Chia Meatballs

About

These tasty Keto meatballs are rich with flavor and make a great dinner option served over cauliflower rice or your choice of low carb noodles. Our Keto chia meatballs are prepared with ground pork, omega 3 rich chia seeds, aromatic garlic, tender white onion, Italian seasoning, and simmered in a tomato broth with fragrant fresh basil. This makes a great healthy low carb dinner option for the whole family.

What Are Chia Seeds?

Chia seeds are tiny fiber-rich seeds, loaded with antioxidants and health-promoting nutrients. The seeds can be used in a variety of recipes – both sweet and savory to add both texture, protein and healthy fats. When raw, chia seeds can be used for a crunchy textured, perfect sprinkled over salads. When combined with moisture, the seeds can be used as a binding agent, perfect as a replacement for eggs and a thickener for liquids.

Can I Use a Different Meat?

We have used ground pork for our Keto meatball recipe. If preferred, you may substitute this for ground beef, turkey, or ground chicken. You could also use a combination of proteins if desired. If using ground chicken, we recommend using thigh meat as this will provide more fats and flavor than breast meat and won’t be quite so dry. Please be sure to adjust your macros to account for any changes made to the original recipe.

Ingredients

17 ½ oz ground pork
2 tablespoon onion
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tbsp, whole pieces chia seeds
1 cup tomato sauce
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
¾ cup chicken broth, bouillon or consomme, homemade
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup basil
½ teaspoon salt, sea salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Add the ground pork to a large mixing bowl. Finely dice the onion. Add the chia, onion, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together until well combined.
Set the mixture to one side in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow the chia to help firm and hold the meatballs. After this time, divide the meatballs into 16 even-sized portions. Roll each portion into a ball with your hands.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan/Dutch oven over a medium/high heat. Add the meatballs, cooking until browned all over. You will likely need to do this in two batches. Remove the browned meatballs from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve to one side.
Crush the garlic and add to the saucepan used to cook the meatballs. Sweat gently over a low heat until tender and fragrant. Add the tomato sauce, stock and basil to the saucepan. Stir well. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring up to a gentle boil. Then, reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Carefully return the meatballs to the saucepan, arranging them in amongst the sauce. Continue to simmer for a further 10-15 minutes until the sauce has reduced down, and the meatballs are completely cooked through, piping hot and no longer pink inside. Serve with your preferred Keto sides.