How To Make Meatballs for Toddlers (and you) That Actually Taste Good
Social media is lousy with recipes for meatballs with veggies hiding in them–but do you or your kiddo actually want to eat them? Many, if not most, are dry and flavorless; as we’ve discovered, the only way to redeem them is to make them roughly half cheese, as our meatball recipe does.
But here’s a meatball (or patty) that tastes really really good all on its own, no tricks or hiding required. Inspired by the grilled pork patties that are to Vietnam what, say, a hamburger would be to America, what we’ve got here is a flavor bomb that should suit your palate and can be readily adaptable to your child’s. Indeed, we’ve provided instructions here for both Chinese- and Vietnamese-flavored takes on the meat patties–neither is spicy or too bold, just gently vivid and pleasing. And see the “Adapt” section for even more ways to spin this dish to meet your child’s needs.
- 1/2 lb Ground Pork
- 1 slice uncooked Bacon (optional)
- 3 Scallions
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 2 tsp Lemongrass Paste (sub the zest of roughly ¼ lemon if you don’t have lemongrass)
- 1 spoonful minced Garlic
- 1 tsp sugar (optional but traditional)
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce or Teriyaki
- 1 spoonful minced Ginger
- 1 spoonful minced Garlic
- 1 splash Rice Vinegar
- Dice bacon and scallions into small pieces. Add to a bowl with the ground pork.
- Add sauce ingredients of your choosing (see Ingredients list) into the bowl with the pork mixture. With a spoon and/or your hand, mix and mash the bowl’s contents until fully integrated.
- Take a small clump of the meat mixture into the palm of one hand and use your other to smash into a rough patty; repeat for remainder of the meat. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to solidify.
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan set to Medium High–let it get hot. When steamy, spread meat patties all about the pan and immediately smash down to sear it.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip over; smash/sear the other side and cook for an additional two minutes. Remove from heat.
In Vietnam these patties are typically served over noodles, so if your child is on speaking terms with pasta by all means set them atop his/her favorite stringy carbs; we like to replicate the pickled vegetables often served with the meatballs by very lightly brining strips of carrots and cucumbers in a mix of sugar, salt, and vinegar for about 30 minutes before serving. Otherwise, cut the meat patties into chunks of an appropriate size for your child and side with a favorite sauce or condiment.
If you’ve got a meatball-adverse youngster and/or you’re making this for the first time and may be skeptical yourself, the solution is easy and obvious: form patties with the meat mixture and put it on a bun. We can also recommend making a patty melt out of it–we call it “The Big Sleep,” for what we hope our obvious reason–by cooking a small and flattened patty about one minute less than the time listed in the recipe, then placing between two mayo’d or buttered slices of bread and cheese; cook until golden brown, using the back of a spatula to flatten and cohere meet cheese and bread. (See additional photo for what it looks like.)
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
