Cheesy Baked Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

• 700g Mince (red meat works best, we usually do a mix of beef and venison or wallaby)

• 60g chicken liver, trimmed and blended in food processor

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 onion grated or blended in food processor

• 1 egg

• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp Thyme

• 1/2 bunch of basil, picked off the stems and chopped

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 1.5 large jars of passata

• 1 cup (or more) cheddar cheese

• Parmesan cheese to taste

• Broccoli & gf focaccia or sourdough to serve

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180c and prep a large baking dish with a drizzle of olive oil

2. Mix the mince, blended livers, garlic, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, thyme, basil and S&P in a large bowl, its quickest to use your hands!

3. Scoop out mixture with a soup spoon and roll into meatballs, laying out in the baking dish as you go.

4. Pour the passata into your baking dish - it should just cover your meatballs. you can use two whole jars if you feel it needs the extra sauce.

5. Sprinkle with the grated cheddar and grate your parmesan over the top.

6. Bake in the oven for around 30-40 minutes, checking at the 30 min mark to make sure they're not over-cooked.

7. Towards the end of the baking time, steam your broccoli and toast your bread so they're ready to go when the meatballs are served.

8. Take the meatball dish out of the oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving up.

NOTES:

• Lean game meats are great to incorporate in your diet as they're rich in iron, however you do also want a little bit of a more fattier meat (lamb, beef or pork) so the meatballs are nice and moist.

• This recipe is great for the freezer or meal prepped lunches for the week.

• You can also serve with garlic bread, pasta or baked potatoes instead of the sourdough/gf focaccia.

• Don't skip the liver! It's SO nutrient dense and I promise you can't even taste it :)

• The image for this recipe was a leftover "Meatball Sub" I made, by slicing the meatballs into thin strips, layering over focaccia, topping with the passata sauce and more cheese to melt under the grill. DELISH!