This baked meatball salad makes an easy and delicious complete meal. It is light but filling at the same time, made with roasted cauliflower, quinoa, fresh parsley and a flavorful homemade dressing that ties all the components together.
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Why make this recipe?
This baked meatball salad makes a fantastic fall dinner. The meatballs are extra flavorful because they are infused with the salad dressing. (They are made with sandwich bread cubes that are soaked in the dressing and then mashed up and mixed into the raw ground beef before baking.) The dressing not only adds a lot of flavor but it also loosens up the meat and keeps the meatballs nice and tender.
Ingredients needed:
For the dressing:
For the salad:
How to make it:
See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1: The cauliflower in this recipe takes the longest, so that’s what you want to start with. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. and while the oven is heating, cut the florets off of a small head of cauliflower. In a bowl, toss the florets with olive oil and salt.
Step 2. Spread the cauliflower out on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast until it is tender and a knife goes through easily (about 40 minutes). Turn the florets over once halfway through the roasting time.
Step 3. While the cauliflower is in the oven you can get to the dressing and then the meatballs. Add tomato sauce, mayonnaise, rice vinegar, garlic, chili powder, hot sauce, oregano and olive oil to a large liquid measuring cup.
Step 4. Whisk all dressing ingredients together.
Step 5. You’re going to use ⅓ cup of the dressing for the meatballs, so you want to transfer ⅓ cup of it into a large bowl. Cover the remaining dressing with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the salad.
Step 6. Cut sandwich bread into cubes and mix them into the ⅓ cup dressing. Let the mix marinate for 10 min.
Step 7. Mash up the soaked bread cubes with a fork.
Step 8. Add ground beef, egg, onion, salt and pepper to the mashed bread.
Step 9. Mix everything together until well combined.
Step 10. Form 18-20 meatballs (you can use a spoon, your hands, or a 2-tablespoon metal scoop with spring-loaded handle for that). Set the meatballs directly onto 1 large or 2 small rimmed non-stick baking sheets. (No need to grease the sheets.)
Step 11. Once the cauliflower is done, take it out and set it aside, then place the meatballs in the 400-degree oven and bake until they are crispy on the outside (about 20 minutes). While the meatballs are in the oven, cook the quinoa.
Recipe notes & tips:
- Use a large serving fork for the mashing and mixing of the meatballs, it’s sturdy enough to make the job easy.
- If you want to make the chili powder yourself, here is a great recipe for making homemade chili powder.
Frequently asked questions:
A meatball salad is simply a salad (vegetables and dressing) with meatballs added in. Rather than a side dish or an appetizer, a meatball salad is a full meal in itself.
Place the warm cauliflower, quinoa and meatballs onto individual plates, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and drizzle with dressing. Serve the salad with toasted bread.
You can transfer all salad components except for the dressing together into an airtight container and store them in the fridge. Fill the dressing into a separate container and keep in the fridge as well. Briefly heat up the meatballs, quinoa and cauliflower before serving.
More delicious meal salads:
See more main course recipes →
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Full Printable Recipe
Meatball Salad
Equipment
- measuring spoons and cups
- knives and cutting board
- mixing bowls
- rubber spatula
- baking sheet
- garlic press (optional)
- whisk
- plastic wrap
- large fork (such as a serving fork)
- 2-tablespoon metal scoop with spring-loaded handle (optional)
- 2 rimmed, non-stick baking sheets
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into individual florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the dressing:
- 5 tablespoons canned tomato sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon chili powder*
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the meatballs:
- 2 slices sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup dressing (made in the previous step)
- 1 pound ground beef (90 percent lean, 10 percent fat)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup minced white onion
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
To put it all together:
- ½ cup quinoa, uncooked
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions
For the salad:
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil and the salt.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a baking sheet in a single layer and roast until tender (about 40 minutes). (Turn the florets over on the baking sheet after about 20 minutes.)
- While the cauliflower is in the oven, make the dressing and the meatballs.
For the dressing:
- In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk all dressing ingredients together until smooth.
- Transfer ⅓ cup of the dressing you just made into a large bowl. Cover the remaining dressing and store in the fridge until you're ready to serve the salad.
For the meatballs:
- Add the bread cubes to the bowl with the ⅓ cup of dressing. Mix until all the bread is well coated. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Mash up the soaked bread cubes with a large fork (I like to use a serving fork). Add beef, egg, minced onion, salt and black pepper and mix until well combined.
- Form 18-20 meatballs using a 2-tablespoon metal scoop with spring-loaded handle or your hands. Set the meatballs directly onto 2 rimmed, non-stick baking sheets. (No need to grease the sheets.)
- When the cauliflower is done, take it out of the oven and set it aside. Place the sheets with the meatballs in the 400-degree oven and bake them until the meat is cooked through and the meatballs are crispy on the outside (about 20 minutes).
To put it all together:
- While the meatballs are in the oven, cooke the quinoa.
- Place cauliflower, quinoa and meatballs onto individual plates, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with dressing.
- Serve warm and with toasted bread.
Kelly | Foodtasia
Nicole, what a unique and brilliant salad packed full of delicious flavors! I love roasted cauliflower and the dressing looks amazing!
Easyfoodsmith
That’s a wonderful recipe. So much in love with it.