Mini Muttballs and Ditalini

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 30 min
  • Prep: 15 min
  • Cook: 15 min
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Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth

Salt

3/4 pound ground beef, pork and veal mixture

2 large eggs

1/3 cup chopped shredded carrots

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for sprinkling

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 clove garlic, mashed into a paste with a little salt, optional

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound ditalini pasta

Directions

  1. In a large, deep skillet or saucepan, bring the broth to a boil, then salt it and lower to a simmer.
  2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the ground meat, eggs, carrots, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley and garlic paste, if using; season with pepper. Form into 1-inch balls.
  3. Drop the meatballs into the broth and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Let cool before serving to your pooch! Season the people's portions with salt and pepper and sprinkle with more Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Ali C.

One of my friend had posted a picture of this exact dish that she made as a special treat for her dog's birthday dinner, as well as hers and her boyfriend's. It looked so good that I asked for the recipe and quickly ran out to get all the ingredients to make it for my own dogs. One of my adopted furry four legged kids only had a few days left, she had an aggressive form of cancer that spread to all her organs. Her appetite wasn't the same and I was determined to make her final days as special as I could. This was super easy to make....though making all those mini meatballs was time consuming. It was ALL worth it. All 4 of my dogs ate it up, including my little sick pup. I probably wouldn't make this on a regular basis but definitely for special occasions. Oh, I also had a bowl of this and the meat combinations gave this so much flavor. Adding grated parmesan cheese at the end also added a nice creaminess. This dish reminds me of comfort food that my mom or grandmother would've made me, if either of them cooked. This recipe has been added to repertoire.  

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