Main dishes
Meatballs with rice in tomato sauce
Tefteli in tomato sauce is a childhood dinner for most Russians: tender meatballs in a thick orange gravy that's perfect for mopping up with bread or mash. Rice in the mince makes the meatballs soft and stretches the meat, while onion and carrot in the sauce add sweetness. The meatballs are rolled in flour and lightly browned so they keep their shape, then simmered in tomato purée and sour cream under a lid. There's plenty of sauce, so any side dish works. A reliable family dinner that children happily eat.
Method
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Rinse the rice and boil it in salted water for 8 minutes until half cooked. Drain and let it cool.
Finely chop half the onion. Mix the mince, rice, chopped onion and egg with about 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Knead for 2 minutes.
With wet hands, roll 16-18 meatballs the size of a walnut and coat them in flour, keeping 10 g of flour for the sauce.
Heat 30 ml of oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate.
Add the remaining oil to the same pan with the rest of the onion, finely chopped, and the grated carrot. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
Stir in the reserved flour and the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in 500 ml of hot water, add the sour cream, sugar, bay leaf and some salt. Stir until smooth and bring to the boil.
Put the meatballs into the sauce, it should come at least halfway up them. Cover and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes.
Tips for success
- Don't overdo the rice: about 1 part raw rice to 5 parts mince by weight is right, more and the meatballs crumble.
- Short of time? Skip the browning and drop the meatballs straight into simmering sauce, they'll be even softer.
- For fussy children, grate the onion so it disappears into the mince.
- Keep the sauce at a gentle bubble, a hard boil can break the meatballs.
Serving and storage
Serve hot with mashed potatoes, pasta, buckwheat or rice and plenty of sauce. Scatter with fresh herbs.
Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Meatballs in sauce freeze well for up to 2 months; reheat covered in a pan.
Variations
- Oven-baked: pour the sauce over the browned meatballs in a dish and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.
- Creamy: replace the tomato purée with 200 ml of cream and add a little grated cheese.
- Turkey: use turkey mince and halve the frying oil.
Calories and macros
Per serving (about 384 g):
Per 100 g: 161 kcal, P 7, F 11.2, C 7.8. An estimate based on average ingredient values. Your daily calories ›
