Description
My favorite paleo coconut curry meatballs are next level grain free meatballs! Made with ground pork (or another meat of choice), peppy spices, ginger, cilantro, and a super flavorful creamy curry sauce with tomatoes, red bell pepper, and onions. A satisfying meal for any night of the week.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork, turkey, or dark meat chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (omit for Whole30)
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala or curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of chili flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon grated or finely chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
For the curry sauce
- 1 tablespoon avocado or coconut oil
- 1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste or 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced or whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup of broth
- 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (omit for Whole30)
To serve
- Cauliflower rice, hearty greens, or baked sweet potato (paleo + Whole30 options)
- White rice or quinoa
- Fresh cilantro
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Lemon wedges
- Roasted cashews
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Add all ingredients for meatballs to a large mixing bowl and mix everything together with a large fork or (if you don’t mind a little mess!) your hands, until well combined. The mixture will thicken ever so slightly after a few minutes as the coconut flour absorbs some of the moisture.
- You can test for proper seasoning by frying a little bit of the mixture in a pan on the stove top if you want. Add more salt if desired.
- Using wet hands, or a metal cookie scoop, portion meatball mixture into 1 1/2 inch sized meatballs, and evenly space about 1 inch apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the meatballs are nicely browned. If aren’t browning well, broil them on high for a minute or two before pulling them out of the oven.
- While meatballs are cooking, make the curry sauce.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado or coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.Add thinly sliced onion and sauté until just starting to brown – about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, curry paste or curry powder, and cook 30 seconds more, until spices are fragrant and starting to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add sliced red peppers, canned tomatoes (breaking up with your hands or the back of a spoon if using whole peeled tomatoes), broth, and coconut milk. Stir to combine and scrape up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a fast simmer. Season with salt, coconut sugar, and lemon juice.
- When meatballs are nicely browned, transfer from baking sheet to the sauce and stir to coat. Cook on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, until peppers are tender, meatballs are cooked through, and the sauce has reduced slightly. Season with lemon juice, coconut sugar, and more salt if needed.
- Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, hearty greens, or a baked sweet potato and garnish with plenty of cilantro, thinly sliced red onion, and a few roasted cashews.
Notes
To modify this recipe to be Whole30 compatible simply omit the coconut sugar in the meatballs and the curry sauce (I promise it will still be delicious without it!) and serve over greens, cauliflower rice, or a baked sweet potato.
The ground pork can be substituted for turkey or chicken, but I recommend using dark meat to make sure the meatballs don’t turn out too dry.
If you don’t have garam masala for the meatball mixture simply replace with regular curry powder.
This dish makes a delicious lunch or dinner, and even better leftovers! The sauces flavors will deepen overnight to a whole other level.
These meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Curry