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Plate of cajun meatballs, dirty rice, and a cucumber salad for meal prep

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Cajun Meatballs and Dirty Rice Meal Prep

Recipe by Eric Jones

Meal prepping is a great way to head ahead of the week! And for this full course meal, I paired tender Cajun meatballs, dirty rice, and a fresh cucumber & tomato salad with a homemade vinaigrette.

  • Total Time40 minutes
  • Yield6 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Cajun Dirty Rice:

  • 3 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked rice)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup celery, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup white onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup chicken gizzards, finely chopped
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground thyme
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 cup chicken broth

For the Cajun Meatballs:

  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup white onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 large organic egg
  • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground thyme
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the Cucumber & Tomato Salad:

  • 1 whole cucumber, sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 3 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp oregano

Instructions

  1. For Cajun Dirty Rice, cook your rice per the instructions and set it to the side. 
  2. Add the olive oil and garlic to a sauté pan at medium heat. Stir. Add chopped celery, green bell pepper, onion, and parsley, and cook for 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the green bell peppers are soft. 
  3. Add chopped chicken gizzards to the sauté pan and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes before adding ground beef, Himalayan pink salt, Creole seasoning, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground thyme, and ground ginger. Stir together. 
  4. Cook ground beef until browned, then add your cooked rice to the sauté pan. Fold the ingredients together. 
  5. Pour chicken broth into the sauté pan and stir. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
  6. For the Cajun Meatballs, place the green bell pepper and onion in a food processor (paid link), then pulse until finely blended.
  7. Add ground beef, ground turkey, Louisiana hot sauce, panko breadcrumbs, egg, Himalayan pink salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground thyme, and garlic powder in a large bowl and mix. 
  8. Form ground beef into palm-sized meatballs, then place on a baking sheet (paid link). 
  9. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. 
  10. For the Cucumber Salad, add cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to a bowl. Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, ground mustard, brown sugar, black pepper, and oregano in a separate bowl. Whisk (paid link) together until well combined, and pour over the cucumber and tomatoes. 

Equipment

(paid link)

Notes

You should purchase your gizzards cleaned from your grocer. This way, you’ll only need to remove the silverskin membrane on either side of the meat before cutting the meat into small pieces for this recipe.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Comfort Food
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Calories: 315
  • Sugar: 1.3g
  • Sodium: 1039mg
  • Fat: 10g
  • Carbohydrates: 28.3g
  • Fiber: 1.3g
  • Protein: 26.6g
  • Cholesterol: 68mg

Find it online: https://dudethatcookz.com/cajun-meatballs-and-dirty-rice-meal-prep/