These slow cooker meatballs are browned first in coconut oil, then simmered with my chunky tomato sauce for lovely meatballs that meet many special diet needs. [Vegetarian and vegan readers, I have a link to a great meatless recipe below!]
When I switched over to the migraine diet and started eating fewer starchy foods, at first I was hungry. All. The. Time. The Husband even started joking that I must have a tapeworm, because I was ravenous. Once my body got used to eating meat and animal protein again, lots of high-quality saturated fat, and almost no grains—all very good for migraine brains—then I wasn’t nearly as hungry as before the big change. I always have grass-fed beef burgers from Trader Joe’s in the freezer, and I love to make meatballs or meatloaf and freeze extra servings for quick dinners.
You will need 3 cups of tomato sauce for this recipe.
I served these over zucchini “noodles” for a completely grain-free meal. You need a spiralizer to cut them like this; you can also hand cut them or use a mandoline. For best results, simmer the noodles in a little tomato sauce sauce for about three minutes to warm and soften them.
Suitable for:
low-sodium, migraine, gluten-free, paleo, grain-free, soy-free, GFCF, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
vegan or vegetarian diets
You might also like:
Cindy’s Paleo Italian meatballs from Cindy’s Table (not low-sodium)
Vegetarian meatballs from Cookin’ Canuck (not GF or low-sodium)
Slow cooker meatballs | Paleo, migraine-friendly, low-sodium
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil divided
- 1 bunch onions (green) scallions, spring onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 24 ounces beef (grass-fed) ground, or a mixture of ground beef and ground pork, 85% lean
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds ground (35 g)
- 2 eggs pastured
- 1 tsp basil (dried)
- 1 tsp oregano (dried)
- 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley (fresh) chopped
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Turn your slow cooker to low and add 3 cups of tomato sauce.
- Wash the green onions, remove the tops, bottoms, and any bad leaves. Slice thinly.
- Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions and garlic about 5 minutes until starting to turn gold.
- Turn out into a large bowl and let cool. Do not clean the pan.
- Add the meat, eggs, sunflower seeds, the browned onion mixture, and the spices. Mix with your hands or a large spoon just until well blended. (Overmixing toughens the meat.)
- Form 16 meatballs (about 2"/5 cm) with your hands or an ice cream scoop.
- Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the onion pan. Heat to shimmering on medium-high heat.
- Add meatballs and brown on all sides, about five minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Add meatballs to sauce in slow cooker. Stir until each is coated with sauce. Put on lid and cook for 4-6 hours.
Notes
- 116 calories
- 8 g fat
- 2 g saturated fat
- 1 g monounsaturated fat
- 1 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 31 g cholesterol
- 37 mg sodium
- 56 mg potassium
- 1 g carbohydrate
- 1 g fiber
- 0 g sugars
- 10 g protein
- 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus
How much sauce do you put in the crockpot?
Hi Lyn, Sorry for not being more specific. I updated the recipe to reflect 3 cups of sauce, which is what my chunky tomato sauce recipe yields.
Also, instructions do not say what to do with the basil and oregano.
What do you do with the parsley and pepper? The directions do not say. Please reply ASAP. Thank you!
You add all the spices to the meat mixture before forming into meatballs. Sorry! Have updated the instructions. Thanks for catching my mistake!