Italian Meatballs

This recipe was inspired by my favorite ATK meatballs, which use breadcrumbs and milk to make a panade which retains the moisture in the meatball while it cooks. Absorbent coconut flour and Original Nutpods replaced this nicely, giving the meatballs beautiful texture and taste. This recipe makes approximately 50 meatballs and can be used in some of my other recipes, like Italian Meatball Soup and Meatballs & Marinara over Spaghetti Squash. They can be put over a salad with your favorite Whole30-compliant salad dressing or even eaten plain with some dipping sauce. The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 1/3 cup Nutpods Original (you'll need 2 Containers)
2 1/4 lbs grass-fed ground beef (I used 80/20)
3/4 lb ground pork
3 egg yolks (make yourself a nice egg white omelette with the rest of the eggs)
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 TBS minced fresh oregano or 1 1/2 tsp dried
2 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
High-heat cooking oil (my favorite thing to do is cook some Whole30-compliant bacon first, leave the bacon fat in the pan, and then use that to cook the meatballs in)

Instructions:
1. Mix Coconut flour and Nutpods in a large bowl and mash the mixture with a fork until it becomes a smooth paste.
2. Add the beef, pork, egg yolks, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper to the paste. Mix the ingredients with your hands until combined through. Using your hands, pinch off some of the mixture and roll into 1 1/2 inch round meatballs. You should have about 50 meatballs, which you will cook in batches.
3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet (it should have a depth of about 1/4 inch) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook until they are crusty golden brown on all sides. I flip mine about every 2 minutes, for a total of 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a thermometer to make sure the inside of the meatballs measures 160F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and cook the remaining meatballs in the same manner.
4. Eat plain or see recipes below for how to use these meatballs in other recipes.

For the recipe for Meatballs & Marinara over Spaghetti Squash, click here.

For the recipe for Italian Wedding Soup, click here.