Beef, Chicken, Dinner, Food, Lunch, News, Recipes

Garden Fresh Meatballs

These meatballs are a great spin on the classic meatball – no need for sauce with these and they are full of fresh garden flavors!   I just made them this morning for the kids to have for dinner and I packed a few for myself to take with me to they gym…  Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Meatballs

1.5 lbs ground turkey

1 lb grass fed ground beef

2 zucchinis

1 yam

2 big handfuls spinach

1 12 ounce jar of roasted red peppers

2 cloves garlic

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

2 eggs

1/4 to 1/3 cup almond meal

Grate zucchini and sweet potato.  In a food processor, finely mince spinach, roasted red peppers, and garlic.  Hand mix all ingredients and form into meatballs (I made mine a little bigger then golf ball size).  Bake at 375 in a large baking dish tightly covered with foil  for 40-45 minutes.  Makes 20-25 meatballs

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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41 Comments

  1. just wanted to say I have tried many of your recipes and they have all turned out pefectly and deliscious !! I am very surprised how easy I am finding it to stick to this new life style , way of eating … thanks so much 🙂

  2. Melissa says:

    Made these last night. They were great! Made some of them big like a burger patty and the rest I put in a regular size muffin tin. They are the perfect size to stick in the kids’ lunches.

  3. Those look awesome!!!!

  4. Johanna Lamb says:

    I must say, I LOVE every recipe of yours that I have made. They are fun, flavorful and satisfying. I have wonderful memories of making cookies with my mom. I don’t have kids yet, but as I rolled these meatballs, I thought that this would be a great Paleo tradition to start with my kids (when I have them =). Thanks for all the tips about Paleo parenting too. If you ever have a spare moment, you should consider compiling all of these recipes into a cookbook.

    1. Thanks Johanna! I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog, and as far as cookbook or the like, there just might be something in the works….

  5. Beachdog says:

    Love the blog, keep it going.
    I made up the meat balls this evening, but couldn’t wait so pan fried the big hunk in the bowl in bacon fat and served it up with steamed chard. Yummy! Now i just have to wait for the balls in the oven to finish, they will be lunch tomorrow.
    Mahalo

  6. Hi Sarah, what a great web site! It’s nice to see so many good ideas put in practice.
    I’m also a mum and CrossFit coach keeping a paleo blog. Here in Switzerland we’re just coming to the end of our 6 weeks Paleo Challenge and everybody’s doing so well on it that they will keep going paleo. As for myself I have 2 boys of 2 and 4 that adore paleo foods. The problem is that we haven’t convinced the grand parents on my husband side yet. So when my kids go to them it’s like a gluten/sugar feast each time. Well, the rest of the time they eat the good food so I guess it’s ok. As for my mum and my sister they’re on it for good.
    I’ll link your web site on ours to give more ideas to our viewers.
    Thanks for charing with us.
    Cheers
    Olga

    1. Sarah says:

      Thanks Olga!! I would be happy to have you put a link up to my site, that would be wonderful!! Congrats on the success of the paleo challenge and good luck with the little ones! : )

  7. David says:

    Are spinach leaves okay?

    1. Sarah says:

      Yes on the spinach leaves and whatever else you want to throw in!

  8. the meatballs are wonderful.. i used 93 % lean beef and added cooked chopped bacon from the fridge & feta cheese instead of salt. and also some finely chopped green olives. absolutely fantastic. i put a homemade chili sauce on top( red peppers, tomatoes & onions cooked down to nothing) . nothing else was needed thanks I will be a follower of your site!

    1. Hi Dana, so glad they turned out good for you! I like your additions, I’ll have to try it!

  9. I made these for dinner tonight and served them with spaghetti squash. My family, including all 3 kids, loved them! My 9 year old asked to have the leftovers packed for her lunch tomorrow. Thank you for the recipe- this one will become a staple!

    1. Thanks Chris!

  10. Just made these! I’m cooking for myself so I just used a pound of grass-fed beef and no turkey (next time). I didn’t have any peppers so I used some chopped onions. I wanted to add chopped celery but I forgot. Ha! Just one little note: I baked it for an hour and it still wasn’t done. So I took the foil off and baked another 15 mins or so. They were delicious!! Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      Glad they turned out Ben!

  11. Bonnie says:

    Sarah – I am enjoying your blog and cookbook. Made these meatballs tonight, and just have a question for you. Did you use regular ground turkey or turkey breast? Although delicious, they looked quite different from yours in the picture.

    Thanks for your help!

    1. Sarah says:

      I just used regular ground turkey. : ) So glad you are enjoying the blog and book, thank you!

  12. The first batch is in the oven and is smelling delicious! Can’t wait to try these! Quick question for you… have you frozen these and if so, did you do so before or after you baked them?

    1. Sarah says:

      I have not froze these before but if I were going to I would cook them first and then defrost and reheat in the oven when needed. : )

  13. Sharyn says:

    YUM! I made in a muffin tin (sadly forgot to oil first, so some of my meatballs were crumbles which I then added to eggs). Really delicious and satisfying. I made a homemade marinara sauce with overripe tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil and served with spaghetti squash. Maybe not quite my MIL’s Italian meatballs but yummy and much better for me!

  14. Christine says:

    I made these with what I had on hand (spinach, zucchini, and sun-dried tomatoes) – delicious, especially with a little sauce! I think they taste even better cold. Thanks for the many creative ideas. I am a teacher and it’s nice to be able to cram as much nutrition as possible into quick bites — lunchtime flies fast!

  15. Irish Colleen says:

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made 48 meatballs and 16 mini meatloaves with ground beef, turkey, and italian sausage. I oven roasted red bell peppers, onions, elephant ear garlic and pureed in food processor. Shredded zucchini and spinach. Mixed all that with 3 eggs and almond flour, put in cupcake wrappers, and cooked them. They smell heavenly, look delicious, and I am so looking forward to eating these, tonight and this week! I have also made a pot of pasta sauce using the same roasted veggies and sun dried tomatoes and am making faux spaghetti (cauliflower rice basically) to put them over. Thank you!!!

    1. Irish Colleen says:

      DELICIOUS!!!

  16. Melanie McIntyre says:

    Fantastic! One question…how long are these good for in the fridge?

    1. Sarah says:

      I have kept them for about 3 days and they are fine!

  17. Louisa says:

    I am so saving this recipe! I have to try it out!. I love to replace bread crumbs with almond meal. Such a good idea! Thank you.

  18. loveface says:

    these are FABULOUS!!!! ….even with me forgetting to add eggs haa.
    much thanks for sharing this deliciousness with the world!!!

  19. HaHa! I may just trick the Kidlet yet!
    My son is Autistic and i can’t get him to even try a Veg.

  20. Krista, mother to 4 says:

    If you are looking to freeze these, like I was, use an empty egg carton with plastic wrap laid across it, and plop a spoonful into each cup, freeze the carton, them pop them out into your freezer container – worked like a charm!

    1. Great idea, thank you!!

  21. Danielle says:

    What kind of food processor do you have/use?

  22. Sarah, These meatballs have been a life saver for me as I’m a newbie to Paleo. My 4 year old loves them. We eat them for snacks, meals, whenever. I even eat them with guacamole. If I didn’t have these I would have blown it for sure so thank you!

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad to hear! Thank you Rosie!

  23. misbips says:

    I made these tonight for my husband and I have to say, he liked them a lot. Here’s the kicker, he doesn’t like yams, spinach or zucchini. Good thing he liked them because we’re having left overs tomorrow and I’m freezing the rest for lunches. Thank you so much!

  24. Alyssa says:

    I made some homemade mayo with sage and other herbs to dip these in, and it was amazing. Just an extra something for people to try!

  25. Jennifer says:

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I love them and they are a staple in my house (and now my friend’s houses). One question – have you ever worked out the nutritional info for these, like how many calories/carbs a serving? Thanks again!

  26. Hi, I was wondering if I can replace the almond flour with coconut? My son is allergic to tree nuts.

    Thanks

    1. Just use about a tablespoon of coconur or arrowroot flour to replace the almond flour and it will be fine! Enjoy!

  27. Hannah says:

    I have these in the oven and they smell great! I did misread the almond meal, though, and put 1 cup. Hopefully it won’t alter the flavor too much!

  28. Angie says:

    What is the nutritional information (calories, carbs, fat, protein) for the garden fresh meatballs?

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