• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Katie's Cucina
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Me
    • FAQS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Collaborate
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Asian
    • Breakfast
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Dairy Free
    • Dessert
      • Cookies
      • Ice Cream
    • Drinks
      • Smoothie
    • gluten free
    • Greek
    • Grilling
    • Holiday
      • Christmas
      • Halloween
    • Instant Pot
    • Italian
    • Katie Original
    • Main Dish
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Sausage
      • Turkey
      • Pizza
    • Mexican
    • One Pot Meal
    • Polish
    • Salad
      • Dressing
    • Sandwich
    • Seafood
      • Shrimp
    • Side Dish
    • Slow Cooker
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetarian
  • Travel
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Contact
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Contact
×

Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Baby

Baby Approved- Beef Meatballs

Published: Mar 18, 2015 · Modified: Nov 22, 2019 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

Sharing is caring!

688 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Baby Approved- Beef Meatballs

A few months ago I started introducing my son to a wide variety of foods. One being these baby approved beef meatballs. Most meatballs have lots of filler in them. Not these. I use lean ground beef, shredded spinach and minced up match stick carrots combined with a little garlic powder and cooked mashed sweet potatoes! All good nutritious ingredients that my son loves.

Baby Approved- Beef Meatballs 1
I use this small OXO cookie scoop to scoop the meat and make perfectly round bite-size pieces. I place them on a cookie tray and bake them for 12-15 minutes until they are cooked through. Internal temperature reaching 165 degrees Fahrenheit. He gobbles these meatballs up. Usually eating 3-4 in one sitting. They freeze well too making this an ideal quick dinner to heat up for baby. I can ideally get 24 mini meatballs from 1 batch. You’ll notice I’m only using â…“lb. of lean ground beef. I usually use the rest for a dinner for my husband and I.
 Cute Baby Approved- Beef Meatballs
I took this photo last month of Ryder enjoying the beef meatballs.
baby meatballs
And in boy fashion… he then proceeded to show me the beef meatballs mid-chew! He thinks he is funny. By the way if your looking for a highchair I highly recommend the OXO Seedling Highchair (and the roll bib). They are both a lifesaver and so easy to clean!
Baby Approved- Beef Meatballs 2
Ryder is already spoiled and has enjoyed these fresh so often that he normally doesn’t care for the frozen version. He has to be really hungry. I’ve had them both fresh and frozen and I think they are both fine, but somehow this little stinker can tell the difference. I’ve already created a foodie monster. I’m in big trouble. So if you have a baby and a picky eater I would highly suggest giving these meatballs a try. They are packed with veggies and your baby will never know it!
Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this post. As always all opinions are my own. 

Beef Meatballs

I would highly suggest giving these meatballs a try. They are packed with veggies and your baby will never know it.
4 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 24 Servings
Calories: 13kcal
Author: Katie

Ingredients

  • â…“ lb lean organic ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh spinach
  • 1 tablespoon minced matchstick carrots
  • 3 tablespoon cooked smashed sweet potato cooled
  • â…› teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a bowl, mix together the lean organic ground beef, fresh spinach, minced carrots, smashed sweet potato and garlic powder.
  • Using a small OXO cookie scoop, begin scooping the raw meat and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until internal temperature reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Notes

The potato and soft veggies keep these meatballs very tender, making them perfect as one of baby's first finger foods.

Nutrition

Calories: 13kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 517IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!
« Quinoa & Kale Salad with Honey Ginger Dressing
The Best Green Beans Ever »

About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 10 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sarah

    September 15, 2020 at 11:11 am

    What are matchstick carrots???

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 16, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      Hi Sarah, matchstick carrots are pre-shredded carrots found in the produce section of your grocery store. If you cannot find them you can shred carrots using a hand-held grater or grater attachment on a food processor. Hope this helps explain your question!

  2. Kash

    April 11, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    4 stars
    Just made these this evening for my 3 yr old and 8 month old, served with ketchup and tzatziki sauce and my 3 yr old loved them! 8 month old only ate one, but he’s teething and probably was just in too much pain to want to chew anything – even though they came out super soft! When I tried it, I thought it could use some paprika and onion powder just for some more flavour. But anything that my picky 3 yr old will eat is a winner for me!

    Reply
    • Katie

      April 14, 2020 at 9:55 am

      Hi Kash! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and review! Yes–they are very basic bland meatballs really intended for babies. I tried to limit spices and flavors when my kiddos were younger so they could tastes exactly what the food itself tasted like. So glad your picky 3 year old ate them! That’s a big win!!!!

  3. Stella

    August 13, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    Hey Katie! Mine came out too hard and I was afraid my baby may gag on them if they’re too hard to chew so I scrapped them. Did I cook them too long in the oven? Any idea for how to soften them?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Katie

      August 13, 2018 at 9:42 pm

      Hi Stella, you might have cooked them a little too long. Mine never came out crispy. Every oven varies as far as temperature and time. I also find every baby is different. I would always break up the meatballs into small pieces for my son to feed himself. I’m sorry–this recipe didn’t work for you the first time around.

  4. Erin

    July 24, 2018 at 4:55 am

    Oooh! My son is allergic / intolerant to so very much but these I can make (minus the carrots and garlic). In the post you said 1/3 lb beef and in the recipe, you have 1/4 lb listed. Just a heads up. 🙂 Will report back later today!

    Reply
    • Katie

      July 27, 2018 at 8:57 am

      Erin–hope he likes them as much as my kids do! Thanks for the heads up–I’ll adjust now!

  5. Emily

    October 03, 2017 at 2:35 pm

    I tried making these, following the directions, but they did not come out well. First of all, I doubled the recipe and used the Oxo cookie scoop and only got 14 small meatballs. How tiny are they supposed to be if you’re getting 24 out of half of that?!? Maybe because mine were larger than extremely tiny, they took longer to cook – I tried 15 minutes, but the internal temp was not high enough, so I added 5, and then another 3, and then another 3, and then finally just called it quits. I tried cutting one in half and it looks cooked through – actually seems a bit tough. It’s nice to pack it with meat and veggies, but I think meatballs may need a little of the filler for the right texture. Hopefully my baby will like them anyway, but I will look for a different recipe next time.

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 03, 2017 at 4:52 pm

      Hi Emily, I’m sorry to hear this. I always recommend trying the recipe exactly how it is written on the first try–then modify from their. I used the small OXO cookie scoop (they come in three sizes–small, medium, and large). I didn’t add any additional meat to the scoop ensuring they would be bite-size and tiny.

  6. Jenn

    August 30, 2015 at 3:56 pm

    This recipe is kind of perfect for me tonight. I was looking for mini meatball recipes to try and I have a 1/4 lb of leftover ground beef in my freezer. I was worried I’d have to convert a recipe down. Can’t wait to try these out on my little one! 

    Reply
    • Katie

      August 31, 2015 at 1:20 pm

      Glad this recipe worked for you! Yes–so good and easy to make in a small batch! 🙂

  7. Kayle (The Cooking Actress)

    March 19, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    SO CUTE! Pinning these for when I have kiddos!

    Reply
    • Katie

      March 19, 2015 at 9:59 pm

      My son adores them… and I’m even making these for his 1st birthday party for him and his friends to munch on at lunch! 🙂

Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

Featured On

brand logos in collaage; food network, MSN, kitchenaid, country living, world market, etc

Most Popular Recipes

  • Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers
  • Homemade White Gravy
  • Mashed Potato Soup
  • KitchenAid Pasta Recipe

Game Day Eats

  • Slow Cooker Chili Cheese Dip
  • Chili Cheese Nachos
  • Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Instant Pot Chicken Wings from Frozen

Footer

logos of places Katie's Cucina has been featured on; food network, KitchenAid, Stonyfield, Country LIving, Women's Health, etc.

COPYRIGHT © KATIE'S CUCINA 2009-2022
AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.
PRIVACY POLICY Â· ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT Â· DESIGN BY GRACE + VINE STUDIOS

688 shares