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Meatballs in tomato paste with rice in a frying pan

Skillet Meatballs with Rice in Tomato Sauce

A tasty dinner of meatballs and rice in tomato sauce. These skillet meatballs with rice are easy to make and give you the main course and the side dish all in one. Meatballs like these were a staple in every home — tomato paste has been a pantry mainstay for generations.

Anna

Recipe author

Meatballs in tomato paste with rice in a frying pan

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Minced meat

500

Rice (boil in advance until half cooked)

100

Onion

0.5

Eggs

Pepper

Salt

Spices dry

Pepper

Salt

Tomato paste

150

Water

0.5

Carrots

Onion

Bay leaf

Sugar

Flour

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 23 % 6 g

Fats 42 % 11 g

Carbohydrates 35 % 9 g

152 kcal

GI: 33 / 56 / 11

Cooking method

Cooking time: 50 min

Step 1:

How do you make skillet meatballs with rice in tomato sauce? Gather the listed ingredients. My ground meat is a pork-and-chicken mix, but use whatever you like. The rice needs to be parboiled: rinse it, cover with hot water, bring it to a boil over medium heat, then turn off the heat, drain, and rinse. Use any spices you like.
Step 2:

In a deep bowl, combine the ground meat, the parboiled rice, the finely chopped onion (peeled first), one egg, and salt, pepper, and spices to taste. Mix everything thoroughly by hand until evenly combined.
Step 3:

With wet hands, pinch off small pieces of the mixture and roll them into little round meatballs, setting them straight into the skillet you'll cook them in. A deep, nonstick skillet with a well-fitting lid works best.
Step 4:

Peel, wash, and prep the onion and carrot: grate the carrot on the coarse holes of a box grater and chop the onion. Sauté them in an oiled pan until soft. In a deep bowl, stir together the tomato paste, sugar, flour, and salt, pepper, and spices to taste, mixing well. Add warm water and stir until smooth. Add the cooled sautéed onion and carrot to the tomato sauce and mix.
Step 5:

Pour the vegetable-tomato sauce over the meatballs. Add the bay leaf. Cover the skillet and set it over low heat. As soon as the sauce comes to a boil, nudge the meatballs a little so they don't stick. Cover again and simmer for 30 minutes, until done and the vegetables are soft.
Step 6:

The skillet meatballs in tomato sauce are ready. Serve them hot as a meal on their own. Leave out the hot spices and these meatballs with rice make great light fare and kid-friendly food.

One thing to keep in mind: the wrong pan can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, see our guide.
Want your rice dishes to come out great every time? Check out our article on choosing rice and the secrets to cooking it.
You can swap the tomato paste in this recipe for canned tomatoes in their own juice, fresh tomatoes, or ketchup.