Last night, my family came back in town so I cooked dinner for them. It turned out to be my favorite Paleo meal yet! I highly recommend this meal, even if you want nothing to do with the caveman diet. I served the meatballs with spaghetti squash and roasted broccoli. Yum, yum, yum.
I tweaked the original recipe (from The Clothes Make the Girl) quite a bit, and I'm making some changes to what I did last night in the recipe I'm giving to you. Below is how I plan to make this next time. And trust me, there will be a next time.
This looks like a lot of instructions and ingredients, but it's actually fairly straightforward and makes a complete meal!
Mediterranean Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash and Roasted Broccoli
Adapted from this recipe
Makes about 6 servings.
Ingredients:
Spaghetti squash
Ghee (Clarified Butter)
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground lamb
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped, divided
2 tsp cumin, divided
2-1/2 tsp paprika, divided
2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
2 cans fire-roasted tomatoes (Whole Foods carries the brand Muir Glen, which doesn't contain sugar)
3 oz. tomato paste
1 cup water (or less)
Chopped pistachios
3 cups broccoli florets
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp tandoori seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
For the squash:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Using a skewer, poke holes in the squash all over so that it doesn't explode in the oven. Bake the squash for 1 hour, cut it in half, and wait until it is cool enough to handle. (If you don't have time to wait, you're in for a hot gooey mess--but it can be done.) With a fork, scratch the spaghetti squash flesh into a bowl, toss it with ghee, salt and pepper, and voila. Fake pasta.
While your squash is in the oven, prepare the meatballs:
In a large bowl, combine meats, 1 tbsp of the cilantro, 1-1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. On a large plate, form mini meatballs (around the size of bouncy balls, for lack of a better comparison). Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Sautee onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Grate a clove of garlic into the onions and stir for another minute. Add roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and remaining 1 tbsp of cilantro, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Place meatballs into sauce, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, make the broccoli:
In a bowl, combine florets, enough olive oil to coat, chopped garlic, tandoori seasoning, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook at 375 degrees F for 15-17 minutes. Sprinkle toasted pine nuts in with the broccoli and bake for another 3 minutes.
This meal reaffirmed my enjoyment of the "Paleo process" and reminded me that eating good, whole foods is the best way to help your body feel its best.
This looks like a lot of instructions and ingredients, but it's actually fairly straightforward and makes a complete meal!
Mediterranean Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash and Roasted Broccoli
Adapted from this recipe
Makes about 6 servings.
Ingredients:
Spaghetti squash
Ghee (Clarified Butter)
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground lamb
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped, divided
2 tsp cumin, divided
2-1/2 tsp paprika, divided
2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
2 cans fire-roasted tomatoes (Whole Foods carries the brand Muir Glen, which doesn't contain sugar)
3 oz. tomato paste
1 cup water (or less)
Chopped pistachios
3 cups broccoli florets
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp tandoori seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
For the squash:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Using a skewer, poke holes in the squash all over so that it doesn't explode in the oven. Bake the squash for 1 hour, cut it in half, and wait until it is cool enough to handle. (If you don't have time to wait, you're in for a hot gooey mess--but it can be done.) With a fork, scratch the spaghetti squash flesh into a bowl, toss it with ghee, salt and pepper, and voila. Fake pasta.
While your squash is in the oven, prepare the meatballs:
In a large bowl, combine meats, 1 tbsp of the cilantro, 1-1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. On a large plate, form mini meatballs (around the size of bouncy balls, for lack of a better comparison). Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Sautee onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Grate a clove of garlic into the onions and stir for another minute. Add roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and remaining 1 tbsp of cilantro, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Place meatballs into sauce, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, make the broccoli:
In a bowl, combine florets, enough olive oil to coat, chopped garlic, tandoori seasoning, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook at 375 degrees F for 15-17 minutes. Sprinkle toasted pine nuts in with the broccoli and bake for another 3 minutes.
This meal reaffirmed my enjoyment of the "Paleo process" and reminded me that eating good, whole foods is the best way to help your body feel its best.
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