DANG, GINA.
These meatball lettuce wraps are no freakin’ joke.
They are a ridiculously healthy dinner that comes together in a snap. The longest part is that the meatballs take about 15 minutes to bake in the oven, and while they are baking you can be chopping the fresh veggies like a fruit ninja. Or veggie ninja. Or whatever.
I wish I chopped my vegetables and fruits like on fruit ninja. I think people would like cooking more if that was the case.
I also think there would be a lot more accidental fruit related deaths.
So let’s just stick to chopping things like normal people. We’ll leave the ninja stuff to the professionals.
Anyway, these Thai inspired meatballs are not as “meatbally” as one might think. Normal meatballs usually have milk and bread and eggs in them to hold them together, but these nifty little balls are filled with pork and veggies and lime juice. They are DELISH and so fresh.
Mr. T was recently on a ketosis diet so I was cranking out only the healthiest of dishes for about ten days.
I didn’t want to hand him a plate with steamed chicken and broccoli, though. I wanted him to still enjoy eating while he was limiting his diet.
I think that’s one of the keys to being successful (and happy) while dieting, and I found myself really enjoying the dishes that I turned out for him.
Eating right doesn’t have to be as difficult as we tend to make it. Besides the fact that there is like, NO pizza anywhere in this meal.
That’s the ONLY hard part.
Oh, and Mr. T lost a buttload of weight on this diet. Like, seriously. I don’t really know where his butt went anymore.
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground pork
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 limes, juiced
- 3-4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (for coating the meatballs once they are cooked)
- 1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
- 10 basil leaves, rolled up and sliced
- 5 mint leaves, rolled up and sliced
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 green onion, finely sliced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
- 1/2 large cucumber, scrubbed and julienned
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 5 teaspoons light mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 head of either iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce (either one will work!)
- Extra lime for garnish
- Extra cilantro for garnish
- Extra sriracha
- Preheat your oven to 400° F.
- Mix all the ingredients except for the sweet chili sauce in a medium bowl until evenly combined (the pork, scallions, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, sriracha, salt, and lime juice).
- Lightly spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
- Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon or cookie scoop, scoop out meatball mixture by heaping spoonful and form into balls and place them on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes or until they are fully cooked through in the middle, flipping once half way through with a spatula.
- While the meatballs are baking, combine all coleslaw ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
- Whisk together the rice vinegar, mayonnaise, and sweet chili sauce in a small bowl and pour over the coleslaw, tossing to coat.
- Set aside until the meatballs are finished baking.
- When the meatballs are done, transfer them to a bowl and toss with 3-4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce. Turn the broiler on in your oven and stick them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the outsides start to brown.
- Start with a lettuce leaf and spoon in a pile of coleslaw. Top with three meatballs, a few cilantro leaves, a squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of sriracha.
I thought I used to be obsessed with pizza, and then this baby kicked me in the kidney and reminded me otherwise.
In baby related news… we find out the gender of peanut this week! Can’t wait. I’ll definitely keep you posted. 😉
Looking for other Ketopia friendly recipes? Check these out:
Fish Tacos on cheese crisps:
12 Comments
Oooh these look sooo good. And in lettuce wraps so that totally justifies second helpings! 😉
Amen, sister!
I’ve never met a meatball that I didn’t fall in love with, but they’re usually not all that healthy — these are downright gorgeous too!
Sue, Meatball. Meatball, Sue.
I agree, even when you are on a diet, you can still eat yummy things. This will be great to add to my meal plan. Thank you for sharing 😀
Thank you for stopping by!
These would make such great party bites and perfect for the carb-reduced warmer months.
Totally agree!
You had me at healthy and quick, but dang they do look super delicious too.
Thanks, Sara!
I love Asian flavours, these meatballs are just the ticket, fresh and very tasty
Thanks Tay..
I look forward to more recipes!
The low carb holy grail! These meatballs look like pure perfection, and I loooove that I don’t even have to feel guilty about them! Lettuce wraps save the day once again!