less of it.

If you add more water, there will be more sauce and it will be thinner.

Bring the sauce to a boil and add paprika, pepper, salt and bay leaf. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Pour the prepared sauce over the meat balls and simmer everything together under the lid over low heat for 30 minutes.

Place the finished ones on a dish, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

They turn out very aromatic, juicy and tasty!

Meatballs with mushrooms and gravy in the oven

These meatballs are not ordinary. There is no shame in presenting them even on a festive table!

They are prepared with mushrooms, potato side dish and delicate sour cream sauce. All together it is so delicious that it is impossible to tear yourself away.

Ingredients

• beef - 400 gr
• lard - 100 gr
• fresh or frozen mushrooms - 180 -200 gr
• onion - 1 - 2 pcs
• potatoes - 8 pcs.
• butter or vegetable oil - 100 g
• salt, pepper to taste
• flour - 2 - 3 tbsp. spoons

For gravy (sauce)

• sour cream - 3/4 cup
• butter - 50 gr
• flour - 1 tbsp. spoon
• salt - to taste

Preparation

Grind the meat and lard in a meat grinder and add salt to taste.

Beef can be replaced with other meat, including leaner ones, it’s a matter of your preference.

If you take frozen mushrooms, they need to be thawed.

You can use any mushrooms you like. We will have our own wild boletus mushrooms, but they can be successfully replaced with champignons.

Boil the mushrooms in salted water for 10 minutes, then remove them to a paper towel. Cut into small pieces.

Chop the onion finely.

Fry the mushrooms with onions in a small part of the oil until a beautiful golden color.

We roll the minced meat into balls, flatten them, and put the mushroom filling in the center of each minced meat cake.

Cover the mushrooms with minced meat so that it remains inside. You get large balls. They need to be rolled in flour.

Fry our buns on both sides until beautifully golden brown.

It is convenient to turn them from one side to the other using two forks or spoons.

At the same time, cut the potatoes for the side dish into these long pieces.

Fry until done in a small amount of oil, add salt.

It's time for sour cream sauce. Place flour in a dry frying pan.

Add butter 82%. Don’t be alarmed by its quantity, everything is calculated with precision so that the meatballs turn out tender and tasty.

After the butter has melted, add sour cream to it. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring this mixture to a boil and turn off. The sauce should thicken a little.

Grease a baking dish. Place the meatballs in the center and the potatoes around the edges.

Pour the sauce over them using a spoon until it completely covers them.

Place in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. The contents of the form will brown beautifully.

Our dish is ready. All that remains is to put it on plates and serve.

This is how beautiful it turned out. Can be served with pickled cucumber.

The meatballs under the sour cream remain tender, juicy and do not dry out. All components of the dish are in perfect harmony with each other. Amazing yummy!

You should definitely try this recipe, you will definitely love it.

Meatballs without rice in tomato sauce in a frying pan

Are there meatballs without rice? Of course we have such a recipe!

Appetizing meat balls in tomato sauce will appeal to those who don't like rice.

We use lamb in this recipe, but you can replace it with any other meat.

Meatballs made from veal, chicken and turkey are excellent.

Ingredients

• lamb (or other meat) - 700 gr
• onion - 1 pc.
• garlic - 3 cloves
• greens - a small bunch
• spices for meat to taste

For the tomato sauce

• onion - 1 pc.
• canned tomatoes in their own juice - 400 gr
• cherry tomatoes - 300 gr
• greens - a small bunch
• olive oil - 3 - 4 tbsp. spoons
• pepper
• Bay leaf

Preparation

Making minced meat: grind the meat together with onions, garlic and herbs through a meat grinder.

Mix all the ingredients of the minced meat until smooth.

Chop the onion and fry in a frying pan with high sides until golden.

Open the tomatoes in their own juice. Remove the skin and cut them into small pieces.

Place our tomatoes in a frying pan with the onions, add a bay leaf and salt/pepper to taste, add 50 ml of water and simmer for 10 minutes.

Roll small balls.

Place them in the resulting tomato sauce. For beauty, you can add cherry tomatoes to them.

Bring everything to a boil and simmer slowly for 20 minutes.

Ready! Serve with fresh herbs and eat with pleasure!

Classic meatball recipe

These meatballs are very tender. They are suitable for baby food because they are not fried in oil before stewing.

Children from one and a half years old who can chew well can eat them.

Ingredients

• meat (veal, chicken) - 500 g
• chicken egg 1 pc
• Short grain rice – 50 g
• loaf - 80 - 100 g
• sour cream - 3 tbsp
• milk - 0.5 cups
• onions - 2 pcs (small)
• natural chicken broth - 1 l
• salt, pepper to taste
• vegetable oil - 30 g

Preparation

We pass the meat through a meat grinder. You can do it twice to make it even more tender.

Soak the loaf in milk for a few minutes, then squeeze it out and also grind it through a meat grinder into the meat.

Chop the onion and lightly fry it until soft, after which we also add it to the meat. You don’t have to fry it if it’s important, but then cut it very finely so that the onion is well cooked in the meatballs.

An egg will also go into the minced meat, and don’t forget to add salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients of the minced meat until smooth.

At this stage, add washed and dried rice to the minced meat. Mix, trying to distribute it well in the minced meat.

There is no need to boil the rice additionally; it will cook perfectly while the meatballs are cooking.

We form small cutlets, put them in a saucepan and fill them with broth.

Cook our meat balls for 30 minutes over medium heat, they should boil moderately, cover with lid, but do not close completely so that the broth does not escape.

When the meatballs are cooked, add sour cream to the broth in which they were cooked. The result will be a light and tasty gravy.

Serve to the table, topped with gravy, with any side dish.

Tender, soft and delicious!

Meatballs with cabbage in sour cream sauce, baked in the oven

A wonderful recipe that allows you to prepare a dish right away with a side dish.

Baked in the oven with sour cream sauce, they will lie on a delicious cabbage bed.

This is a recipe without rice. But if desired, it can be added to the minced meat.

Ingredients

• any meat - 300 gr
• white loaf - 1 slice
• white cabbage – 600 gr
• onion - 2 pcs

For sour cream sauce:

• sour cream - 5 full tablespoons
• milk - 1.5 cups
• flour - 3 tbsp. spoons
• butter - 3 tbsp. spoons
• salt, pepper - to taste

For sprinkling:

• breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp. spoons
• cheese - 50 gr

Preparation

Prepare the minced meat: pass the meat with a loaf of bread soaked in milk and onion through a meat grinder. Salt and pepper.

Roll small balls.

Cut the cabbage into slices like this. The sheets should be held on by stalks so that they do not fall apart during cooking.

Fill the cabbage with water, add some salt and cook until almost done. Then we'll have it in the oven.

When the cabbage reaches the desired condition and is soft enough, turn off the heat and drain the water from the pan.

Grease the baking dish with oil.

We put our cabbage on the bottom, and meatballs on top of it.

Place flour in a dry frying pan, followed by butter.

The flour will be fried in oil until light golden brown, be careful not to start burning, otherwise the sauce will be ruined.

If you want the sauce to have a more piquant taste, add ground nutmeg.

Add sour cream and milk heated to high temperature, as well as spices, to the pan. The mixture must be stirred constantly.

Slowly bring the mixture to a boil (stirring constantly), let it bubble gently for 5 minutes, then turn it off. The sauce will thicken a little.

Pour it into a baking dish; it should completely hide the cabbage and meatballs.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs and grated cheese on top.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, place all this beauty there for 30 minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the oven.

The surface of the dish should be nicely browned.

The dish is ready. Place it for serving along with the cabbage.

It turns out amazing!

Minced chicken meatballs in the oven

Chicken or turkey meatballs are a healthy and dietary dish.

We know how to cook them delicious! Write down the recipe:

Ingredients

• chicken or turkey fillet - 500 g
• cabbage - 200 g (can be without it)
• small onion - 1 piece
• garlic - 2 cloves
• milk - 100 ml
• chicken egg - 2 pcs
• breadcrumbs - 1 cup
• salt, pepper - to taste

For the gravy (sauce):

• chicken broth - 400 ml
• butter - 70 -80 g
• flour - 2 tbsp. spoons
• milk - 180 ml
• salt - to taste

Preparation

Cooking minced meat. To do this, pass the meat, onions and cabbage through a meat grinder. Add spices to taste.

Beat eggs, milk, breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.

Then add to the minced meat. Mix everything together thoroughly.

We form small balls and place them on a baking sheet, on a sheet of foil, greased with oil.

Bake at 210 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

This recipe has a very tasty milk gravy. While the meatballs are baking, we will prepare it.

Melt the butter in a saucepan or frying pan, add flour to it. Lightly fry it for 2-3 minutes, without letting it darken, over medium heat.

Once they are ready, remove them from the oven and place them in the gravy.

Simmer everything together for another 5-7 minutes over low heat. Then we serve it to the table!

A very tender and tasty dish.

Recipe for meatballs with rice and gravy in a frying pan

A recipe with a surprise that will surprise your guests. We will have Brussels sprouts inside each meatball.

She is very helpful! And in combination with meat it’s also delicious. Try it yourself.

Ingredients

• minced meat - 400 gr
• boiled rice until half cooked - 1 cup
• broth - 1 - 1.5 cups
• egg - 1 pc.
• garlic - 2 - 3 cloves
• Brussels sprouts - 300 gr
• salt, ground black pepper - to taste
• vegetable oil - for frying

Preparation

Boil Brussels sprouts in salted water for 3-5 minutes. Then drain the water and dry the cabbage on a paper towel.

Combine the minced meat with rice, salt and pepper.

We take the minced meat in the palm of our hand and place a head of Brussels sprouts inside each “pancake”. We close it inside.

Fry the balls in a frying pan until golden brown.

Add broth to the same pan and simmer over low heat for another 15 minutes.

Done, serve with any side dish. Crushed potatoes work very well.

They are just as good as a meal on their own.

Children's meatballs "Octopus"

Recipe No. 4 The classic cooking recipe (see above) is also suitable for baby food.

And the last recipe at the request of moms. A simple and delicious recipe for funny “octopuses” from the chef. Will help feed the hungry!

Ingredients

• Minced chicken - 150 g (for 1 serving)
• Boiled rice
• Onion - half
• Spaghetti
• Greenery

Preparation

Watch the video tutorial to learn how to cook these adorable meatballs:

They turn out very tasty, light and dietary. Kids are delighted with these “octopuses”, it’s been verified!

Step 1: prepare the rice.

Step 2: Steam the rice.

Step 3: prepare onions and herbs.

Step 4: prepare minced meat for meatballs.

Step 5: form the meatballs.

Step 6: cook meatballs for children.

Step 7: Stew meatballs for children.

Step 8: Serve the meatballs for the kids.

If you decide to serve meatballs with a side dish, then try not to give your baby foods that cause an increase in acidity and fermentation, for example, any legumes, fresh tomatoes, raw white cabbage and others;

Basically, for children's meatballs, minced meat from tender low-fat dairy veal is used, but if desired, you can mix it with chicken 1:1;

When preparing minced meat, as well as boiling and stewing meatballs, do not add spices! Remember that children's bodies are very prone to allergies;

A portion of a meat dish in a child’s diet per day should not exceed 100 grams, because your baby has just begun to explore the world of cooking, and such dishes are considered heavy, although quite nutritious, and also healthy due to their protein content.