Low FODMAP Meatballs
A super flexible meatball recipe
Equipment
- sheetpan
- spice grinder, optional
- cookie scoop, optional
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork, or other meat, see note
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese, see note
- 1/2 cup cilantro or basil, chopped
- 2 tsp Fleur Spice Mix, or any spice(s), see note
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili flakes, optional, I like Urfa
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400° F. Lightly grease a sheet pan and set aside.
- Add peanuts, salt, and all dry spices to a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Process until peanuts are coarsely chopped, making sure to leave some larger chunks of nuts for texture.
- Alternatively, if you don't have a spice grinder, add everything to a zip top bag and crush with a heavy object, like a pan. This works equally well, especially because you want a mix of big and small bits of nut.
- Add all ingredients--the nut and spice mixture, cheese, herbs, meat, and egg--to a bowl. Mix gently to combine until spices are evenly distributed. Over-mixing will create a denser, spongier meatball.
- Using your hands or a cookie scoop, portion out 2-3 TBS meatballs and arrange on an oiled sheet pan. If your meatballs are 3 TBS each, you will have enough to make 12 total.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until just cooked through. Larger 3 TBS sized meatballs will not take longer than 15 minutes to bake.For a more golden-brown meatball: bake for 8-10 minutes, then finish under the broiler. Alternatively, reduce salt in the recipe to 1 tsp, then brush formed meatballs with soy sauce or wheat free tamari before baking.
Notes
MEAT FLEXIBLE You can use any ground meat you like, here. Increase fat content for very lean meats (like venison) by adding 25% ground pork, or you'll have a very dry and sad meatball experience. Alternatively, ask the butcher to incorporate 25% fat to your lean ground meat at the time of processing. CHEESE OPTIONAL Most meatball recipes call for breadcrumbs. I use cheese instead as a low-carb binder, and for added bulk, and because it's tasty. Anything melty you have on hand will work fine; fresh cheeses like goat cheese will probably be delicious, but they won't do much for structural integrity. If not using cheese, add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or rice. Panko works great. Or use cheese AND breadcrumbs or rice. There are no wrong decisions here. CUSTOMIZABLE NUTS, SPICES & HERBS You can use any nuts, spices, and herbs in this recipe. I have used pine nuts with dried oregano and fresh basil, for example, and it was delicious. Or try macadamia nuts with smoked paprika and parsley. Stick to the NUT + DRIED SPICE + FRESH SPICE template (amounts below!) and you're golden. Toasting any raw nuts beforehand is a nice touch, but not strictly necessary. I use Fleur Spice from Curio in this recipe, which contains the following: Hibiscus*, pink pepper, anise, fennel, rose petals, coriander, spearmint, cardamom, lavender, ylang ylang. NOT FUSSY I've baked these anywhere from 350F- 425F -- if you're using your oven for something else, that temp will probably work for the meatballs. Keep an eye on them or use a meat thermometer to judge doneness. Start checking at 10 minutes. A large, 3 TBS-sized meatball at 350 F will take no longer than 15 minutes.