Happy Meatball Monday Peeps! It feels like ages since I’ve posted as we’ve been on vacation for the last two weeks! We returned to CT for the first time in 2 years for a wedding, and stayed to visit family and friends. In 13 days we traveled through 12 different states and slept in 5 different places – it was exhausting and awesome all at the same time!
While away, my laptop died and my phone went on the fritz as well, so I wasn’t in touch as much as I planned to be. Now that I’m back and getting used to my new computer (and Windows 8 – UGH), I have tons to catch up on, starting with this delicious Asian inspired low carb and gluten free meatball recipe!
This version is made with chicken, but you could easily substitute turkey, beef, or even pork with excellent results. The meatballs themselves are tasty, but this recipe is all about the sauce. I especially loved how it soaked into the broccoli – so much so that I’d make this with just the broccoli in the absence of meatballs. It’s that good!
In fact, I might make the broccoli and sauce again this week since I’m getting back on low carb and gluten free wagon after two weeks of indulgence. I can’t wait either, my body is NOT happy with me at all! My tendonitis and back pain has returned, not to mention the bloating, puffy face, lack of energy and digestive issues that I’m dealing with. As an added bonus, I gained seven pounds which I’m hoping to drop relatively quickly when I quit fooling around and get serious again.
I’m not going to say it was worth it necessarily, but I’m not beating myself up over it too much. I am looking forward to getting back on plan and feeling good again this week – though I’m dreading the 3 – 5 day gluten detox of headaches and fatigue that are inevitable. I promise not to complain though – I did it to myself after all!
One thing I’m not at all concerned about is whether or not I’ll have something delicious on hand to eat! I’ve already got buffalo wings, cobb salad, cauliflower puree, and meatballs alla parmigiana in the works to get back into the swing. One of these days I’ll have to share my 3-day meal plan for getting back into ketosis FAST when you’ve been cheating and need to get back in gear. It’s foolproof and painless, and I’ve done it more times than I can count!
For now though I highly recommend making these fantastic meatballs ASAP! They are super delicious and a complete meal that comes together in just minutes!
Chicken and Broccoli Meatball Recipe – Low Carb and Gluten Free
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A low carb and gluten free meatball recipe inspired by the classic Chinese takeout dish Chicken and Broccoli.
Ingredients
Scale
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp minced scallions
- 1 Tbsp olive oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar substitute
- 4 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
Instructions
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients except the olive oil and mix thoroughly. Form into 16 meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan and fry the meatballs until golden brown on all sides and cooked through. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, onion powder, red pepper flakes, water, xanthan gum and sugar substitute to the pan you cooked the meatballs in. Whisk until smooth and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and meatballs back to the pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 – 8 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green and tender. Serve hot.
Notes
Approximate nutrition info per serving: 322 calories, 20g fat, 4.75g net carbs, 27g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs & 1 cup broccoli
For more great low carb meatball recipes, you can now find my entire catalog of Meatball Monday posts in the Recipe Index!
Reader Interactions
Comments
Calvin says
Really healthy meatballs! Cool idea
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Margot C says
This is a marvelous dish and you can spice up or down for kids or (in our house anyway) hot spicy food addicted men.
★★★★★
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Melinda says
Is there a problem substituting ground beef in some of the ground chicken/turkey meatball recipes and staying good on the Keto plan?
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Ashley says
These should be called amaze-balls! Yum!
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Vicki says
Just made this tonite for dinner … this was ssoooo good. Will definitely be adding this to one of my go-to recipes. Thanks so much.
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Valerie says
We made these for dinner tonight and it was really great. I put mine on top of a bit of cauliflower rice so I could eat all the sauce. Very, very good!
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Stephanie Wagner says
So so good!! Husband approved too!
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Mellissa Sevigny says
Yay! :)
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stacy says
I made this for dinner tonight. It tasted amazing. My family gobbled it all up. Thank you for all your hard work in creating wonderful recipes.
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Mellissa Sevigny says
You’re so welcome Stacy – thanks for letting me know that the entire family enjoyed it!!! :)
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Luana says
I’ve been eating meatballs and broccoli for quite a while. I steam the broccoli until it is tender (no crunch!) and it has a similar mouth-feel as pasta. Ok, it’s a little bit of a stretch of imagination, but I do find the combination very satisfying. Cauliflower steamed until tender works, too.
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Mellissa Sevigny says
I love the texture of broccoli soaked in any kind of sauce too – it works great because all of those little pockets hold tons of sauce/flavor. And yeah, I get the pasta mouth feel thing when it’s cooked really tender! Especially if it’s been a long time since you’ve had the real thing!
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shannon says
i love this one! because chinese takeout chicken and broccoli is one of my favorite things, so making them low carb/gf at home? better option than takeout. AND i’ll feel better about myself. :)
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Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Shannon – it’s a win/win if I ever heard of one! Although it takes more than the classic “10 minutes” of takeout to make them unfortunately! Totally worth it though! :)
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wILLIAM says
Please share your 3 day plan very soon. I need it. I find it almost impossible to get my body into Ketosis. I just barely get a color change at the lowest levels on check test strips.
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Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m working on a post William but just so you know – even showing trace amounts (light pink) means that you are excreting ketones through the urine and are therefore in ketosis. How dark the color is doesn’t really matter. In fact, when you’ve been doing it awhile and become keto/fat adapted, your body uses the ketones for energy and you shouldn’t be losing a lot of them through urine anyway. Once your body becomes efficient at using ketones, the strips are rarely dark but you are in good shape for weight loss. Also, sometimes the strips are dark simply because you’re dehydrated and your urine is over concentrated. So as long as you’re showing even trace amounts on the strips, then you are technically in ketosis!
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wILLIAM says
Melissa, Thank You for your reply. In between plateaus, I do lose a little weight now and then. About 60 pounds in the last year. But to this day, I have never ever seen any color change on my test strips. And they are not expired.
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Mellissa Sevigny says
60 pounds in a year is nothing to sneeze at! The strips aren’t the best indicator anyway and some experts consider them totally useless. Whatever you are doing seems to be working so I wouldn’t worry about the strips not turning!
Karen says
Just found you on a link from pinterest. I am going to try gluten free to see if that helps me feel better and lose weight. Please share your tricks for jump-starting or any helpful experiences. Thanks so much, can’t wait to try the meatballs!
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movita beaucoup says
So, last night I had a dream about eating broccoli with chopsticks. Obviously, my subconscious new this recipe was sitting in my feedly awaiting discovery.
I’m gunna think about something really hard now. Please include it in your next recipe.
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Rhonda says
Glad you’re back. Love your blog, recipes and books. I’m recommending them to everyone! Can’t wait for your detox post. I know I will need it, especially after the holidays.
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Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much for spreading the word about IBIH Rhonda! I’ll get on the detox post soon! :)
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Cherie says
Welcome back! I really can’t wait to make this recipe. I know it’s going to become a regular for me by switching up the meat. I’d also love to see your 3 day plan. I’m on track but would love a few new ideas to stay there, especially with the holiday’s coming up so soon! Thanks Mellissa.
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Kalyn says
I’m happy to hear I am not the only one who completely blows it on the healthy eating sometimes and has to get back on track! This sounds like a deliciously healthy dish!
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Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Kalyn! And let’s face it, none of us stays perfectly on track all the time – the key is not to let a small detour derail you long term! That’s why I’m nipping this in the bud before my muffin top gets too out of control! ha ha! :)
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kristin says
First off, thanks again for the Magic Bullet! Love it as much as I thought I would! A blog post about your 3 day meal plan for ketosis would be much appreciated. Asparagus and bolied chicken three meals a day is BORING!!!!
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Mellissa Sevigny says
Asparagus and boiled chicken – you poor dear! I obviously need to get on this STAT! ha ha! Glad you’re enjoying the magic bullet! Don’t know what I’d do without mine!
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