I modified my low sodium meatball recipe to make it Whole30 compliant by substituting the milk and bread with a flax egg mixture. Not only does this make the meatballs Whole30 approved, it also lowered the sodium just a little. This is a great low sodium staple that comes together in 30 minutes for a quick meatball sandwich or your favorite zoodle and meatball dinner.
Servings: 30 meatballs
Sodium: 21 mg sodium per meatball
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 medium shallots, diced small
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1 large egg
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon regular or smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano (or basil)
1 tablespoon salt free mustard (like Westbrae's) or 1 tsp dry ground mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1) In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax seed and 1/4 cup warm water and stir. Warm water is about 90-110°F. Hotter than room temperature, but not quite hot enough to make tea. Let this sit for at least 5 minutes until the mixture becomes thick. This mixture is called a flax egg and it's often used in vegan recipes as a egg substitute. I'm using it here in place of the milk and bread that I normally use meatballs.
2) In a small skillet or pan, heat up enough oil to coat the pan and cook the shallots and garlic over medium heat until soft, about 5-6 minutes.
3) Combine all the ingredients, including the flax egg and cooked shallots and garlic, in a large bowl and mix well to combine.
4) Preheat your oven to 425°F.
5) Roll into 30 meatballs and place evenly on two half-sheet pans lined with foil or parchment paper. I find the easiest way to form equal-ish sized meatballs is to break off each meatball and place on your sheet pans and eyeball it so each is about the same size. Once you're satisfied with the sizing, roll them into neat balls. Rub your palms with a little bit of water if the meat sticks to your hands.
6) Bake for 10-12 minutes and serve hot.
7) For zucchini noodles, aka "zoodles." You don't really need a recipe for this but here's what I did. I just got this OXO handheld spiralizer and it works great. It's also very small and easy to clean and store. One medium sized zuccini is about one serving, so I made two servings, one green and one yellow zucchini. Wash and trim one end of the zucchini so it's flat. Spiralize and then sauté with a little garlic and oil for about 2 minutes. Toss with your favorite Whole30 compliant, low sodium sauce. I made my own with unsalted tomato sauce, olive oil, lots of herbs, and a splash of balsamic vinegar.