Here are some fun meatball recipes. You can serve these over brown rice pasta, quinoa or rice!
Buffalo Chicken & Quinoa Meatballs
Makes about 36 small meatballs
Ingredients
• 2 lbs. 95% lean ground chicken
• ¾ cup cooked quinoa
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1 celery rib, minced
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1.5 cups buffalo sauce
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix together all the ingredients except the buffalo sauce until just combined.
3. Roll into meatballs. Place onto a baking sheet sprayed coated with coconut or grapeseed oil.
4. Bake for 5-7 minutes until just browned on the outside.
5. Set up slow cooker and pour ½ cup buffalo sauce into the slow cooker.
6. Add the meatballs. Pour into remaining buffalo sauce over the meatballs. Stir lightly to coat all the meatballs.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Black Bean & Mushroom Meatless Meatballs
Makes approx. 15 small meatballs
Ingredients
• 1-15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces of mushrooms, finely chopped
• ½ cup of gluten-free Italian bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place black beans, mushrooms, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and seasonings into large bowl.
3. Mash all ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
4. Grease muffin tin with coconut or grapeseed oil.
5. Roll mixture into appropriate size balls and place in muffin tin.
6. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, being careful not to let them dry out.
7. Remove from oven and serve along with your choice of marinara sauce.
8. Garnish with parsley.
Asian-Inspired Quinoa Meatballs
Makes 18-20 small meatballs
Ingredients
• 1 pound ground turkey
• ¾ cup cooked quinoa
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. Sriracha, or more, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Sesame seeds, for garnish
For the sauce
• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. Sriracha, or more, to taste
• 4 tsp. whole wheat flour
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with coconut or grapeseed oil.
3. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, quinoa, garlic, onions, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until well combined.
4. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 18-20 meatballs.
5. Place meatballs onto the prepared baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through.
6. To make the sauce, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, Sriracha and ½ cup water in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1 tablespoon water. Stir into soy sauce mixture until thickened, about 2 minutes.
8. Serve meatballs immediately with sauce, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.
