Meatballs go a long way if you’re trying to include some meat protein into your meal but don’t want to make a meatloaf or something with a ton of meat involved! I love having these all seasons of the year. It’s really versatile to add to pastas ?, soups ?, and with rice ? or potatoes ?.
There is a version that I make with a sweet and sour sauce and beef + pork meatballs but this is an easy peasy fast recipe with just pork! You can get rounds (“tubes”) of ground pork at Costco for just over $10 and split them up into 3 or 4 bags so you can freeze some for later. For this recipe, I used about 900g of lean ground pork. Fun fact: pork protein contains all nine essential amino acids necessary for your body’s growth and maintenance. It also contains Vitamin B6 & B12, which are needed for blood formation, formation of brain cells, and making red blood cells. Depending on the pork, there is a large variance of how much fat there is so I usually go with the lean version (moderation is always key!).
This recipe makes you tons of meatballs so you can freeze some for later or serve a lot of people. Up to you! (I could eat about 20+ of these babies by myself so…..?)
Tasty Pork Meatballs
For a protein addition to a variety of meals, these tasty meatballs are sure to please!
Ingredients
- 900 g lean ground pork
- 2 tsp salt and pepper
- 1 pinch dried rosemary
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- drizzle olive oil
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1 egg
- bread crumbs or gluten free panko I put a healthy amount in, meaning enough so the entire ground pork gets covered in a light layer sprinkled over top
Instructions
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Baking: Preheat oven to 400 F.
Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and using clean hands to knead and mix all the dry ingredients and olive oil into the ground pork. If the pork holds a lot of moisture, add in a little more bread crumbs or gluten free panko. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.
In your hands, shape into round spheres by rolling them gently. Make balls that are about 1 inch or slightly smaller. If baking, place them on a greased baking tray or directly onto a silicon baking mat in a baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned on the outside and meat is no longer pink on the inside.
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To cook on the stovetop:
I would suggest using a cast iron frying pan! If this is not an option, a stainless steel pan will work. The pans need to get hot enough to sear the outsides of the meatballs, so because non-stick pans eventually lose their coating if they are constantly on high heat, they are not suggested.
On medium high, fry the meatballs for a couple minutes on each side, rotating them gently with tongs. Turn up the heat to high and sear the sides until they are a lovely crisp brown.
Then – add to whatever you want!
Recipe Notes
To freeze, let meatballs cool. You can start the freezing process by freezing them not touching each other on a tray for 20-30 minutes, then transfer to an airtight bag/container. If you don’t care about all the meatballs freezing together since you’ll just defrost it to use all at once, you can skip the individual freezing part.
