Cast Iron Almond Flour ITalian Meatballs
A sweet friend of mine showed up at my door over a year ago (after I had my third baby) with a cast iron pan in hand and the most beautifully wrapped loaf of sourdough. She handed me the pretty pan full of homemade meatballs and left it with me to bake! OH MY GOSH did that make me feel special! Wow. You left your prized cast iron for me in place of some beat up plastic tupperware!? ICONIC. She is a creator of all things beauty. Anyway, I have continued this tradition myself and have dropped this meal off for so many friends because it is so delicious and easy and it’s a crowd pleaser.
Anyway, it had never crossed my mind to put my meatballs in a cast iron pan! and OHHH are THEY DELICIOUS!!! You will notice flavor bursting forth 70 fold. My meatball recipe that I have carefully crafted and authored here is a recipe to be used for anytime of the week. This will put store bought meatballs to shame. They are so big and juicy and beautiful! With the tiny thin asian noodles, this meal actually feels filling but really light and easy too. My kids and hubby Sam seriously go nuts over these! And as the cook, you will have SO MUCH FUN making them! Such a fun experience watching the almond flour mixture brown and then making the big meatballs with your hands, just kind of cool all around…
The Cast Iron: yes, if you don’t have a cast iron, totally ok just use parchment and a baking sheet and the flavor will still speak loudly!
How to make it Dairy-free: Just swap the parm for dairy free parm!
Freeze them: bake for 10 mins less than the final time, put on parchment on baking sheet, freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a double ziplock and you are good to go!
Super Thin Rice noodles: these are also called “rice sticks” and you can find them usually in the ethnic food aisle! These are a key component to the dish so don’t skip these!
As always, comment and share!
XX Shea Steady
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Granules
2/3 cup milk (I used oat milk yum)
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 medium onion finely diced or grated
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 large egg beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 Jars RAO’s Marinara
1 Bag Thin Rice noodles (also called rice sticks or asian rice noodles)
1/4 cup of olive oil (for noodles)
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar or glaze (for noodles)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425°
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large bowl, whisk together nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, garlic granules, Italian Seasoning and almond flour and spread it out in a thin layer on the parchment paper
Bake for 2-3 mins until browned (watch closely because it happens quick!)
While that is baking, mix together in a separate bowl: beat the egg and milk together and then add the ground beef and mix with a spatula until well combined, add the parmesan, parsley, fresh onion and fresh garlic and continue mixing, slowly add dry ingredients that came from the oven and continue mixing
With your hands, form into 8 large meatballs and place in your cast iron skillet (see photo)
Start cooking the noodles according to package instructions. Once they are done cooking, pour 1/4 cup olive oil on them and set aside
Cover with tinfoil and cook for 15 mins. Remove tin foil from meatballs and cook for another 9 mins (an internal temp of 165˚F should be reached)
Drain excess fat, top with RAO’s Marinara, sprinkle with parm and serve with the thin “rice sticks” (asian rice noodles) and drizzle the balsamic over it all. YUM
