If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing munchie for the game this weekend, look no further! I have the solution. Greek Meatballs (keftedes) and Romesco Sauce: the Paleo version!
I can’t remember a family get-together at my Theia (Aunt) Effie’s house that didn’t include these delicious, delicious morsels. Traditionally fried and made from lamb, these meatballs are packed with unique Greek flavors like mint and lots of garlic. This version is baked (healthier) and made from beef (cheaper) AND they’re Whole30/Paleo approved.
And these meatballs are served with the most delicious Romesco sauce ever that you will immediately want to put on everything you eat. How’s that for some Spanish/Greek fusion? It works. Trust me.
Of course, you can totally make a more traditional Greek tzatziki (yogurt cucumber) sauce to go with the meatballs if you want, especially if you aren’t on a dairy-free diet. Or, just eat them plain!
Probably the biggest Whole30 challenge, for me, is not actually the food restrictions themselves. It’s the social situations involved with food. If all there is to eat at an event is chips, queso, and gluten-laden foods, I know I won’t be a happy camper. Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. It’s almost impossible to resist the unhealthier treats if there aren’t any other options, PLUS there is the fear of offending people by not eating their food. It’s a catch-22.
I made these meatballs for my Nephew’s first birthday party this past weekend. I knew that pizza was going to be the main dish and since I’m still in the reintroduction phase of Whole30, pizza (sadly) wasn’t an option for me. So I offered to make these meatballs as an appetizer, along with a salad. That way I wasn’t awkwardly making a separate meal for myself and not sharing with anyone (rude!), nor was I starving myself staring at the pizza longingly from afar, crying softly. Which I certainly would have been doing had it not been for these delicious keftedes.
In fact, I didn’t even WANT pizza after eating salad and these meatballs!
I cannot say the same thing about my nephew, Ivan, for how much he wanted his first slice of cake. Man, he really dominated it. He tore into it with one piece in each hand, methodically alternating bites from each hand like he had done it a million times before.
I, on the other hand, very much enjoyed my first (and very well deserved, if you ask me) glass of wine after finishing the Whole30.
Anyhoo, back to the recipe!
Amongst the more lovely things about these meatballs and sauce, besides the outrageously delicious taste, is that everything can be made in advance. In fact, you can even make and cook the meatballs WAY in advance, freeze them, and defrost the day before you want to cook them.
I had to freeze exactly seven meatballs because, like a true Greek, I made these in epic proportions (I used a full two pounds of beef) and could not fit them all on my baking sheet. And those tasty, tasty meatballs are just waiting in my freezer for a day when I don’t feel like cooking.
…today might be that day. Get ready little meatballs, I’m coming for you!
A few quick notes about the recipe:
- I cooked them for 25 minutes. It was too long, and they came out a bit dry. I recommend no more than 17-20 minutes, especially since they are so small.
- I used tomato paste in the Romesco sauce instead of traditional straight up tomatoes. This resulted in me having to add more olive oil to thin it out. If you want a lower fat version of the sauce, use fresh or canned tomato AND the juices, with less olive oil. The juices will help thin out the sauce so you can use less EVOO.
- You will probably have leftover sauce. Use it as a dip for veggies- I’ve been packing it in my lunch all week with carrots and broccoli! Or, just get in there with a spoon and go to town.
Recipe below. Enjoy!
Paleo Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) and Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
For Meatballs:
- 2 lbs ground beef or lamb
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoons dried mint
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup tomato paste 1/2 small can
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
For Romesco Sauce:
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 15 oz. jarred roasted red peppers drained (or 3 fresh roasted peppers)
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup tomato paste (1/2 small can)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. I recommend mixing together using hands.
- Using a tablespoon measure, measure equal spoonfuls of the mixture, form into balls, and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes, or until cooked through and browned on top.
- Meanwhile, add almonds to a food processor and pulse until chopped.
- Add remaining ingredients except for olive oil for Romesco sauce and turn on to combine.
- Add olive oil while food processor is running until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve meatballs with sauce.
Notes
- Make ahead instructions: When you place the meatballs on the baking sheet, you can place the baking sheet in the fridge and take out when you are ready to bake. Meatballs can be kept uncooked in the fridge for up to two days. Freeze for up to six months in an airtight container (after flash freezing on the baking sheet) and defrost the day before you want to cook.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Rebecca
Love the sauce! Have ever frozen the sauce (because again, you make too much)? I am taking this to an event next weekend and wondered if you had and how well is holds up when you thaw it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never frozen the sauce but I think it should freeze really well! After defrosting it may separate a bit, just give it a stir before serving.
Lynne Head
One more comment. I added a teaspoon of oregano!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great suggestion, thanks!
Lynne Head
Oh my goodness. These meatballs and sauce are insanely delicious! This is the first time I made them. I am so excited because it is definitely on the top of my list of favorites. Since my husband doesn’t like lamb, I bought a pound of beef for him and a pound of lamb for me. I just made two separate bowls. I put an egg in each, I used the almond flour as in the recipe, as well as 2-3 tablespoons of almond milk since I am dairy free. I didn’t have red wine vinegar so I used white. I made 28 meatballs out of each bowl. I boiled some Trader Joe brown rice and quinoa spiral noodles and spooned the sauce over the meatballs and noodles. I served steamed broccoli on the side. What a delicious meal. The Romesco sauce is incredible. I could eat it plain. At first I didn’t understand the thought to use whole almonds rather than the almond flour, but I decided to make it exactly the way it was written. I’m glad I did because the little crunch from the almonds was delicious!!!! I cooked half my meatballs tonight and will eat the leftovers tomorrow and I will freeze the other half of the meatballs for another two nights. So amazing. Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh wow I’m SO happy you liked them so much!! Meatballs are the BEST to have for leftovers or in your freezer. Yay! Thanks for the comment!
AILUY
I would give this recipe 500 stars if I could. My niece is begging to take the leftovers with her back to college. Can the sauce be frozen? I would pour the sauce over the meatballs and freeze it like that. Do you think it will work?
Elizabeth
Aw wow thanks so much for the kind comment!! I’m so happy you liked it :-) I think the sauce would freeze beautifully- that’s a great idea, totally doing that next time I make it!
Elizabeth
Oh and yes, I think freezing the sauce over the meatballs would work perfectly, then just defrost and stick it in the oven to warm up, or you can probably put it in frozen covered with foil to heat for a while too!
Kathleen
Could I replace the dried mint with fresh, if so how much would you recommend. Thank you.
Elizabeth
Definitely! The general rule for dried herbs to fresh herbs is a 1:3 ratio. So I would use 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped mint. Hope that helps!
Vicki
Super recipe. Took to a cocktail party and it was a hit. After reading the comment the the meatballs were a little dry, I added 2-3 Tbsp of heavy cream to keep moist. The Romesco was the bomb!
Elizabeth
Glad you liked it, and thanks for the tip about adding heavy cream!
Sara
Hi! This has become our go to recipe for lamb! And the Romesco sauce was a revelation! I don’t make meatballs, though. I just put it all in a meatloaf pan and bake it and make it a Greek lamb meatloaf served with the sauce over it. So good!
Elizabeth
Oh yum, I bet this Romesco sauce with lamb is amazing!! Oh now I’m getting visions of a Romesco-type sauce with mint added to go with lamb…
Clarissa Estrada
Nutrition information please? Since this is a low carb recipe, I really like knowing what a serving size is and how many carbs per.
Elizabeth
I purposefully don’t include nutrition information on my blog for two reasons: 1) I don’t count calories or carbs myself, and 2) because I’m not a nutritionist, I can’t guarantee 100% accurate information. That said, I do use this nifty tool to help get nutrition information sometimes: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594. Just copy and paste the ingredients and enter the serving size, and viola! A nutrition label is made. For this recipe, I’d put about 12 servings (approximately 4 meatballs each). Also, sometimes you have to tweak the ingredients a bit (for example, salt and pepper can be deleted as well as any clarifying instructions). Hope this helps!
Mary
These meatballs are absolutely delicious, and the Romescu sauce was perfection. I will definitely make these again! Thanks!
Elizabeth
Thank you! So glad you liked the recipe!
Kylee
Hi there. These look yummy. Can they be frozen after cooking and reheated. Wanting to make for a baby shower. Cheers
Elizabeth
They can definitely be frozen! In fact, I’ve had Greek meatballs served at room temperature many times, so you don’t even need to reheat them if you don’t want to. Just take them out of the freezer the day before and keep in the fridge, then take them out about an hour before the shower so they come to room temperature. Or, stick them in the oven for 15 minutes or so after they’ve defrosted in the fridge to warm them up if you want to serve them warm. Alternatively, you can freeze them uncooked and cook them in the oven the day of- I always prefer this method because sometimes cooked, frozen meat can dry out a bit when reheating. Hope you like them, and have fun at the shower!
Maria
what size jar of the roasted peppers?
Elizabeth
16 oz- or close to it :-)
Maria
great, thanks for the prompt reply!!
Sophia Annas
Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for remembering my mother and her signature Greek meatballs! It was such a nice tribute and a warm memory for me. I hope to try your meatballs someday. Your nephew is adorable.
Sophia
Elizabeth
You’re welcome! :-) Their taste and smell brought back a lot of memories. I’ll have to try her original recipe next. Miss you guys!
Leanna
What can be a substitution for the almond flour?. Nut allergy in the family. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
If you aren’t looking for a paleo version, try these! https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/keftedes/ If you still need paleo, just leave the almond flour out and you should be fine :-)
Shelly
I have never heard of Romesco Sauce! The meatballs look amazing and Ivan is a cutie! I’m pinning for later and will Stumble this one! Thanks for sharing!