I’m beyond excited to be partnering with my girls Claire, Kate, Morgan and Caitlin to bring you 5 easy weeknight recipes made with some of our favorite ingredients from Whole Foods – culminating in a fab Whole Foods giveaway!
As soon as we put the concept for this series together, I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to share: EPIC Whole30 Baked Meatballs from Alex over at The Defined Dish. If you’ve been following me for the past few weeks, you know a few things:
- For the past month(ish) I’ve been doing my third Whole30
- Within said month, C and I have made EPIC meatballs 3 times
- EPIC meatballs are, without a doubt, the most EPIC meatballs we’ve ever eaten
A little backstory: I typically eat in a Whole30-ish way 24/7/365. After changing my diet almost 6 years ago for health reasons (acne, candida, digestive issues and hormonal imbalance, among others) I’ve found that I feel my best on a modified paleo diet (gluten, dairy, refined sugar and mostly grain free). That being said, I refuse to sacrifice fun or flavor in my food! For me, the best thing about Whole30 is that it’s an opportunity to find new recipes that are clean, healthy and oh-so-delicious!
To make things even more interesting, C mostly eats carbs, dairy and meat based protein. He eats limited vegetables and is not super adventurous when it comes to food so finding meals that we both love – Whole30 or not – is always a challenge!
Enter the EPIC meatballs. A dear friend of mine and fellow Whole30-er sent them my way a few weeks ago and said I absolutely had to try them. I’d heard wonderful things about Alex, her recipes and ultimately her meatballs and am ashamed to say I’d never tried either! Shame on me, because Alex’s site is a treasure trove for the health-minded chef. In a few short weeks, her site has become one of my favorite sources for recipes and inspiration – period. Needles to say, C and I believed the hype and immediately added EPIC meatballs to our meal plan. Once we had a taste, there was no turning back!
What makes EPIC Meatballs so EPIC? The flavor profile is outstanding – something about the combination of ground beef, ground pork and crispy bacon makes for a total party in your mouth without feeling heavy. Plus, the quick-and-easy pesto made with fresh basil and LEMON ZEST is a unique touch and complete game changer. C doesn’t even like lemon and even he said that the subtle hint was dynamite.
Other perks? They store well, are almost better the second (or third) day, and can be served multiple ways (the only way a recipe will stand the test of time in our house!). I typically eat mine over zoodles or wilted spinach while C prefers his over pasta or broccoli.
PRO-TIP My absolute favorite sauce to use for this recipe is Whole Foods 365 Organic Fat Free Marinara. It’s delicious, flavorful, ORGANIC and cost effective: a 25oz jar is less than $2.50! I’ve made the recipe with one jar or one jar + extra and it turns out equally as good. The original recipe doesn’t call for extra sauce but if you like your noodles or base to be saucey, heat up some extra marinara on the side for serving. I added this in the notes!
RANKING 2 – if you’re new here, I rank my recipes 1-5 with 1 being the easiest. I’m giving this one a 2 because you need to blend up the pesto yourself. I use and love this mini chopper from Cusinart and it takes minutes. This recipe isn’t as easy as throwing a bunch of stuff in a pan but it’s also not super complicated. Chef C could definitely make this on his own!
Now, head on over to my Instagram page to learn more about how you could win $250 to Whole Foods and don’t forget to check out Claire, Kate, Morgan and Caitlin‘s blogs to see their recipes, too!
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EPIC Whole30 Baked Meatballs
Delicious and delectable Whole30, Paleo, Grain Free, and Dairy Free baked meatballs! Recipe via Alex at Defined Dish.
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup cashews (raw is best)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (zest from 1/2 a lemon works well here)
- 1 package sugar free bacon (the original recipe calls for 2 strips but we always use the whole package because…YOLO! Appelgate is a great brand but any paleo bacon will do!)
- 1 pound ground beef (85% lean, 15% fat) (can do leaner if available!)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt (kosher salt works too!)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional but highly recommended – we usually do a full tsp!)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 large eggs (whisked)
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder (I like Thrive Market brand – you can substitute corn starch if not Whole30)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 32 oz jar marinara (we like raos the best – Whole Foods 365 has a great option too – buy extra if you like a saucey base!)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a fodo processor or blender, add the basil and garlic. Turn on and process until finely chopped, around 15-20 seconds. Add the cashews and the lemon zest and process until cashews are finely chopped. It should have a crumbly, dough-like consistency. Transfer the cashew-basil mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the bacon, ground beef, ground pork, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, eggs and arrowroot flour. Using CLEAN HANDS mix the meat until well combined.
In a 9×12 baking dish, use a paper towel to evely coat the bottom of the dish with olive oil – you an use other cooking fats too! We love duck fat 🙂
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out meat mixture and form into 2-inch round balls. Place meatballs in baking dish and repeat until all meatballs are formed and in a single layer in the baking dish (it makes approx. 17 meatballs!).
Transfer dish to oven and cook, uncovered, until the meatballs are browned, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Pour marinara evenly over meatballs.
Return metballs to the oven and continue to bake, uncovered, until the meatballs are tender and the sauce is very hot and bubbly, about 45 minutes.
While the meatballs are baking, heat up any extra sauce: favorites include extra marinara or vegan/regular pesto!
Remove meatballs from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, basil and sauce (optional). Serve as desired and enjoy!
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