Low FODMAP Vegetable Meatballs
These half meat, half veggie meatballs are low FODMAP, SCD friendly, kid friendly, and half plants. This makes them a great way to get your protein, zinc, iron, plus veggie-based fiber and antioxidants.
That’s a lot of winning for simple little meatballs :)
In addition, the great thing about mixing together sauteed veggies and with meat is that they're a) really flavorful and, b) less "heavy." Plus, they have a softer texture, which is helpful for picky little eaters (either being kids or perhaps you if you're learning to like whole foods). These are great as leftovers as well and freeze beautifully—batch cooking heaven (and why I make 2-3x the recipe and freeze backups).
To mix up the flavor, you can feel free to mix up the veggies! Consider, spinach, bell peppers, spicy peppers, sun dried tomatoes, you name it. I you’re not low FODMAP, you could add onions, garlic, and apple. Mix up the meat or add in organ meats. Change the spices from garden herbs to Middle Eastern, Israeli, or Thai. The sky is the limit.
The basic premise, per the 50/50, is an equal ratio of cooked veggies to raw meat.
A few important considerations:
Make the veggies a crumbly texture before you add the meat, not a puree.
1) Don’t overblend the meat mix in the food processor! This is what the pulse function is for. Hit the pulse button and let the mix settle for a second before hitting pulse again. After 10-15 pulses you should have “ground” veggies, not puree. Same for when you add the meat in. You want a mix of beef and veggies, not a soup.
2) Make the meatballs the same size. If some are big and some are small they will all cook for different times. So if you like small meatballs for lunches, make them ALL small. If you prefer big meatballs a la Italia, make them ALL big.
50/50 Veggie and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs of choice (or 2 tbsp dried herbs). Consider a mix of any/all: thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives, green onion, basil.
- 1 cup cooked chestnuts (can find these pre-cooked at grocery stores, or on Amazon). If you don't have, you can omit, they just lend a nice flavor/texture to these gluten and egg-free meatballs.
- 2 cups ground beef, or other meat of choice
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Sauté the carrots and mushrooms in the olive oil until tender and can easily be pierced with a fork, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer carrots and mushrooms to a food processor and add in cooked chestnuts and herbs. Pulse until it's a crumbly texture.
- Add meat and salt to the food processor. Pulse gently until combined.
- Form the mixture into even-sized balls of your choice. You want them to be similar in size so they cook evenly. Use a spoon to measure if you need help making consistent sizes.
- Place on a cooking tray lined with parchment paper (or oiled if you prefer). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the juices run clear.
Notes
- Onions and garlic would be great additions if you're not sensitive to these high FODMAP options.
- Sautéed peppers and sun-dried tomatoes would be tasty if you're not sensitive to nightshades.