Meatloaf Meatballs

Makes 6 servings. 45 minute cook time (or 6 hours in slow-cooker).

Goes great on spaghetti.

ingredients

SAUCE

  • 2 cups tomato puree

  • ¼ cup tomato paste

  • ¼ cup honey

  • ¼ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)

  • 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

  • 1 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • ½ tsp allspice


MEATBALLS

  • 2 small Vidalia onions

  • 2 large carrots, quartered

  • 1 clove garlic, peeled

  • 2 large eggs, whisked

  • 2 tbsp coconut flour or ½ cup almond meal

  • ¾ tsp sea salt

  • 1 tsp ground dried oregano

  • ¼ tsp cracked black pepper

  • 1½ pounds ground beef

  • ½ pound lean ground pork

preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

  2. In a bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Reserve ¾ cup of the sauce and place the rest in a skillet.

  3. Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer uncovered on medium low heat to thicken while the meatballs cook.

  4. Place the onions, carrots, and garlic in a food processor. Process until the vegetables are coarsely chopped.

  5. Add the eggs, flour, salt, oregano, pepper, and reserved ¾ cup of sauce and pulse until everything is combined.

  6. Add the meats and pulse a few times more to combine.

  7. Form golf ball-sized meatballs (use your hands or an ice cream scoop) and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.

  8. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through.

  9. Serve hot with the thickened sauce over the top.


SLOW COOOKER INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Place the uncooked meatballs in a slow cooker and cover with the sauce. Cook on high for 2 hours, then reduce to low and cook for 4 hours more.

This recipe is adapted from Danielle Walker's Against all Grain: Meals Made Simple cookbook's Meatloaf Meatballs recipe (p. 148)