By Kendra Sommers

If figuring out what to make for dinner wasn’t already hard before,

I have found it even more so during quarantine now that I am home for all three meals of the day. I am by no means a chef, but I like food and lots of flavor so whether you’re using these meals for inspiration or just want to learn some new recipes, I’ll be showcasing some meals to make from home during these quarantine times. They’ll specialize primarily in portion adaptability depending on how much you want to make.

Again, as I am not a chef, pardon my flippant measurements at times and most of the seasoning amounts are up to you depending on how you like them. For the ingredients, I’ll indicate how much I used, but these can be easily interchanged based on how hungry you are or your preferences.

This week: Barbeque Meatballs with Rosemary Potatoes and Spicy Vegetables

 

Ingredients

  • Meatballs (either homemade or packaged ones that cook in sauce)
  • 3-4 potatoes
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Barbeque sauce of your choosing
  • Vegetable oil
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • Rosemary
  • Basil
  • Salt/Garlic Salt
  • Pepper
  • Chili Powder

 

Directions

  1. Start by preheating your oven for 400°F
  2. Chop up your potatoes into bite size pieces, along with the broccoli and cauliflower
  3. Take a tray and grease it before placing the potatoes on one side with the broccoli and cauliflower on the other
  4. Dice three garlic cloves and sprinkle over the potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower (I personally love garlic, so I used more, but this is up to you and by no mean an exact science)
  5. Drizzle some oil over the vegetables, before the sprinkling rosemary and basil over the potatoes until adequately coated, and then the chili powder over the broccoli and cauliflower
  6. Amply salt and pepper the vegetables to your liking (I used garlic salt, since as I previously mentioned, I have an affinity for garlic)  
  7. Place the vegetable tray in the oven and have it back for around 30 minutes or until done. At 15 minutes, use a spatula to mix them around.
  8. While the vegetables are in the oven, take a pan on your stovetop and with a little oil, begin sautéing the remaining diced garlic cloves at medium high heat
  9. After a few minutes, place the barbeque sauce in the pan (proportionate to how many meatballs you’ll use and how saucy you’d like your meatballs). Bring the heat to medium and let the barbeque sauce simmer
  10. Taste your sauce and add salt and pepper if needed
  11. Add your meatballs and let them cook in the barbeque sauce

Notes:

  • The meatball portion of this meal will take less time than the vegetables, so I didn’t start cooking the barbeque sauce until after I flipped the vegetables at the halfway mark (15 minutes)
  • Barbeque sauce will usually go further than you expect. For about 3-4 servings of meatballs, I used only half a jar of sauce which was ample.
  • Make sure that you’re consistently stirring the sauce, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and ensuring that it coats all the meatballs
  • If you want to get “fancy,” add bacon to your meatballs

 

 

 

Hopefully this either helps you think of new dishes to use at home or gives you a new recipe to try. It’s easily modifiable and fairly quick. Enjoy!

 

Recipe Difficulty: Easy