Sweet & Sour Pork & Chicken Meatballs with Red Chili Sauce
I love a good meatball recipe because nothing reheats or tastes as good leftover as meatballs! They are also just a fabulous way to add in extra veggies, which is especially great for picky eaters who would normally pick out or eat around veggies! Besides onions and garlic, I also always try to add in another vegetable into the ground meat no matter what type of meatball I am making. For this recipe I added in red bell peppers but you could also add in shredded carrots, spinach and or zucchini as well! Although this recipe is slightly on the sweeter side with the addition of honey in the meatball component and maple syrup used in the red chili sauce; but it still can be considered a ketogenic recipe and a low carbohydrate recipe, if served with veggies instead of rice and if the appropriate serving size is eaten.
GATHER
1 pound ground chicken
1 pound lean ground pork
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 tbsp Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp lime juice or rice vinegar
1 egg
4 tbsp almond or coconut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional for garnish
MAKE
Preheat your oven to 400F. Begin by sauteing your garlic and onion in the sesame seed oil for 2-3 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add in your diced bell pepper plus any other vegetable you plan to add into the meatball mixture and cook until tender. Remove your veggies from heat and place into large mixing bowl and allow to cool. Once the sauteed veggies have cooled, add in your ground chicken and egg and mix well either with washed hands or a fork. Next, add in your thai kitchen red curry paste, coconut aminos, honey, lime juice or vinegar and salt and continue to mix well and ensure the sauce is completely incorporated with the meat and the sauteed veggies. Lastly, add in your almond or coconut flour and mix until completely incorporated with the meat. Grab a baking sheet and begin to form 1-2 inch balls from the meat mixture. You may find it easier to use a spoon to pull a 2-3 tbsp amount of the meat mixture out and then proceed to roll the meat into your hands to create a ball. Place the formed meatballs on the medium baking sheet and do not worry if the meatballs are too close as they will shrink slightly after cooking. At this time you may optionally sprinkle the tops of the meatballs with sesame seeds for garnish. Place the sheet pan with the meatballs on to the middle rack and back at 400F for 20- 22 minutes or until the meat has begun to brown. After about 20 minutes I like to broil the top of the meatballs to give them a nice brown crispy top. To do so you may place the baking sheet under the broiler and broil at 500F for about 1-2 minutes!
FOR THE RED CHILI SAUCE
GATHER
3 tbsp of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp lime juice or rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
MAKE
Whisk all ingredients together in a small dish or class container to save leftover sauce. Pour sauce directly over meatballs after cooking or dip meatballs into sauce and enjoy!