Mighty Mac and Bison Meatballs
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 16 meatballs
- Total: 2 hr 15 min (includes sit time)
- Active: 1 hr
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds ground bison
1 pound ground turkey
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups fresh kale, de-stemmed and minced
1 small red onion, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 level teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon salt
Chimichurri Sauce, recipe follows
Mighty Mac, recipe follows
Chimichurri Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh parsley, de-stemmed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, de-stemmed
1/4 cup jarred lemon juice
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large cloves garlic, minced
Mighty Mac:
3 cups frozen butternut squash, thawed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) salted butter
Three 8-ounce boxes chickpea noodles
4 cups shredded Cheddar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix bison, turkey and eggs in a bowl and stir by hand until well combined. Mix kale, onion and garlic in another bowl until well combined, then stir by hand into the bison, turkey and egg mixture. Mix yeast, oat flour, oregano, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and salt in a bowl, then add into the wet mixture, stirring by hand until evenly incorporated.
- Roll into 1.5-ounce balls and space evenly on lined cookie sheet. Bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, 15 to 17 minutes. Serve with Chimichurri Sauce and Mighty Mac.
Chimichurri Sauce:
- Combine parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, oil, oregano, pepper flakes, salt and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the cilantro and parsley are finely chopped, 3 to 4 minutes. Allow to sit for 30 minutes prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Mighty Mac:
- Start roux in a large saucepan by combining squash, broth and milk and cook until squash is softened and beginning to fall apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. In a large pot, bring 6 quarts water and the olive oil to a boil. Meanwhile, return the roux mixture to the saucepan on low heat and add butter, stirring until the butter is melted, 5 to 7 minutes, then remove from heat. With the water at a boil, pour chickpea noodles in and cook, stirring frequently, for 11 minutes. Meanwhile, add the cheese to the roux, off heat, stirring frequently until cheese is fully melted and incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and nutmeg to the roux and stir well. Once the noodles have been cooked, strain well and return to the large pot, then pour in the cheesy roux and combine well.
- Disclaimer: When blending hot liquid, first let it cool for five minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth.
Cook’s Note
For the meatballs, make sure to mix the two meats together very well. The meatballs can fall apart and have an inconsistent texture if the mixture is not well combined. Also be sure to mince the onion, garlic and kale down to eraser-head size or smaller bits to ensure ease of meatball binding and rolling. Meatballs can be frozen up to 6 months in an airtight bag or container. Thawing is recommended before cooking. For the chimichurri, if you enjoy a more chunky, earthy sauce with less tedious preparation, you can leave some stem on the cilantro and parsley. If doing so, I'd recommend pre-chopping the greens before putting all ingredients into the food processor to avoid large strands of stem. For the mac: If the roux or mac mixture seems a little runny, you can add extra cheese to thicken the consistency. If you need to reheat the mac, add a small amount of vegetable broth and gently stir the mac and broth on medium-low heat until melty and smooth again.