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Wriggly Worm Meatballs Recipe

Get fussy eaters excited about food with this fun wriggly worm meatball dish. Presentation is everything when it comes to getting youngsters to eat a variety of foods.

Difficulty

Prep Time

12 minutes

Cooking Time

25 minutes

Serves

Makes 10

Recipe Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 125 ml  fresh brown breadcrumbs  (1 slice bread)
  • ½ small onion
  • 1 small carrot (60 g)
  • 1 small baby marrow, unpeeled (35 g)
  • 275 g   lean beef or chicken mince
  • 5 ml    SPAR tomato sauce
  • 1 ml    SPAR Dipping Soy Sauce
  • 0.5 ml dried parsley

To make the worm

  • Baby marrow
  • Fresh or tinned sliced pineapple  (alternatively baby tomatoes and peppers or any colourful vegetable or fruit)
  • cupcake case for the 'hat'
  • small blobs of mayonnaise or tomato sauce for the eyes and mouth

Recipe Method

  1. Pre-heat an oven to 200° C. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and drizzle a little olive oil over.
  2. In a food processor, using its chopping blade, chop the bread slice and onion together until fine textured.
  3. Replace the chopping blade with the fine-grating blade and push through the carrot and baby marrow.
  4. Return the chopping blade into position, and mix in the275 g lean beef or chicken mince sauces and parsley.
  5. Roll the mixture into 10 equal, golf-ball size rounds, and arrange close together in the prepared tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rolling them over once, half-way through the baking time.
  6. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly before using some to assemble the ‘worm’.
  7. To assemble the worm, simply alternate meatball, baby marrow round (steamed or baked with the meatballs), pineapple pieces/ baby tomatoes on a skewer. To make the tail of the worm, use the end piece of the baby marrow. Use tomato-sauce or mayonnaise, in a syringe to apply eyes and a smiley mouth to create a face on the first meat ball. A paper cup cake case makes a jaunty-angled hat!

Hints & Tips

  • If you do not have the use of a food processor, simply measure out breadcrumbs, then grate the onion, carrot and baby marrow into a bowl and combine with the other ingredients.
  • Children may enjoy helping mix by hand and mushing the ingredients between their fingers for tactile enjoyment. Ensure their hands and nails are washed thoroughly before and after handling.
  • Get more Fussy Eater tips here.