Make Endlessly Customizable Meatballs for Easy Meal Prep and Freezing
Meatballs are one of those comfort foods that never go out of style. Whether served with pasta, tucked into a sandwich, a coconut curry sauce, with BBQ sauce or mashed potatoes and gravy, meatballs are versatile, easy to make, and universally loved.
I have been making meatballs for years as part of my meal prep strategy for clients. Easy to customize, they freeze beautifully and you can use them in a multitude of ways or even just as a high protein snack right out of the fridge. Perfect for meal prep!
If you're craving a hearty, flavorful dish, making homemade meatballs is the way to go. Here's a step-by-step guide to creating the perfect meatballs that will have your taste buds singing. Anyway you make 'em, they are delicious!
Meat Balls with Kale and Bacon
These meatballs are endlessly customizable! Swap out the kale and the bacon for pesto for Paleo Pesto Meatballs, use ground turkey instead of beef or add fresh herbs instead of kale and bacon.
Makes 6-8 servings
2 pounds lean ground or grass fed ground beef
2 T ground flax seed mixed with 5T water
2 t Sea salt
1t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t red pepper flakes (opt.)
5 slices bacon, cooked and finely diced
1 C lacinato kale, stemmed, finely shredded and chopped (I prefer the lacinato kale over the curly, it is not nearly as tough.)
1/2 C almond flour or cashew parmesan (3/4 C raw cashews, 3T nutritional yeast, 1/4t garlic powder (opt.) and 3/4t salt ground in a food processor until it is a fine meal)
4 scallions, washed and minced
1 clove garlic, minced (opt.)
Mix the flax and the water in a small bowl and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bacon on the paper and put into a cold oven at 375 degrees. Bake about 15 minutes or until slightly crisp. Remove with tongs to paper towels to drain. Pour off most of the fat and set the pan aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, salt, finely shredded kale, scallions, red pepper flakes and almond flour or cashew parm, several grind of black pepper and the flax mixture. Using your hands, mix gently.
Roll the meat mixture into meatballs and place on the parchment paper. Shake the pan slightly to get some of the bacon grease on the top of the balls. Space evenly and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until evenly browned and firm to the touch. Do not overbake! Serve hot, or cool to room temperature and freeze in plastic bags.
To Customize, use the basic recipe and:
-Swap the beef for ground turkey
-Pesto Meatballs: swap the kale and bacon for 1/2 cup of Paleo pesto, add 4T grated pecorino Romano and serve with a good red sauce and your favorite pasta.
-Coconut Curry Meatballs: swap the kale and bacon for 2T red or green curry paste and add 1t finely minced ginger to the meatballs. Serve with a coconut curry sauce or peanut sauce with some roasted red peppers and broccoli or cauliflower.
-Herb Meatballs: swap the kale and bacon for 4 T of fresh herbs, I like to use fresh, chiffonade basil and parsley with a small amount of fresh, minced rosemary or oregano.
-BBQ Meatballs: serve basic recipe with your favorite BBQ sauce and mashed or roasted red potatoes.
-Spinach and Feta Meatballs: swap the Kale for spinach and add 1C sheep's milk feta and 1t paprika.
*Note about grass fed beef, grass fed beef in certainly more nutrient dense than regular ground beef, so if you like it, use it! I, personally don't like the game-y flavor of grass fed so I prefer to use a good quality organic ground beef.
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