Meatball & arugula crostini

This post is sponsored by ALDI, but as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own! Search to see if there’s an ALDI near you so you can grab the products mentioned in this blog post.

For the past several weeks I’ve been singing the praises of our local grocery store, ALDI. They’re a great fit for our family because they believe that high-quality food should be easy and affordable, and as a busy mother of three I can definitely use all of the help I can get when it comes to saving time and money! With the help of ALDI, we held a dinner party last week with a menu that was completely inspired by the fresh selection of foods that ALDI has to offer.

It’s easy to be inspired with a store like this because they focus on the things that families truly want without all of the bells and whistles. That means you don’t have to choose between a million different brands that are all selling the same thing. In fact, almost 90% of their products are ALDI-exclusive brands. And all of them are free from added MSG, certified synthetic colors and hydrogenated oils.

Since you’re not shopping aisles and aisles of the same things, it makes it much easier to get what you need quickly, giving you more time to do other things you need to do; like cook yummy foods for your friends and family!

These Meatball Crostinis were a big hit at our dinner party and there was enough left over for the rest of us to snack on all week long. And it all started with a few fresh ingredients, like SimplyNature Organic Gras-Fed Groud Beef. We grabbed some Specially Selected Artisan French Baguette from the bakery aisle at ALDI. Then from the fresh produce, we used the SimplyNature Organic Baby Arugula and SimplyNature Organic Spinach, fresh onions, garlic and red bell peppers. From the pantry aisle we used bread crumbs, flour, SimplyNature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and balsamic vinegar and whole grain mustard.

I can’t help myself, I’m just a sucker for adding fresh veggies to everything!

Form the meat into balls and roll them with your hands, then dip in flour, eggs, and finally breadcrumbs.

Fry each one until cooked throughout.

Then put the meatballs on top of your toasted baguette along with all of the other toppings (the full recipe is listed below, convenient for you to print if you need to!)

Meatball & arugula crostini

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Ingredients

For meatball mixture
• 5 lbs ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups wilted spinach
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
to set up for frying, fill 3 bowls with each of the following
• 3 eggs whisked with 3 tablespoons water
• approximately 2 cups flour
• approximately 2 cups breadcrumbs
crostini
• 1 baguette
• 3 cups fresh arugula
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
dijon sauce
• 1/2 cup whole grain dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. To form the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well mixed. You'll probably need to get your hands messy for this!
2. Heat a deep fryer to 375.
3. Form your mixture into small round meatballs. Prepare them for frying by setting up three bowls, one with whisked eggs, one with flour, one with breadcrumbs. Dip each meatball into the flour first, then the egg mixture, then the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all meatballs are prepped this way! (If you're making these ahead of time, you can go ahead and put them in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days).
4. To fry, drop each meatball into the hot oil for about 4-5 minutes, until the outside is golden brown and there's no pink left on the inside.
5. Set meatballs aside.
6. Mix arugula with oil and vinegar and allow it to the sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of your crostini-- you want the greens to absorb the liquid and start to wilt.
7. Prepare your sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together using a food processor or blender.
8. Split your baguette in half and drizzle with olive oil. Put in the oven and broil on low until it begins to turn brown. Remove from oven and split each baguette into pieces about 3-4 inches, just big enough for each meatball to sit on.
To assemble your crostini
9. Start with your toasted baguette, then add the arugula mixture, one meatball, and then drizzle with sauce. These are best when they're served hot but if you're making them ahead of time they can still be served cool!

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http://homegrownandhealthy.com/meatball-arugula-crostini/

The great prices and selection at ALDI make it a literal one-stop shop for our busy lives, whether it’s feeding our family or serving dinner guests. Comment below about your own great ALDI experience for a chance to win a $250 Gift Card to ALDI!

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