You could be 30 minutes away from rich, moist AIP meatballs for dinner. That's the good news. Better yet, these meatballs taste undetectably like the kind with eggs and breadcrumbs, yet there's no dairy, no gluten, and definitely no eggs. How?
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🎥 Video
💭 Top tips
The secret in making AIP meatballs is extra garlic (for spiciness, flavor, and moisture) and pork, which is rich in fat and works well with ground beef.
These meatballs contain so much natural moisture that it will be difficult to develop browning. My favorite way to these to caramelize is to bake them from frozen on a sheet tray coated with olive oil.
🧂 Seasoning
While I'm really happy with these meatballs with salt + dried Italian herbs + garlic + onion, I think a small amount of fresh herbs (minced parsley or basil) would dial these up a notch.
🥘 Ingredients
- ground pork: provides moisture and fat and gives these meatballs a nuanced flavor profile
- ground beef: lean beef works and up to 80% ground beef
- sea salt: I think the right amount of sea salt in the beginning is key to creating a tasty meatball since it's hard to properly salt them once they're cooked
- olive oil: such as extra virgin is optional for more richness
- onion: white or yellow onion, just be sure to mince (chop very, very small)
- garlic cloves: about 4 or up to 6 if small (4 teaspoons minced)
- Italian seasoning: dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil and parsley or up to 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, minced
- tapioca starch or arrowroot powder: this is there as a binder to help the meatballs stay together as they bake
📋 Recipe
This recipe is adapted from my popular Dutch oven meatball recipe to remove the eggs and breadcrumbs.
Baked Pork and Beef Meatballs {AIP, No Egg, No Breadcrumbs}
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons olive oil optional for more richness
- ½ cup onion minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning dried or up to 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons tapioca starch or arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet or Dutch oven with parchment paper.
- Combine all the ingredients and mix with your hands to distribute, about 1 minute of mixing.
- Roll the mixture into about 30 small (1 ½-inch wide meatballs).
- Place meatballs on top of prepared baking pan. Bake in a single layer until the internal temperature registers 160℉, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Nutrition
📖 Freezer Instructions
- You could freeze these and bake them later. Bake from frozen at 400℉ for 30 to 35 minutes or until the temperature inside registers 160℉.
- You can also bake these and freeze later (my preference). Simply reheat at 400℉ and serve when they are hot and slightly brown/caramelized on the bottom.
I actually think these meatballs develop the best browning when baked, frozen, and then baked from frozen with a coating of olive oil (see picture below).
👪 Serving size
A serving size could be 2 to 6, depending on how hungry you are. This recipe will yield approximately 30 meatballs, about 1 ½-inches wide. I've calculated the nutrition based on 1 meatball so you can easily calculate the nutrition based on the number you eat.
🥗 Side dishes
As you can see, I've served these with a Nomato Sauce {Nightshade Free Marinara} and Penne Cassava pasta for a quick AIP dinner.
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