Remember all the 88 meatballs I made and froze? Some of them were destined for this dish.
This is based on a recipe in an old church cookbook. I made it according to the recipe the first time (unusual for me to follow a recipe exactly!), which means I used the Velveeta it called for. Much as we like Velveeta, it was too gooey and sticky for us.
A week later, I gave the recipe a make-over. I swapped out the Velveeta for Italian blend cheese and added garlic and Italian seasonings. It’s still a quick stove-top meal, but with much better flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 20-24 frozen meatballs, thawed
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. basil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
Put all the ingredients in a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn down to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir in the shredded cheese and serve.
I made this one night when I was short on time. I only snapped one picture before we scooped it on plates and ate it.
Jennifer@HomeMatters says
Sounds like a good quick and easy dinner, which is always what I am on the lookout for in a new recipe these days .Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m going to give this one a try very soon.
Jenn
Kate W says
Just a quick question. For the 88 meatball recipe we don’t necessarily cook all of the meatballs. Does this recipe call for the raw or previously cooked meatballs? Thanks!
Tiffany says
Kate, in this recipe you can use cooked meatballs.
Tom S. says
I made this last night, cheated a little using frozen meatballs from the store but I thought it came out really well. Since it was just for me I cut back on the meatballs and carrots but everything else was to the recipe, I had enough for dinner, lunch today, and a serving in the freezer.
theUngourmet says
I made your recipe a couple of days ago but cheated a little using Trader Joe’s meatballs and their cooked brown rice. It was wonderful! Thanks for another great idea!