Meatballs - New idea, need help

[Bikini Bound]

Hi there all. This is my first recipe that I came up with on my own. It didn't turn out the best so I thought I'd post it here and see if anyone can build on it and get a good (induction friendly) spiced up recipe. I have never really experimented with spices so I was not sure which ones to use.

Mmmeatballs
1 pound ground beef (I used ground moosemeat!)
1/4 cup onion (minced)
1 Tbsp flax seed meal
1 egg
1/4 tsp oregano
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup mozza cheese

Roll into balls, fry in frying pan (they seemed to stick together for me, but had to remove very gently or they crumbled a bit) until brown

Sauce
1 cup pureed canned tomatoes
1 tbsp flax seed meal (I thought this would thicken the sauce, it didn't but you can't taste it so may as well leave it in if you need it.)
2 packets sweetener
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp italian seasoning

Remove balls from frying pan. Put into small casserole dish and pour sauce over it. Cook for approx 30-45 mins. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, put back in oven until cheese melts.

Overall result: I think they came out a little dry but not too bad flavorwise. The sauce was a little too acid-y, still tasted mostly like canned tomatoes.

I do not know the carb count on this. Someone help me out?

[Desertthorn]

I would maybe add a beaten egg to the meat balls and maybe port rinds to hold it together.
More Italian herbs maybe, the recipe sounds good. You may want to put some sauted onions in the sauce and garlic, pepper.

[pammie]

I would take the cheese out of the meatballs. maybe top the whole dish, with the cheese but not cooked into the meatballs.

also I would use I bit more flax, that should hold your meat ball together.

in the tomato sauce, definately add some garlic and onions, diced red pepper is great in tomato sauce, and maybe thicken it with parmesean cheese.

[Pau]

I tell you my recipe ... the meatballs are tasty and juicy and the recipe is really simple. I usually cook a lot and then freeze the half.

I do the meat balls with pork and beef meat (half and half) + 2 beaten egg + 3 spoons fried onion + parsley.
I fry them in olive oil (4 spoons) just a little (both sides no more than 2 minutes each) ..... Then I take them out and in the same oil I fry (low heat, half an hour to 45 minutes) 2 minced onions, 1 minced green pepper, 2 minced tomatos + salt + black pepper.
After that time I add 1 little glass of water (100 grs) + 1 spoon minced garlic, move and I put in the meatballs again. Let them cook for 10 minutes.

Try and tell me! :nod

[not2late]

I never add flax to my meat loaf or meatballs.

I saute onions and celery and add that to the meatloaf mix along with a raw egg.

Breadcrumbs (or rice or oatmeal) in the traditional meatloaf/ball recipe is to tenderize the meatloaf and to add moisture. The cooked vegetables will do that too both of those things.

The egg will bind the balls or loaf.

If you want to add cheese to your meatballs, add a hard cheese like grated Romano or Parmesan. The cheese will help to bind the balls/loaf.

If you want a thick sauce, use canned whole tomatoes. Drain the canned tomatoes from their liquid (save the liquid)and cut them in half. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, oil it and put your tomatoes on it. Bake them at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly browned. Then removed from the oven, cool, puree in a blender adding alittle of the reserved canning liquid to loosen the mixture up. You can then cook the tomatoes in your sauce recipe.

Baking them until they are browned does two things: 1. it dehydrates the tomatoes, concentrating their flavor so you don't have to use too much of it and 2. the browning is due to the caramelization of the natural tomato sugars---so the natural "sweetness" of the tomatoes are brought out.

If you want you can puree roasted red sweet peppers to add additional flavor, texture, sweetness and veggie servings to the tomato sauce.

[Bikini Bound]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. The cheese I mention as an ingredient is the cheese I sprinkle on the top, not in the actual meatball mixture. I don't put any in the meatball mixture. I do also have an egg on that list.

Thanks for the tips all.

[Bikini Bound]

I would take the cheese out of the meatballs. maybe top the whole dish, with the cheese but not cooked into the meatballs.

also I would use I bit more flax, that should hold your meat ball together.

in the tomato sauce, definately add some garlic and onions, diced red pepper is great in tomato sauce, and maybe thicken it with parmesean cheese.

I didn't think we were allowed to have parmesan cheese. I didn't see it on the list?

[Dieselbud]

paremsan is one of the legal cheese allowed on induction.

As for the meatballs, moosemeat is always dry, there is virtually NO fat in moosemeat. You would want to add some fat to it, perhaps some italian sausage or even add some ground pork. You could even ask your butcher if he would save some beef fat and grind it for you to mix in. At least this is something that is REQUIREDin our diet and not a solution that is forbidden LOL

These sound really good though, I may have ot give them a go

[Bikini Bound]

Great, thanks!

[cowgirlno1]

I love adding Flax to my meatballs, adds fiber and keeps them together. I also add some carbquik to keep them together. Then always bake them, it's so much easier and quicker.

[LindaJay]

I use some Keto Italian crumbs -- and I understand 4C has some low carb crumbs, but I haven't tried them out yet.