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4.91 from 11 votes

Potato No-Meatballs

These are delicious enough to be served plain – no need for sauce. But they are also scrumptious served over spaghetti with a tomato sauce, or with gravy, or even in a sub sandwich.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings: 20 meatballs
Author: All recipes on jenniferskitchen.com are property of jennifer's kitchen and cannot be republished without written permission.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium to large yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 1/3 cups) - see note #1
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or use this method to saute without oil
  • 2/3 cup soft breadcrumbs gluten-free bread crumbs if desired or see note #1
  • 4 teaspoons granulated onion (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon salt scant
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 rib celery, minced (about 2/3 cup minced)
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 2 medium (6-ounce) russet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Instructions

  • In a skillet, sauté finely diced onions over medium-low heat in oil, stirring often. Sauté until onions are nicely browned – about 13 to 15 minutes.
    OR use this method to saute without oil.
    (One of the keys to the fabulous taste of these no-meatballs are the slow-sauteed onions. Slowly saute them on medium-low for 13 to 15 minutes (stir occasionally) while you prepare the other ingredients. The onions should end up golden brown. If they brown too quickly, turn heat down.)
  • Meanwhile, measure bread crumbs and seasonings into a large mixing bowl.
  • Finely mince celery and add to bread crumb mixture.
  • Place walnuts in food processor and chop until medium fine (just smaller than a grain of rice). Add to mixing bowl.
  • Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks.
    Place potatoes into food processor, finely chop potatoes until they are about the size of a large grain of rice. (Scrape down sides of food processor once or twice during processing to ensure potatoes get minced evenly.) You should have 1 1/2 cups finely chopped potato.
    Stir into bread crumb mixture. Work quickly to prevent potatoes from turning brown.
  • When onions are browned, mix onions and tomato paste into breadcrumb mixture. Mix extra well. (This extra stirring helps mixture to hold together better.) Mixture should be moist and hold together when squeezed together in hands.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Using 2 tablespoons of mixture at a time, shape into balls. (I use my cookie scoop for this.) Place on oiled baking sheet.
  • Bake at 350°F for 25 to 28 minutes or until browned on bottom.

Notes

1. Be sure onions and celery are diced very, very small and potato is chopped fine. If there are large pieces of vegetables in the mixture, the meatballs will be crumbly and won’t hold together well.
2. Russet potatoes work best for this recipe. Other varieties of potato require additional baking time for the meatballs to be firm and evenly browned.
3. See tips for making these meatballs in the post above.