As a mother of a 15-month old baby-turned-toddler who is a great eater, this meatball recipe was a bit of an experiment on my part. Sean and I don’t tend to eat a lot of red meat. We like a good steak now and then, and make our homemade lamb kebabs and lamb biryani for special occasions, but we only eat red meat a few times a year. While introducing our baby to solid food, and progressively to Indian flavors (among other cuisines), we stuck mostly to chicken and turkey for animal protein. Since Liam loves my turmeric meatballs for babies, I thought I would offer him red meat for the first time, and figured meatballs were a good bet. I created this recipe, which is heartier and more palatable for toddlers than babies. Just like the baby meatballs version, I enhance the meatball mix by adding vegetables, fortified Gerber cereal, eggs, and a dash of turmeric — it’s such a good way to pack in extra nutrition. In this case, I used a high-quality cut of ground sirloin, uncooked sweet potato, and much more generous dashes of curry powder and turmeric. Don’t worry, these meatballs don’t have an overpowering curry taste to them that might turn off your toddler; in fact, all the elements blend together really well, the meatballs are moist and flavorful, and go down easily. I’m happy to tell you that Liam gobbled up these new meatballs up with as much excitement as the baby version! Moreover, I froze it in small batches so I’m not giving him red meat all the time + I can pull it out of the freezer if I’m in a pinch and need to get his dinner together fast.

Curried meatballs for toddlers & kids

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin or lamb
• 1 cup grated sweet potato
• 3/4 cup spinach and peas baby purée
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup Gerber’s whole wheat cereal, uncooked
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a glass mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Form into medium sized meatballs.
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place meatballs in a single layer. Bake for 20 min.
4. Remove from oven and set aside on platter to cool for 5-10 min. Serve immediately or freeze in small batches.