DASH Salt-Free Garlic & Herb “Bean-y” Meatballs with Whole-Grain Penne & Marinara Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

1. Prepare the oven. Preheat convection oven to 350°F or conventional oven to 375°F. Line sheet pans with parchment paper or lightly coat with pan release.
2. Prepare the beans. Mash the rinsed and drained small red beans until mostly smooth. For faster large-batch preparation, pulse the beans in a food processor.
3. Prepare the spinach. Thaw the chopped, no-salt-added IQF spinach and squeeze thoroughly to remove excess moisture.
4. Make the panade. Combine the whole-wheat breadcrumbs and 1 cup low-fat milk. Allow to stand for approximately 5 minutes to hydrate the breadcrumbs.
5. Mix the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl or commercial mixer, combine the hydrated breadcrumbs, mashed small red beans, spinach, eggs, and DASH™ Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend.
6. Add the thawed ground beef and mix just until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Do not overmix.
7. Portion the meatballs. Portion mixture into approximately 100 meatballs, 2 oz each. Arrange in a single layer on prepared sheet pans.
8. Bake the meatballs until lightly browned and the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165°F, measured with a calibrated food thermometer.
9. Prepare the penne. Cook the Pasta, Penne, Whole Grain, Rich Blend according to package directions. Drain and hold hot for service.
10. Prepare the sauce. Heat the prepared low-sodium marinara sauce. If desired, season with additional DASH™ Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend.
11. Serve. For each portion, serve 2 (2-oz) Bean-y Meatballs with whole-grain penne and warm marinara sauce.

Tips

School Foodservice Production Notes

This recipe is designed for simple, high-volume school kitchen production. The meatballs can be batch mixed, portioned directly onto sheet pans, and oven baked, eliminating the need for stovetop browning or sautéing.

Small red beans help extend the beef while adding fiber, and spinach incorporates vegetables directly into the meatball. The low-fat milk and whole-wheat breadcrumb panade helps keep the meatballs tender and moist during baking and hot holding.

Food Safety, Sanitation & Cooling

• Handwashing: Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds before beginning food preparation, after handling raw ground beef, after changing tasks, and any time hands may have become contaminated. Dry hands with a single-use paper towel.
• Equipment & Utensils: Wash, rinse, and sanitize all food-contact surfaces, cutting boards, utensils, mixing equipment, sheet pans, and other equipment before use and after contact with raw ground beef. Allow sanitized surfaces and equipment to air dry before use.
• Prevent Cross-Contamination: Keep raw ground beef and equipment used to handle raw meat separate from cooked and ready-to-eat foods.
• Cooking: Cook meatballs to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, measured with a calibrated food thermometer.
• Hot Holding: Hold cooked meatballs, pasta, and marinara at 135°F or above for service.
• Cooling: If cooling for later service, cool food from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then from 70°F to 41°F or below within an additional 4 hours.
• Rapid Cooling: Divide food into shallow pans no more than 2 inches deep. Leave pans uncovered or loosely covered during initial cooling and arrange pans to allow cold air to circulate. Use a blast chiller when available.
• Storage: Once food reaches 41°F or below, cover, label, date, and refrigerate.
• Reheating: When reheating previously cooked and cooled meatballs or marinara for hot holding, rapidly reheat to 165°F for 15 seconds within 2 hours before transferring to hot-holding equipment.