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I’m a pasta loving girl. I love eating it and I love making it! And making AIP Meatballs is just part of the party. I even attempted making gnocchi a long time ago during my pre-Paleo days. Squishing mashed potatoes with flour and then making little potato shaped pastas. So fun. I’m pretty sure that was a cook until 2 in the morning kind of night. Needless to say, there’s no comfort food quite like a good pasta.

Unless it’s a good Paleo pasta with meatballs.

Now we’re talking.

I struggled for a long time to find any kind of meatball recipe that wouldn’t fall apart without adding bread crumbs. I tried every Paleo flour with absolutely no fantastic results. Arrowroot made everything really chewy, and almond didn’t hold it together. Eggs made the meatballs too eggy and I finally gave up and just cooked ground beef with my favorite Italian herbs.

But I came across a happy accident one day: if you season your meatballs with garlic granules, it adds just enough of a flour substance and holds together very nicely because the granules absorb liquid from the meat. At least that’s what I think is happening!

And it makes the meatball taste fantastic.

I pan fry my meat balls, but you are welcome to bake yours! They hold up both ways.

Perfect Paleo AIP Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tbs garlic granules or powder
• 10-12 fresh basil leaves chopped (or 1 tbs dried basil)

Directions:

1. Preheat a frying pan/skillet to medium high heat.
2. Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and use hands to mix in herbs.
3. Shape raw meat into balls (approximately 1-2 inches in diameter) and place into pan.
4. Cover frying pan with a lid and let cook for about 5-6 minutes before rotating sides and cooking another 5-6 minutes.
5. Make sure your meat is thoroughly cooked on all sides at this point. Increase cooking time if necessary.
6. Remove from heat and serve as an appetizer or with pasta!