Feb 24, 20153 min read

Paleo Meatballs

I think everyone should have a great meatball recipe on hand that is easy, basic and can be spruced up with a sauce, used as an appetizer or even just as apart of a meal with a side of veggies. This recipe is so incredibly easy to make and has only a handful of ingredients and is super tasty.

Please note: when using raw meat in the kitchen, it is so important to not spread any bacteria from the raw meat from surface to surface. Please make sure you clean your hands thoroughly before touching other tools, drawers, the refrigerator and even the handle of the skillet you are cooking with.

When cooking with raw meat here are a few things to remember:

1) Wash your hands after touching raw meat and before touching other items or surfaces in your kitchen. Ask someone to turn on the faucet or use an elbow to turn on the hot water and get creative with getting some soap.

2) Don't use the cutting board to prepare meat and then use the same board to prepare veggies or other items. Put the contaminated cutting board in the dishwasher and grab a new one for the veggies or wash it thoroughly and carefully.

3) Never use a plate or serving tray for your raw meat, cook the meat and then place the cooked meat back on the same plate or serving tray.

4) If you are marinating in a sauce, do not use that sauce to then coat or pour over cooked veggies or foods. It then must be boiled before using/consuming.

5) Be smart in the kitchen.

Okay, here is my delicious and extremely easy Meatball recipe.

Of course, I took pictures of the process to share with you.

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INGREDIENTS

1 LB Organic Ground Beef

1/4 cup of finely chopped yellow onion

2-4 cloves of garlic - minced

1 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional - add to meatball mixture)

1 egg

a pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 TB dried Oregano

1/4 cup NutCrumbs' Italian NutCrumbs

2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying pan if cooking on the stove

You can bake them in the over or cook them on the stove. Directions for both are below.

Directions:

Place the ground beef into a large mixing bowl along with the NutCrumbs, onion, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, egg, salt and pepper. Crack 1 egg into a small bowl and whisk before pouring into your meatball mixture. Use your hands to mix until it is fully combined. Wash your hands before moving on.

Measure out 1/2 TB dried Oregano (I recommend fresh herbs, but sometimes I don't always have it on hand, so use 1 1/2 TB fresh oregano in place of dried). If using dried, pour it in your hand and pinch it, move it around and as Rachel Ray says, "Wake it up" before you put it in the bowl.

Using a medium cookie scoop, roll them into little meatballs. This recipe should make anywhere from 18-20 meatballs - depending on the size.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil into a large skillet and turn stove on medium or medium-high. Once olive oil is hot, place the rolled meatballs into the skillet to cook them. Using a spatula or spoon, to flip meatballs over to ensure they are fully cooked. Depending on the size of your meatballs, cook for 5-8 minutes.

You could also bake them in the oven at 400 for 18-20 minutes.

After meatballs are cooked, put them in a serving dish or right onto a plate and enjoy! They go well with steamed veggies, with marinara sauce, plain and even make wonderful meatball sandwiches.