Mojo Meatballs
These meatballs are a bit spicy, sweet, and savory with herbal notes. Serve with a bright and fresh citrus sauce and caramelized red onions. You can substitute ground chicken for lower calorie version. Use habanero peppers for a more spicy and floral sauce. I like to serve this with kelp noodle rice, such as miracle noodle’s rice. Adapted from Bon Appétit.
Servings 4
Calories 398kcal
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped fine
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 2/3 cup pork panko
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice ground
- 1 teaspoon monk fruit powdered
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce optional, for umami
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeño minced fine, seeds removed if you like less spice, omit for nightshade-free
- 1 pound 95% lean ground pork
Onions
- 1 red onion cut into 1 inch thick wedges
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Mojo Sauce
- 1/2 cup cilantro packed
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed if you like less spice, omit for nightshade-free
- 2 garlic cloves
- black pepper fresh ground
- 2 drops orange oil or 1/4 teaspoon orange extract, optional, for flavor
- 4 tablespoons lime juice 2 limes, juiced
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice 2 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 tablespoon monk fruit powdered
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce optional, for umami
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Combine all meatball ingredients and mix until evenly combined. Divide into 8, 2-inch meatballs and set aside.
- Combine onions and oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly charred on the bottom.
- Using a metal spatula, flip onion wedges over and move them to the edges of the baking sheet. Add the meatballs to the middle of the pan, spacing them evenly. Bake again until meatballs are browned and the onions are charred on the other side, about another 10 minutes.
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Serve meatballs with onions and sauce. Top with more fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired.
Notes
If serving with kelp noodle rice, use 2, 8 ounce packages, drained and rinsed under hot water. This will add an additional 12.5 calories and 3.75g carbs (all of which are dietary fiber) to each serving.
If you want to use olive oil in this recipe, be sure not to blend it into the sauce as it will become bitter. Instead, omit it while blending the other ingredients and whisk it in after.
Nutrition
Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1069mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg