marvelous meatballs!

This Tuesday we thought to complete two tasks in one, and  scratch off dinner duty from our mommy schedules, and get the kids to make it themselves as their Tuesday craft!

Spaghetti and meatballs is a firm family favourite and this recipe was easy and fun to make with 

the girls. They got to squish and squash, mix and mash, pinch and roll the ingredients into little balls.  

And later they gobbled it all up – dinner sorted!

It is a good idea to prepare all the ingredients before the kids get involved, or ask any older kids to help with the chopping and measuring.

Ingredients:

 

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving 

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley  

2 garlic cloves, minced  

1 large egg  

500g ground beef

1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs  

1 tablespoon olive oil 

2 cans chopped tomatoes in puree 

1 packet spaghetti 

bay leaves

Coarse salt and ground pepper  

Wash little hands...

Each child got their own bowl with the mince divided equally between them.  In their individual bowls they added the parmesan, parsley, garlic, egg, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs.  (The correct amounts were placed on the table and we more or less divided everything equally between them... one egg between 5 kids can be a bit tricky!)  They then got to squish, mix and shape.  We were pretty impressed with their shaping, making perfectly round meatballs.  

For the adult to do and older kids to help:
In a heavy-based  pot, heat oil over a medium heat. Add meatballs, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned - 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through about 10 to 12 minutes.

For the spaghetti, set a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and return to pot; add meatballs and sauce, and toss gently.

Serve with Parmesan and eat.

And then just for fun and extra super mommy points, we taught them a little ditty 

which brought on the giggles:

On top of spaghetti

All covered in cheese

I lost my poor meatball

When somebody sneezed

It rolled off the table

And onto the floor

And then my poor meatball

Rolled out of the door

It rolled down the pathway

And into a bush

And then my poor meatball

Was nothing but mush!