Gwyneth's Grainless Meatballs
Yesterday was date night and let me tell you... I was the worst date ever. Some days just beat you up. Matilda has been waking up at 6ish because she's had this nasty cough and then by the afternoon she's a wreck. I should have seen all the signs but neither girl was napping so we headed out to the grocery store. I went to Kroger not Harry's (my fave) because we needed toilet paper, like "down to a half a roll" needed. Both girls cried their way through the store and we got home as they were both in full meltdown mode. Guess who forgot the tp. Yup. Threw the girls in the bed with much resistance to put it mildly from my oldest. Naps are a thing of the past with Til but oh boy did she need one yesterday. She finally fell asleep and I had to wake her up. During their naps I wanted to surprise Sam with a good meal. We've made these Gwyneth's meatballs before but with lots of sauce and we're trying to eat clean (countdown to one piece!) so I made the meatballs and a little pesto and served it with arugula. So good! Really good with a glass of red wine. Sigh.
It's hard to find a meatball recipe that doesn't have breadcrumbs in it. These are still really satisfying and all of the herbs make for a really fantastic flavor. With my goal of eating paleo 95% of the time I really have to mix it up. This is a perfect paleo recipe in my opinion. She uses turkey but I made them with grass-fed beef. If you don't have time to pan fry them then you can bake* them at 375 for around 45 min. Just be sure to check on them.
Gwyneth's Grainless Meatballs
adapted slightly from It's All Good
You will need:
- 1 lb grass-fed beef
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 8 fresh basil leaves
- 5 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
- 1 stem of rosemary, leaves only
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 small onion
- salt + pepper
- olive oil
Method:
In a high power blender (or food processor), add in herbs, onion, and garlic and puree. In a large mixing bowl use your hands to mix your meat with the herb mixture. Add in salt and pepper and mix. Make golf-sized meatballs and place in a glass baking dish. In a heavy bottomed pan add oil and heat on medium. Then add meatballs and sear on each side. Cook until done (*see above note about baking). Serve with broccoli or side salad. Enjoy!
