Sweet and Sour Meatballs (Low Carb)

Slightly sweet and tangy, these low carb Sweet and Sour Meatballs are a healthy version of comfort food. Eat alone or pair with cauliflower rice for a delicious, filling meal. This recipe is low carb, gluten free, keto friendly, and a Trim Healthy Mama S Fuel!

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I have had ideas for this recipe for a very long time, but I finally got around to tweaking it to my liking, so now I can share it with you! I may or may not have had these for both lunch AND dinner yesterday. (Ok, I did.) They were so good!

You do not have to use my meatball recipe . . . you can use any low carb recipe you like, but at the end of this post I will give some suggestions for Trim Healthy Mamas. You can easily make the meatballs a FP, and then you can eat them with brown rice for an E Fuel (my favorite way)!

The meatballs themselves are easy to make, and can even be made ahead and frozen. On the day you want to make this recipe, just pull them out to thaw, then all you have to do is make the sauce and heat the meatballs! So easy!

I chose to use a tomato based sauce so I could keep these low carb (a THM-S), but I would really love to experiment with using pineapple in the sauce (which would make them a THM-E). I already have a Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe that I love! (It is made in the Instant Pot, which is a big plus for me! Can you say EASY?)

If you are not a big fan of the peppers or onions in your sauce, you can omit them, but they do help add to the bulk of the sauce.

So, what do you need for these Sweet and Sour Meatballs?

For the Meatballs:

3/4 Pounds Ground Meat (I used Elk, but you can use Venison or Beef)

2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Onion

1.5 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

¼ Teaspoon Thyme

1/2 Tablespoon Parsley

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (optional)

1 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Egg

1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil

For the Sauce:

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 Tablespoon Xylitol

½ Teaspoon Garlic Salt

2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (or Soy Sauce)

½ Cup Water

Other Ingredients:

½ Onion, Sliced

½ Green Bell Pepper, chopped

½ Sweet Red Pepper, chopped

If you want to turn this into an E Meal (Trim Healthy Mamas), make sure you use very lean burger, brown the meatballs in a small amount of water (instead of oil) in the skillet, replace the egg with 3 Tablespoons Egg Whites, and replace the Heavy Whipping Cream with Unsweetened Almond Milk. This should keep the meatballs and sauce a Fuel Pull, which you could then eat with brown rice! Yay!

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5 from 3 votes

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Slightly sweet and tangy, these low carb Sweet and Sour Meatballs are a healthy version of comfort food. Eat alone or pair with cauliflower rice for a delicious, filling meal.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Calories: 264 kcal

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• 3/4 Pounds Ground Meat I used Elk, but you can use Venison or Beef
• 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Onion
• 1.5 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
• ¼ Teaspoon Thyme
• 1/2 Tablespoon Parsley
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil

For the Sauce:

• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1 Tablespoon Xylitol
• ½ Teaspoon Garlic Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce
• ½ Cup Water

Other Ingredients:

• ½ Onion Sliced
• ½ Green Bell Pepper chopped
• ½ Sweet Red Pepper chopped

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients (except toasted sesame oil) together, until well combined.

2. Place toasted sesame oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat.

3. Brown meatballs for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until almost cooked through.
4. Remove meatballs from skillet.
5. Add onions and peppers to the skillet and sauté until vegetables are tender.
6. Mix tomato paste, xylitol, garlic salt, rice vinegar, liquid aminos, and water.
7. Place the meatballs back in the skillet, then pour the sauce over the meatballs and pepper mixture.
8. Cover with a lid, turn heat down and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until sauce has reduced some and meatballs are cooked through.

9. Serve with cauliflower rice.

Recipe Notes

If you want to turn this into an E Meal (Trim Healthy Mamas), make sure you use very lean burger, brown the meatballs in a small amount of water (instead of oil) in the skillet, replace the egg with 3 Tablespoons Egg Whites, and replace the Heavy Whipping Cream with Unsweetened Almond Milk. This should keep the meatballs and sauce a Fuel Pull, which you could then eat with brown rice! Yay!

 

Note: Nutritional information was calculated using 90% lean ground beef.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Amount Per Serving (5 Meatballs)

Calories 264 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 14g 22%

Total Carbohydrates 9g 3%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Protein 22g 44%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.