PALEO MEATBALLS IN MARINARA SAUCE

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• 1 and 3/4 lbs ground beef 85% lean*
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
• 3/4 tsp fine grain sea salt divided
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend**
• generous pinch crushed red pepper adjust for spice preference
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley - optional

For the Sauce:

• 1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil***
• 1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic***
• 1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• sea salt to taste

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Instructions

To Make the Meatballs:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, 1/2 tsp of the sea salt, onion and garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper.
2. In a large bowl, add the ground beef and sprinkle evenly with the remaining sea salt. Add the egg and almond flour mix (plus parsley if adding) and gently mix with your hands until the mixture binds and is evenly distributed. It's important not to work the meat too much or it becomes tough.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your broiler. Form the meat mixture into 20 meatballs and arrange on the baking sheet.
4. Broil 2-4 minutes just to lightly brown and release a small amount of fat (this avoids an overly greasy sauce) and remove promptly.
5. Add the meatballs to the slow cooker, leaving behind any rendered fat. Top the meatballs with all sauce ingredients and give a gentle stir (careful not to break the meatballs!)
6. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until meatballs are cooked through****
7. Serve when ready to eat with anything you want and garnish with your favorite fresh herbs. Sweet potato noodles are a favorite (white sweet potato noodles are pictured) zucchini noodles, or simply your favorite roasted veggies, potatoes, or even eggs. I love to use the leftovers and sauce for variety in breakfast and lunch the next day!
8. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to one month.

Recipe Notes

*You can use your favorite mix of ground meat as well
**I used this one
***I used this can of crushed tomatoes and this can of diced tomatoes - I recommend always adding extra basil and garlic if you use plain tomatoes.
****Each slow cooker is a bit different. I cooked mine for 4 hours, you can check at 3.5 hours if you can and adjust cook time from there, if necessary. Cook time should not be longer than 4.5/5 hours or meatballs will be overcooked and dry.