This is a very quick and easy meatball recipe that yields nutritious and delicious meatballs. You can make strictly carnivore meatballs with just ground beef, eggs, and salt or add liver, bonemeal, and grated cheese for more nutritious and flavorful meatballs.
Beef is the best meat you can eat on the carnivore diet. Liver is supernutritious and, no doubt, the superhero of the carnivore diet. Bonemeal can increase your calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus intake. Cheese is also an added source of calcium if you can tolerate it.
This recipe will take you just under 10 minutes and it’s so easy that you literally can’t go wrong with it.
Ingredients
- 2 lb (~900g) ground beef
- 2 medium eggs
- 3 ounces (~85g) beef liver, blended (optional)
- 1 tbsp bonemeal (optional)
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese powder or ⅔ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 2 tsp sea salt (1¾ tsp sea salt if cheese is included)
- Tallow
Notes
In my experience, ground beef with 80% lean seems to be the best for meatballs. Using very lean ground beef will yield dry meatballs.
You can substitute ground beef for ground lamb, ground pork, or ground chicken fully or partially but ground beef is the best choice for carnivore folks.
Beef liver, bonemeal, and cheese powder are all optional. Beef liver and bonemeal will make your meatballs a little more nutritious and cheese powder gives them better flavor. But you can absolutely make them with just ground beef, eggs, and salt.
If you are not used to eating fresh beef liver with its strong offal taste, you can substitute it with 3 tbsp liver pate.
Similarly, if you are not used to adding bonemeal to your dish, please start with a small amount (e.g. 1 tsp) at first. Bonemeal can help you increase your intake of calcium and magnesium, especially for older people whose ability to absorb magnesium declines significantly with age. [1, 2]
I often use Parmesan cheese but you can use other cheeses like Italian cheese blend or Mozzella.
If you can handle herbs and spices and are cooking to share with non-carnivore family members, add 1 tsp dried parsley, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and a pinch of ground black pepper for enhanced flavor.
Instructions
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground beef, eggs, beef liver paste, bonemeal, cheese, and sea salt until just combined. Don’t over-mix.
Step 2
Oil your hands before lightly rolling the mixture into small meatballs about 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in diameter.
If you eat the meatballs on their own, they should be pretty big. If you eat them with other dishes (e.g. stew or soup), they should be a lot smaller. If you make them for appetizers or snacks or for your little ones, they should also be small.
Try to keep the meatballs the same size so that they cook evenly.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place the meatballs on a lightly greased baking sheet (or line it with parchment/baking paper/foil). Leave small gaps between the meatballs. Place the baking tray in the middle of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. The meatballs should be well-browned but still spongy and not hard.
Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and serve.
Using a frying pan
You can also cook the meatballs quicker using a frying pan following the instructions below:
- Heat two tablespoons of tallow in a frying pan over medium heat
- When the tallow is hot, add the meatballs to the pan, making sure they are not overcrowded
- Cook for about 10 minutes in total. Roll them over gently every couple of minutes.
You can also cook the meatball using an air fryer if you own one.
If you enjoy this recipe, you can double or triple the recipe to save time.
Frozen meatballs taste just as delicious as fresh ones.
If you want to eat freshly-cooked meatballs every time, you can make a large batch of the meatball mixture and store it in multiple small freezer bags and use it up gradually.
You can also freeze the raw meatballs by placing them on a baking tray and freezing them overnight. After that, you can transfer them into containers or ziplock bags to freeze for later use.
Other recipes that you may be interested in:
How to Blanch Meat to Make Raw Meat Safer
Carnivore Chicken Broth Recipe
Carnivore Sticky Lamb Ribs Recipe
What Are the Best Ways to Cook Meat on the Carnivore Diet?
Disclaimer: The information in this post is for reference purposes only and is not intended to constitute or replace professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified medical professional before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle. Please check out our disclaimer for more detail.