Italian Style Meatballs over a bed of Spinach

This last weekend was nice and relaxing which is what I needed after last week.  Valentine's day consisted of sleeping in, going on a beautiful stroll outside in the super sunny weather at both Cathedral and Pier Parks in St. Johns, seeing a movie, and going to the Beijing Hot Pot out on 82nd.  Sunday I went to my friend's baby shower and did the normal house chores including grocery shopping and making this wonderful Sunday supper.  In other news I'm leaving on a last minute work trip to Dallas, TX this Saturday and will be there for about 5 days...anyone have good restaurant tips or must sees in this city?  I will be very busy with the conference we are hosting but I wanted to ask just in case.  Onto the the recipe created by yours truly.

Serves 4

The Ingredients

For the meatballs:

½ cup almond flour
1/3 cup grated onion
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lbs. ground beef
2 tsp. olive oil to fry meatballs


For the sauce:

1 jar paleo marinara sauce or you can make your own with this recipe
1 cup whole fat plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. fresh basil, chopped


To finish:

4 oz. shredded mozzarella or sharp cheddar (we used a mixture)
2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan
4 tbsp. minced fresh basil
A fair amount of spinach to place the meatballs on (2 cups each)


The Process

1.  In a large casserole dish mix together all the sauce ingredients.

2.  Then make the meatballs, combine the almond flour, grated onion, parsley, basil, Parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic and egg.  Stir together with a fork just until blended.  Mix in the ground beef and knead together gently until evenly combined.  Form the mixture into meatballs about 1½-inch in diameter.

3.  Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the meatballs to the pan in a single layer (two batches may be necessary if you don’t have enough surface area.)  Let cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are browned.

4.  Once all of the meatballs are browned, place them in the pan with the tomato sauce.  Sprinkle the mozzarella, cheddar and additional Parmesan over the top.  Bake until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling and the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and garnish with the fresh basil.  Serve warm over a bed of spinach.