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Bison Meatballs with Dandelion Tomato Sauce & Pasta

Cuisine ,
Courses ,
Servings 4
Description
Ingredients
    Meatballs
  • 1 pound Bison (Ground, Frozen, thawed*)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped Wild Onions (fresh, foraged**)
  • 1/2 cup Dandelion Greens (fresh, foraged, chopped***)
  • 1 cup Cereal, Corn Flakes (crushed)
  • 1/3 cup Raisins (Unsweetened)
  • 2 tablespoons Oil, Vegetable
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • Pasta and Sauce
  • 1 1 pound Pasta, Spaghetti (enriched****)
  • 2 tablespoons Oil, Vegetable (divided)
  • 2 cups Dandelion Greens (plus ¼ cup for garnish***)
  • 2 15.5 ounces cans Tomato Sauce (low- Sodium)
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano (optional)
  • Salt (to taste)
Instructions
    Meatballs

  1. Soak raisins in hot water for about 10 minutes to rehydrate. Drain, then crush fruits into a consistent mash on a cutting board using a knife.

  2. Place ground bison, wild onions, dandelion greens, corn flakes, salt, and raisins in a large mixing bowl. Mix well to combine.

  3. Form mixture into meatballs, about1 inches in diameter.

  4. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, cook meatballs for 3 minutes per side, turning twice, until evenly browned. Cook at low heat to prevent burning the meat. Keep warm on the stove top while preparing pasta and sauce.

    5. Pasta and Sauce

  5. Heat 4 quarts of water to boiling in a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp salt and one Tbsp oil. Stir to dissolve salt. Add pasta and cook according to instructions on the package.

  6. Drain pasta and return to warm pot. Toss in 1 Tbsp of oil.

  7. Pour canned tomato sauce into the pot with the pasta and add greens and dried seasonings (if using). Gently toss to incorporate.

  8. Add the meatballs to the pot with the pasta and sauce, and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. 

    9. Plating

  9. Serve hot. Garnish with additional greens, wild onions, herbs, or edible flowers as desired.

Note

*Use Beef, Ground, Frozen if bison is unavailable.

**Use onion (white or yellow) if wild onions are unavailable

***Any sturdy green (purslane, lamb’s quarter, spinach, kale, chard, mustard greens) will work well for this recipe

Keywords: Bison, Dandelion, Pasta
Read it online: https://natifs.org/blog/recipe/bison-meatballs-with-dandelion-tomato-sauce-pasta/
NATIFS
PROMOTING INDIGENOUS FOODWAYS EDUCATION - Our mission is to promote Indigenous foodways education and facilitate Indigenous food access.

As a participant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative, NĀTIFS works with its Indigenous Food Lab and partner Indigenous chefs across the country to develop recipes and accompanying cooking videos that demonstrate how to combine Indigenous & locally forageable foods with items available to tribal communities through the Food Distribution on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) federal emergency food program.