Hidden Liver Meatballs are fairly heavily seasoned so the liver flavor is masked well making it more palatable for those not used to it. You can mix the meat and seasonings together and let it rest in the refrigerator making this a great make-ahead recipe. Buy whole liver and grind it up at home in a food processor, chop it up manually, or ask your butcher to grind it for you,. It does make for a slightly looser meat mix, which is why the arrowroot powder is required as a binder.
Featured Ingredients
Ground beef delivers at least 10% or more of the daily value of 15 different nutrients per 3.5 ounce serving, and is a top food source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and zinc.
Liver is one of the top nutrient-dense foods on the planet and is one of the best foods to support our own liver health. In general, organ meats are nutritional powerhouses and the most concentrated source of just about every nutrient, including important vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and essential amino acids.
Onions possess potent antimicrobial activity, protecting against various bacteria, fungi, molds and yeast. The antibacterial activity of red varieties is higher than that of yellow and white varieties!
Hidden Liver Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound beef liver
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or more tablespoons if needed)
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Mix ground meat and seasonings (everything except the onion and the arrowroot powder) in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat and then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add diced onion and cook until soft and starting to caramelize. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix cooled onion and arrowroot powder into the meat mixture. Form meatballs with your hands (whatever size you like, I usually make 2” meatballs because it’s less work) and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes (15 minutes for 1” meatballs, 20 minutes for 2” meatballs, or until internal temperature reaches 160F).
How should I grind the liver. Just whomp it in the fool processor? How long? How fine?
You can grate partially thawed liver on a boxed grater, pulse it in a food processor, or use a meat grinder attachment (which is a bit messy and bigger clean up). As far as consistency the boxed grater is just right. You want small pieces and not mushy liquid.
I had to use dried parsley instead of fresh because I was out and I left out the paprika, but this recipe was great. I made big meatballs so I could fit them all on one tray and the timing seemed to be correct. They were juicy and flavourful. With growing teen who is always dramatically on the edge of starvation, cold leftover meatballs are going to be a re-energizer after school and before supper.
We are so glad you had great success with this recipe! Thanks for letting us know and for the five star comment.