Healthy Meatballs in Tomato Sour-Cream Sauce

These healthy meatballs are seared until golden, then simmered in a silky tomato sour-cream sauce until tender and rich. It is a cozy one-pan dinner that tastes indulgent but stays light. For more easy weeknight wins, try our Homemade Chicken Cutlets and Baked Vegetable Patties.

Ingredients

• 300 g (10.5 oz) ground pork
• 300 g (10.5 oz) ground beef
• Salt and meat spices to taste
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tbsp starch
• 30 g (1 oz) cheese, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 carrot, grated
• Fresh herbs, chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• Water as needed

Instructions

1. Season the mixed ground meat with salt, spices, pepper, and minced garlic; form into meatballs.
2. Sear the meatballs in a hot skillet under a lid.
3. Stir together the sour cream, tomato paste, starch, and water for the sauce.
4. Flip the meatballs, add the grated carrot, and stew 5 minutes.
5. Pour in the sauce and simmer 10 minutes until thickened.
6. Sprinkle with grated cheese and fresh herbs; serve hot.

Tips

• Do not overcrowd the skillet when searing — the meatballs need space to brown instead of steam.
• Whisk the starch into the sauce before adding it to the pan to keep it silky and lump-free.
• For safe ground-meat cooking temperatures, check the food-safety charts on USDA.gov.

Nutrition per 100 g: 110 kcal, protein 8 g, fat 3 g, carbs 11 g.