Grain-Free Meatballs (no bread or almond flour)

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Nutritional Consultant for people healing on The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.).

Originally published on November 2, 2020.

These hand packed meatballs are satisfying with enough flavor to bring in the kids and line them up for eating. I like to serve these alongside small bowls of basil pesto, homemade mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard. Of course also a tall jar of unsalted cultured vegetables is always on the table 🙂

Whether you are gluten-free, Paleo, keto friendly, or follow Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) which calls for proper food combining (i.e., no meat with breadcrumbs or almond flour) then this recipe is for you!

Lovely served over hot zucchini noodles with pesto for an easy supper.

Grain-Free Meatballs

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 30 minutes.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. oil, divided
1 cup onion, diced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef, 85% lean
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
few twists of black pepper

Zucchini Noodles:

4 large Zucchini Squashes, spiralized using the 3mm blade*
Sea salt
1/2 cup Pesto
Fresh Basil, for garnish, chopped or minced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a medium pan on stovetop; cook the onion and garlic until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Add cooked onion and garlic into a bowl with the remaining ingredients (do not over mix or will be tough), and scoop heaping Tbsp. sized balls.

Heat 1 more tbsp of oil in a frying pan on high heat until shimmers; place some of meatballs in and cook on top and bottom, until golden brown (about 1-3 minutes per side).

Transfer cooked meatballs to a baking sheet and repeat with remaining meatballs until all seared on the outside; bake 15-20 minutes until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Place zucchini noodles into colander set over a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, toss to coat, let sit 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, until you see water released. Massage and gently squeeze with hands to assist.

Spread zucchini noodles onto large paper towel and pat out as much excess moisture as you can. Place in a bowl and toss to coat with pesto.

Divide zucchini noodles between 4 bowls and place a few meatballs on top and garnish with fresh basil.

Tips & Tricks

You can make these ahead of time and store raw in fridge for up to 2 days OR cooked for up to 3 days.
Substitute 1 pound of ground pork for a pound of the beef.
*To get long, luxurious strands of pasta I use OXO Spiralizer as is sturdy, easy to use, has 3 blade attachments, and is fairly compact.

Joy is the kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.