Baked Paleo Pork Meatballs

Let's talk meatballs. 

YUM.

Meatballs are one of those things that are pretty much a staple in our household. They make Michael happy and are easy enough for me to tweak and adapt so I can still indulge in all of their comfort food goodness in a way that I enjoy. 

Remember, I said I'm not totally plantbased/vegan or gluten-free, but I feel better when I consume all of those things in moderation. So when I came across a recipe for clean meatballs from PopSugar, I knew I needed to put my own spin on them!

Making meatballs is always a fun dinner, Michael gets involved too! We occassionally argue over the ratio and size of our meatballs, and who we think is better at rolling. It's one of my favorite meals simply because we get to do it together. And to my surprise, when I whipped out this recipe that is sans-breadcrumbs, Michael didn't even question it. I think he's starting to trust my judgement when it comes to cooking ;-)

Try them over green beans and arugula for a super low carb, gluten free option!

Not Your Mama's Paleo Pork Meatballs:

• 1 lb organic ground pork

• 1/2 an egg {sorry I know this is a weird one, but one egg will make it too runny!}

• 1 tbsp grainy mustard {I use Trader Joe's Dijon and love it}

• 2 cloves minced garlic...the more the better in my opinion!

• 1/2 -1 small shallot minced

• Heaping 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1/2 tbsp paprika

• Sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes; adust the amount based on your taste preference...I don't measure!

1. Preheat over to 400°F. Cover large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil and place wire baking rack on top. I love to use the rack because it allows the meatballs to cook fully with equal heat and no need to rotate or flip!

2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until fully incorporated. Keep in mind the fresh parsley will be just that, fresh. Your mix may have some herbs sticking out of it, and that's perfectly okay. 

3. Roll about 1 rounded tbsp worth of mixture in between palms to form your meatballs. {This is just a best practice, clearly Michael and I don't follow it, our's come out in all shapes and sizes!} Place on sheet pan about 1/2 an inch apart. 

4. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until cooked through. Then drop in your favorite pot of sauce for another 10 - 20 minutes to simmer. 

Note: you can totally eat these as-is right out of the oven! Although, we prefer to let them sit in some warming sauce for a bit. Using 1 lb of pork should yield 12 - 14 meatballs, depending upon the size you roll. 

These babies pack a massive protein punch and are very low in fat and carbs. I've done some calculations using the My Fitness Pal app and recipe creator - which I use to track my macros, read about that here - and have also compared to the nutrition facts from PopSugar. 1 serving, which is approximately 3-4 meatballs {or 177.5g} comes in at 244 calories with 41.5g of protein, 6.6g of fat and only 2.9g of carbs. I typically eat 5 in a sitting, great way to make sure I'm hitting my protein intake!

So next question, I'm sure you're wondering, how do I serve these up?

For Michael I make pasta, whatever he's in the mood for, spaghetti, angel hair, rigatoni. I occassionally try to sneak whole wheat varieties in there.

If I'm in the mood for pasta I opt for Banza Chickpea Pasta or a brown rice and quinoa blend. However, I also love to eat these over zoodles, spaghetti squash, or most recently with green beans and arugula...don't knock it till  you try it! My favorite sauce currently is Trader Joe's Arrabiata Sauce, but Victoria Fine Foods has been gracious enough to reach out and send me some of their super clean options as well...can't wait to give those a go!

Whatever you do, make sure your next pasta night includes these deliciously simple paleo pork meatballs. I promise you won't be mad that you did!

- Xo Kelly