It’s the new year and you’ve put a bit of weight on over the Christmas holidays, or you've put on some weight from stress-snacking (I know I have in the past). Looking to shed a few kilos? I highly recommend a low-carb diet as it worked for me. I lost nine kilos in three months. Before deciding if this is the perfect diet for you, always consult a doctor or nutritionist first (as you should do before starting any serious diet). That being said, let me tell you how to make the absolutely scrumptious keto meatballs.
15 minutes prep time + 25 minutes cooking time
What you need (for one serving):
100g of ground beef (or half & half pork and beef).
20g grated parmesan cheese
¼ egg
¼ teaspoon of salt
A pinch of dried basil
A pinch of garlic powder
A pinch of onion powder
¼ teaspoon of pepper
100g canned tomatoes
50g fresh spinach
15g of butter
35g of mozzarella
Olive oil
You may notice I have put half & half pork and beef as an option in the recipe. The choice is up to you of course, but honestly…I find that half & half gives it a bit of extra flavour. However, it does contain more fat.
Instructions
1. First thing you want to do is crack your egg into a small bowl. This will make things a lot easier when trying to get ¼ of an egg into your mixture. Once you have it in the bowl, give it a quick whisk with a fork to mix it up.
2. You can skip this step, dumping all the mixture together, but I find this easier. Get your salt, basil, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder into another small bowl. This makes things easier as you can get an even spread of everything when you mix it all together.
3. Place your meat into a large bowl to mix everything together. Put the egg in but be careful not to put too much in, it will get too gloopy otherwise. Get your mixture of herbs from the previous step and sprinkle over the meat and egg. Then mush it all together with your hands. Wet your hands before handling the meat because this will stop it sticking to you. Trust me, it’s a right pain if you go in dry-handed.
4. Form the meat into meatballs. From a single serving of meat, you should be able to make about three or four meatballs in total, depending on the size.
5. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and place the meatballs into the pan. Sauté the meatballs until a golden brown on all sides. Really roll them around to make sure you’ve cooked everything. Rolling them around will also ensure they don’t burn.
6. Add the tomatoes and lower the heat. Set to simmer for 10 minutes, while stirring every couple of minutes. If you want to add extra salt and pepper for extra seasoning, go right ahead. Season to taste. If you have it, I also recommend adding a pinch of freshly cut parsley. Note: you can prepare the meatballs and they’ll be suitable for freeze up until this point. Please remember to let them cool before putting them in the freezer.
7. In another pan, while you have the meatballs and canned tomatoes simmering, you can get started on your spinach. Melt the butter and fry the spinach for 1-2 minutes, keep stirring it regularly.
8. Add the spinach to the meatballs and stir to combine.
9. Serve with mozzarella cheese added on top, torn into small, bite-sized pieces.
This meal has only 4 grams of carbs per serving in it, perfect for a low carb diet! It’s simple, cheap, and even though it may not look like a lot: it really does fill you up! If you’re preparing your meals for the week, once the meatballs and tomatoes have cooked slightly: you can stick them in your freezer (once they’ve cooled) to be eaten at a later date. If this satisfied your hunger, check out other recipes on HUB!
