"spaghetti" pizza parcels

these little parcels are easy to eat,
leftovers make a great lunch!

These were inspired by my 11 month old daughter, Madi. She is not the best little eater so meal time is quite the challenge! However, recently we have found that she really loves black beans, and all kids seem to love tomato pasta sauce.  With lean ground beef, tender veggies and a cheesy topping, this combination is definitely a hit. This little parcel uses the same dough as the thin crust pizza.  You can eliminate the beef to make this a vegetarian dish.

what you need:
*makes 18 

• 1 can black beans (540 mL)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (~400 mL)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large carrot
• 2 celery ribs
• 450 g lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup shredded sharp old cheddar
• 1 egg 
• 1/3 cup flour 
• 3 thin crust pizza doughs (if they were made ahead and frozen, take them out to thaw while you make the filling)

what to do:

filling

1. Prepare veggies (celery, onion, carrot) - wash thoroughly, remove peel from onion and carrot, then dice into small cubes.  Set aside in a bowl.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, warm olive oil then add diced onion, carrot and celery.  Sauté for 5-10 minutes, stirring often and allowing veggies to soften and lightly brown.
3. Finely chop garlic and add to the pot, sauté for another minute.
4. Add ground beef, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon.  Continue sautéing and stirring, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt (~1/2 tsp) and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Drain and rinse black beans.
6. Add diced tomatoes, black beans, tomato paste and oregano.  Stir to mix evenly, then put lid over pot and turn heat down to medium-low.  
7. Allow this to simmer for 45 minutes, occasionally mixing and checking to avoid burning at the bottom.  
8. After 45 minutes, lift lid and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Excess liquid will evaporate and allow filling to thicken so that the pizza parcels won't be soggy.  Transfer to bowl to cool to room temperature.

pizza parcel assembly

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  
3. Crack egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork.  Get cheddar cheese ready.
4. While filling is cooling, sprinkle work surface generously with flour (to avoid dough sticking).  Roll out pizza dough until quite thin and somewhat rectangular in shape (doesn't have to be perfect).  Cut into 6 even-ish squares.  
5. Spoon about 2 tbsp into the centre of the squares, then pull up all four corners and pinch together.    It's ok if the filling is not completely sealed by the dough.  Transfer parcel onto baking sheet.
6. Once 6 are on the baking sheet, lightly brush tops of parcel with egg wash and then top with shredded cheese (about 1 tbsp).  
7. Place in oven centre rack, bake for 13 minutes, until tops are golden brown.  Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy!

meatballs with an asian kick

perfectly delicious on their own

I know what you're thinking - where's the sauce?  But trust me these meatballs are so flavourful and bursting with juices, you don't need to make a sauce for them.  The idea came from the Korean Meatballs from the show Recipes to Riches - a mommy friend has brought them twice to our lunch playdates and they are super tasty and easy to eat.  

These are best served as soon as they are done baking in the oven (we ate a few last night for dinner!) - but still great heated up in the microwave the next day (just made Ryan a wrap for lunch with them).  I am bringing them to our weekly potluck lunch playdate today - I really should be leaving now but Madi is sleep napping away. So I thought I'd blog while I wait!

what you need:

*makes about 40 meatballs

• 1 kg lean ground beef
• 1 large carrot
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1/2 red onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp chili soy paste *optional
• 1 1/2 tbsp naturally brewed soy sauce
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• freshly ground black pepper
• cooking oil (canola)

what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Prepare vegetables by cleaning and peeling, then dice finely.  Put diced veggies (onion, celery, carrot) in a large bowl, and grate garlic into the bowl.  
3. Add the ground beef into the bowl.
4. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk egg with the rest of the ingredients (except the cooking oil) - pour into the large bowl and using your hands, work the ground beef, veggies, and egg mixture until evenly incorporated (don't overwork the mixture, it will make the meatballs tough). 
5. Form meatballs with your hands (just bigger than a golf ball) and place them on the lined baking sheet.
6. In a nonstick pan on medium heat, drizzle a little cooking oil (about 2 tsp) - and lightly brown the meatballs in batches (don't overcrowd the pan!).  Once they are lightly browned on all sides, transfer gently back onto the lined baking sheet (they can be side by side for this part, so they should all fit on one sheet).
7. Bake in oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking the middle - cut one at 10 minutes to be sure the middle is cooked.  Remove from oven, and immediately transfer to serving dish.  Enjoy!

ready for a quick pan-fry for browning 

stick a toothpick in them for a party appetizer