Meatballs with Apricot Glaze – Step by Step HelloFresh Meal Review
Meatballs with Apricot Glaze HelloFresh Recipe
Meatballs with Apricot Glaze Step 1: Prep & Mix Glaze
Mise en place
Mise en place is a French term meaning to put everything in its place. In the culinary world, it is setting up your workstation: equipment is set out, vegetables are cut, ingredients are measured. After reading the recipe we got everything out and prepared. The quality of HelloFresh ingredients is either a hit or miss, for this dish the produce was large and in great shape. The lemon was juicy and the carrots were thick and bright in color.
✓ Preheat Oven to 425°F
✓ Equipment Set Out
✓ Wash and Dry All Produce
✓ Vegetables Sliced and Dices + Lemon Zested
✓ Mix Glaze: Make sure to read the recipe. Only half of the stock concentrate is needed in this step.
The first step is such an important part of any recipe because it sets you up for success. If you have everything out and ready, it will be an easy and seamless meal to cook. HelloFresh does a great job of explaining everything thoroughly and setting up their chefs for success.
Meatballs with Apricot Glaze Step 2: Roast Carrots
✓ Carrots tossed in Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper
✓ Placed onto the Top Rack in Preheated Oven
An easy first step to the cooking process. The sliced carrots from step one get a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and pepper then are tossed onto your baking sheet. The oven was preheated and ready to go at 425°F, the carrots went in and a timer was set for 20-25 minutes. DO NOT FORGET THE TIMER! The HelloFresh App makes cooking their meals easy with built-in timers that are specific to the meal. With one press of a button and you will have a timer set, you can also set multiple timers in the HelloFresh app.
Meatballs with Apricot Glaze Step 3: Cook Couscous
✓ Combine remining Stock Concentrate with 3/4 cup Water
✓ Bring to a Boil
✓ Stir in French Couscous and Salt
✓ Cover & Remove from Heat
Cooking French Couscous is one of the easiest things. HelloFresh first introduced me to French Couscous. French Couscous is one of the easiest things to make – boil some water, add the grains, cover, TURN OFF the heat, and let it cook! Simple as that. This is such an easy preparation and a great go-to side dish for any meal.
Feeling a little overwhelmed? Check out my Top Tips for Any HelloFresh Meal
Meatballs with Apricot Glaze Step 4: Mix & Form Meatballs
✓ Beef Combined with Scallion Whites, Panko, Tunisian Spice, Salt, Pepper
✓ Form into Balls (10-12)
We only got 6 meatballs, ours were a bit bigger but not by a lot. I am not sure how HelloFresh formed 10-12 meatballs with this mixture. We like to make our meatballs a little larger because they remain juicy and have less of a chance to overcook.
Meatballs with Apricot Glaze Step 5: Cook & Glaze Meatballs
One of the more tedious steps to this easy recipe is cooking the meatballs. I would prefer to bake the meatballs, but for this recipe, you pan fry them. Make sure you watch the meatballs closely and turn them frequently, ours got a little dark on one side. We also had to cook our meatballs a few minutes longer because they were larger in size. Just use a small drizzle of olive oil for the pan because there will be excess oil and if you do not clean it out before adding the glaze, the glaze captures the grease and creates a weird consistency.
Meatballs with Apricot Glaze Step 6: Finish & Serve
The French couscous is doctored up and fluffed with lemon zest, butter, and green scallions. Divide the food between two plates, drizzle meatballs with remaining glaze, and serve with a lemon wedge. Make it all pretty and enjoy!
Taste
The Meatballs with Apricot Glaze was a good dish but not one of my favorites. I loved the French couscous, it was light, fluffy, and refreshing. The apricot glaze with lemon overtook the dish and was too acidic and sweet. I would recommend omitting the lemon juice altogether. The meatballs and carrots were tasty and added texture to the dish. I found this dish overwhelming with too many flavors but all in all, I was happy to try it and it was easy to prepare.
Nutrition / per serving
- Calories – 910kcal
- Fat – 43g
- Saturated Fat – 18g
- Carbohydrate – 105g
- Sugar – 38g
- Dietary Fiber – 10g
- Protein – 35g
- Cholesterol – 130mg
- Sodium – 1800mg
This was a light and refreshing meal. Higher in calories than I had expected but well worth it. This dish offers a balanced macronutrient content hitting all three categories. It is a great source of protein, but a bit high on sugar at 38 grams. If you want to cut down on the sugar you can always add less of the apricot glaze to the meatballs.
