This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links, at no additional cost to you.
Meatballs aren’t something I really grew up with. They weren’t a staple that I recall having regularly for dinner. But I do remember loving my Grandma’s meatballs! I was always excited when she made them for us! When my mom and I tried to recreate them, we could never do them justice. So I stopped trying for a good long while, but once I started making all of my own gluten free, paleo food, I decided to revisit it.
New to the paleo diet? It’s actually pretty simple – it’s basically a diet that avoids grains, dairy, refined sweeteners, and processed food. Since I have celiac disease and sensitivities to grains and a few other things, I avoid processed foods altogether. Some people on the paleo diet also avoid nightshades, pseudo-grains, and legumes, but so far I can tolerate those and have kept them in my diet. But overall, the paleo diet is what I feel best following, and it’s actually really doable!
I love that these meatballs are so versatile. I use the same basic recipe and make them with turkey, pork, beef, or a combination of them. Big batches help fill my freezer, so I typically make three pounds of meat at a time and freeze my meatballs for later use. My favorite way to eat them is with spaghetti squash and pasta sauce. If I feel that my stomach can handle a bit of a dairy cheat, I top with a bit of goat cheese and ohhhhh yum, it’s good!
There are two key ingredients that make these amazing. The first is the almond flour, which I use in place of bread crumbs. It provides a tremendous amount of moisture, which is really helpful if you are using a very lean meat like turkey, or lean beef. The almond flour and egg will bind together to keep the meatballs from crumbling.
The other tasty ingredient that adds to this recipe is coconut aminos. I love coconut aminos – they are a great replacement for soy sauce. If soy isn’t a concern for you, then you can feel free to use soy sauce instead. Just make sure it’s gluten-free if you need to avoid gluten.
Making the meatballs is extremely easy – just throw it all in a bowl and mix it up! I usually blend the meats together first if I’m using a combination. Then add the rest and combine. Now, I do use ketchup in my recipe, and I know that’s not quite 100% paleo compliant. If you can tolerate nightshades but want to stick to paleo, then using tomato paste will work just fine. I like to use Fody brand ketchup because it does not have garlic or onion in it, which I’m sensitive to.
Be sure you don’t over mix it, or the meatballs will get tough. This tool is amazing for mixing and browning meat. When I bought it, my husband thought it would just be something that sits in our junk drawer, but he has since admitted that it was worth every penny! We use it for almost everything that goes in a skillet!
Once all is combined, simply roll into balls and place onto a cookie sheet. Make the meatballs similar in size so that they cook uniformly. I line mine with foil for easier cleanup, but it’s not necessary. Place into the oven at 400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes. A thermometer should read 165 degrees when inserted into the meatballs. If you don’t have a thermometer, break one meatball open to make sure there is no pink color left.
This recipe makes about 40 meatballs. They freeze very well, so just let them cool and then place into a freezer. I like to put them into the snack-size bags for individual servings. Then I can grab and go and create meals as I want them! I freeze all sorts of individual portions of whatever I make, so the meal variety is endless!
What’s your favorite way to eat meatballs? Leave a comment below!
The Best Paleo Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Ground turkey, beef, pork, or any combination you choose
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Almond flour
- 1/2 Cup Parsley
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup
- 1/4 Cup Coconut Aminos or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
- 3 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix all meat together, using any combination of ground turkey, beef, or pork.
- Add in remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Do not overmix.
- Scoop into uniform balls, about 1″. Place on lined baking sheet.
- Place in oven and cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, or about 18-20 minutes. Cut with fork to ensure meat is cooked through without any pink.
These sound delicious!!! I’m always in search of good Paleo recipes! Can’t wait to try these!!
Enjoy! They are definitely a favorite in our house!
Wow, these look good. Always used breadcrumbs but never thought of almond flour!
Yes, the almond flour is amazing in these and in hamburgers as well! It provides so much moisture.
I am one of those crazy people that also does not tolerate grains, dairy, nightshades or nuts. It has been a challenge to find recipes that are that restrictive on the ingredients
You’re not crazy! We all have our list of things we can’t tolerate – you just happen to have identified them, and most people don’t! 🙂 Hopefully you can modify this recipe if needed to work for you!
These look wonderful! I recently went Paleo (though I’m not always 100%) in January 2019, to help my Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has definitely made some difference, in combination with some other natural things I have tried. I LOVE meatballs, but have struggled to find a recipe that isn’t dry. I can’t wait to try these!
As long as they aren’t overcooked, they won’t be dry! Let me know how you like them!
These look so good and I LOVE coconut aminos vs soy sauce!!
Me too – I’ve found my stomach does far better with the aminos vs. soy sauce. Enjoy!
What a great idea. I haven’t tried it with almond flour yet as I usually use grated parmesan cheese as the binder. I will have to try these. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! You’re welcome. Hope you enjoy!
I also have an extremely restrictive diet and I still have to tweak this recipe for me, but not by much, so that says a lot to me in giving it a try. They look really tasty. I am going to have to try and make these soon. I also love the idea of freezing some, that will make meal prepping so much easier also. Thank you for the recipe.
You are so welcome! I hope you enjoy them. I freeze everything – it makes life so much easier!
Uh! Yes please!!! This is what is on the menu tomorrow lol. I am keto so I am always trying to find keto approved foods.
Awesome! Let me know how you like them! I am not keto but am almond flour obsessed lol.
Wow, these look incredible! Definitely will have to try these!
Thank you! Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
When you say “do not overmix,” how do I know if I’ve overmixed? I’m a terrible cook, but I’m transitioning to paleo for health reasons. These meatballs look so yummy!
Actually, you really can’t mess these up! I really just meant to not mix until they are total mush. But at the end of the day, I don’t know that it would make a substantial difference. Give them a try – they are super easy, honest! 🙂