Paleo Italian Meatballs

ingredients

If you plan to freeze for later, at minimum double this recipe. I sometimes triple it so I only have a messy kitchen once! I modified this from a Once a Month Meal's recipe.

Meatballs

• 2 individual Egg
• ⅔ cups dice Onion
• ½ cups grate Carrot
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic 
• ¼ cups Almond Flour
• 1 teaspoon Oregano, Dried
• 2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1 ½ pounds Ground Beef

Tomato Basil Sauce

Be free with this sauce. I mostly used crushed tomatoes but occasionally use diced, or tomato sauce and tomato paste combined.  It all gets thrown in your blender and pulsed so the consistency of tomatoes is up to you.

• 2 cups crushed Tomato
• ¾ cups Tomato Paste (optional)
• ½-1 cup(s) chop Basil, Fresh
• 5 teaspoons minced Garlic
• Pinch of salt to taste

directions

1. In a bowl, mix eggs, onion, carrot, garlic, almond flour, dried oregano, and salt & pepper.
2. Add ground beef and mix. I use my hands. Its just easier, people.
3. Scoop 4 TBS (~1/4 c) of meatball mixture, roll, and place on foiled lined baking sheet. Fill the sheet with meatballs! 
4. Place in oven and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until browned.
5. While the meatballs are cooking, toss 1 cup of the tomatoes (diced or crushed) into your blender and pulse with the fresh basil leaves and garlic are fully integrated into the sauce. Add the rest of the tomatoes and salt and pulse a few times until the sauce it the consistency you prefer.
6. Make one of the following decisions:
   1. To eat the same day:
      1. Put meatballs and sauce in your crock pot and heat on low 4-6 hours. Or...
      2. Heat in a covered pan on your stovetop with the sauce until meatballs reach 155 degrees.
   2. To freeze for later: Let the meatballs cool, bag laying flat in a  ziplock bag, put sauce in separate ziplock and freeze until you want to serve them. On serving day, follow the directions above.