These Breaded meatballs in yellow-green are ready in half an hour. Even less if you prepare the meatballs. Surprising for everyone! They are an evergreen on my rolling menu plan. I first published them in Dutch on gerechtenweb.blog already back in 2007. I like to make a lot of variations on it. Find out more about that belowe the recipe.

Tips for the perfect breaded meatballs in yellow-green

The meatballs

I usually make these meatballs with ground beef. But you can of course also use mixed minced meat or even minced poultry.

You have to knead the minced meat until it becomes a well cohesive ball. Not too dry and not too wet. Use the breadcrumbs to dose. Not all minced meat is created equal and eggs are sometimes larger and sometimes smaller. That is why it is important to make a well cohesive ball of minced meat. If it's too wet you won't be able to roll it into balls. Too dry and your meatballs will fall apart.

And how do you get them to the right size? Since we bake them fairly short, they should not be too big. Otherwise they will not be cooked. I always use a teaspoon. I take a teaspoon of minced meat and roll it into a ball. This way you can also ensure that the size is always more or less the same.

You finish them by rolling them once more though some breadcrumbs. This creates just that little bit extra crunch, compared to regular meatballs. Do not use too much oil when frying. We want them to be crispy. They should not soak up the oil. In addition, the breadcrumbs will later also stick to the peppers and pineapple, which gives a very nice taste.

The bell pepper

I still think the best way to clean bell peppers is to cut off the top and bottom. Then you can easily remove the pits from the middle. I then cut narrow strips from this center piece. The rest I cut into small cubes.

I also like to mix some of it with the rice that I serve with this dish. By cooking with the rice, they also give the rice some additional flavor.

The pineapple

I make myself comfortable and buy canned pineapple cubes or rings. They have to drain well first. You can drink the juice. But you can also mix some of it with the rice for some extra flavor.

Occasionally I also pour a little into the wok when the peppers are stewing with the meatballs.

Variations

For a yellow-green recipe you should of course use a green bell pepper. But red-yellow or orange-yellow are also good options. I guess you can then find the corresponding pepper color yourself.

What I didn’t do yet, but surely would like to try is coconut milk for cooking the rice. If you cook the rice in a mixture of coconut milk and water, the taste will become much more exotic. I'll be sure to update when I try this!