Recipe: Meatballs

Name: Meatballs
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground meat of your choice; 1 egg; 1 cup chopped parsley; 1 onion, diced small; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; Pepper; 2 Tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup orzo; 1 red pepper, diced (fresh or roasted pickled from a jar); 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 large zucchini, diced small; 1 Tablespoon salt; Pepper; 2 teaspoons oregano; 1 teaspoon thyme; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 Tablespoons tomato paste; 2 cups water; 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved; 2 Tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon salt

January 13, 2026 Elite Jakob

Meatballs (Provided Photo)

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One-dish meals are my favorite! You can put this dish together in a few minutes, send it to the oven for one hour and you have a complete, satisfying, beautiful, and delicious meal!

Elite Jakob is a Reisterstown-based integrative health coach, food blogger and author of the self-published cookbook “I Live in my Kitchen, But You Don’t Have To.” For more recipes from Jakob, visit her website, Iliveinmykitchen.com and follow her on Instagram and TikTok @Iliveinmykitchen.

Meatballs

Elite Jakob

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Course Main Dish

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

2 pounds ground meat of your choice
1 egg
1 cup chopped parsley
1 onion, diced small
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pepper

For the veggies:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup orzo
1 red pepper, diced (fresh or roasted pickled from a jar)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large zucchini, diced small
1 Tablespoon salt
Pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water

On top:

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Mix the meat, onion, parsley, egg and seasonings and form 2” meatballs, set aside.
In a rectangular oven safe dish combine the orzo, veggies, water, and seasonings. Mix them all (except for the cherry tomatoes) until evenly distributed.
Place the meatballs in the baking dish, pushing the veggies gently so the meatballs are on the bottom of the dish.
Top with the halved cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle two pinches of salt and the olive oil all over the tomatoes.
Cover with crinkled, lightly wet, parchment paper and seal with heavy duty foil.
Bake at 375 for one hour. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes until the cherry tomatoes are charred.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fresh parsley and let cool for 10 minutes.

Notes

• Orzo can be substituted with rice.

• Zucchini can be substituted with sweet potato or eggplant.

• If you love melted cheese with meat, you can sprinkle shredded mozzarella after one hour and before the last 10 minutes in the oven, uncovered.

• Make it your own and have fun with it!