I am a cheap ass…well, that sounds bad. I don’t leave crappy tips or anything…so maybe I should rename myself thrift-ass. I don’t like to pay full price for clothes and I most certainly don’t want to spend more than I have to on good quality food. I understand “You get what you pay for.”, but that doesn’t mean I have to constantly pay for the pricer cuts of meat. Thai Basil Beef is usually made with flank steak, which, sure, it’s not the moooost expensive cut, at around $10-12/lb, but when you’re feeding 2 carnivores that try to eat mostly grass-fed animals, that sh*t adds up fast. So I’ve made a thrift-ass version of Thai Basil Beef using ground beef.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs ground beef (preferably 80/20)
- 1/2 c almond flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 roasted red pepper, about 1/3 c, chopped
- 1/4 c wheat-free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 t fish sauce
- 1 t sriracha, chile sauce or hot sauce
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 lime, zested
- salt
Method
Preheat your oven 400ºF.
In a small skillet, heat up a teaspoon or 2 of your fat of choice and saute the garlic until it’s golden, but not brown.
In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients (except the beef). Now add the beef and mix well, making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
Portion out the mixture, using a cookie scoop, onto a parchment or silicone/silpat lined baking sheet.
Pop in the oven until cooked through, and the tops have slightly browned (you may need to switch to broil), about 20-30 minutes.
56 Comments
Linds Eats
March 7, 2012 at 1:17 pmthose look incredibly delicious! you guys make my mouth water!
Andrea
March 7, 2012 at 3:30 pmThese look kick ass. My mental pantry inventory tells me I have everything I need for those.
It just recently occured to me that any meatball I make can, sans binder, become a lettuce wrap. Like larb. Because they’re fun.
Beth
March 7, 2012 at 4:33 pmI’m having a hard time finding chili sauce or sriracha that does not have sugar in it. What brand do you use and where do you get it? Thanks! I really really really want to make these!
megan keatley
March 9, 2012 at 1:27 pmwe don’t really worry about microscopic amounts of sugar, especially in things that don’t taste sweet–like chili sauce, hot sauce and the likes.
Amy
March 7, 2012 at 7:11 pmHoly balls these are good.
megan keatley
March 9, 2012 at 1:26 pmso glad you liked them amy. thanks!!
marlo
March 8, 2012 at 2:07 amHad these tonight with the paleo pad thai and it blew my mind. You help make my life so much better!
megan keatley
March 9, 2012 at 1:26 pmyay! thank you so much marlo!
Jillian
March 9, 2012 at 1:35 pmI made these last night with the Sunshine Sauce from the Well Fed cookbook, and they were ridiculously good. They’re definitely a new favorite. Thank you!
megan keatley
March 13, 2012 at 9:53 amawesome. thanks jillian!
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March 9, 2012 at 9:04 pm[…] health-bent.com via Emily on […]
Katie
March 12, 2012 at 10:21 pmMade these tonight and they are amazing!!!! Any reason though you suggest 80/20 ground beef? Mine were a bit fatty.
megan keatley
March 13, 2012 at 9:54 ami find (personally) anything leaner is just too dry.
Rachel @ the minimalist mom
March 13, 2012 at 6:04 pmYum. Made these up as a dinner with dip and veggies.Much like the Asian Pork Meatball recipe, this one is going into regular rotation.
Oh yeah, with all that I have learned from your recipes here I whipped together a mayo dip with chili garlic sauce, wheat free soy sauce and a splash of fish sauce. So good with the meatballs and carrots celery and broccoli.
I <3 Health Bent!
gayle nadal-sims
March 14, 2012 at 6:21 ammy husband said they were the best meatballs he’s ever had! ever!!!
ren
March 14, 2012 at 4:58 pmcan i use turkey instead of beef, bragg’s amino acids and dried basil?
Againstthegrain
March 19, 2012 at 3:15 pmMade these last night, with a 50-50 mixture of grass fed ground beef (which is too lean by itself IMO) and ground pork (provides the fat needed to bind grass fed ground beef). I used a 1.5″ “dough” scoop which made made enough for 2 baking pans of meat balls (about 2 doz on each pan), which for our family of three is enough for a meal and plenty of leftovers. I used a Silpat on one sheet pan and a rack on the other. Both methods worked well.
I also made a basil dipping sauce for the meatballs (can also be used as salad dressing). I already had some homemade mayo in the fridge (pure olive oil; whole egg; white wine, or rice vinegar and/or lemon juice; bit of prepared brown mustard; sea salt & pepper; dash of paprika), so I used about a half cup of the mayo, the juice of one lime, a quirt each of fish sauce and wheat-free raw & traditionally fermented tamari-soy sauce, 1/4 cup chopped and packed fresh basil leaves, a tiny bit of red Thai curry paste, and a clove of fresh garlic. I blended it in a tall narrow container with an (hand held) immersion blender until very smooth and creamy, adjusting seasonings to taste. I served the sauce in tiny Asian fish shaped Asian bowls and we ate the meatballs with chopsticks. It was a big hit.
pat
March 20, 2012 at 9:45 pm“Thrift-ass”
LOL!
Love it.
These look amazing. Will make this the next time I get a hankering for meat balls.
Question for ya: what’s the purpose of coconut aminos or soy sauce? Can’t do soy sauce right now, and I’m not sure I could source coconut aminos without having to give up my first child.
Thanks!!!
Sophie
March 27, 2012 at 5:27 pmHi, I’m about to make these today only I’m wondering whether ‘t’ means tablespoon or teaspoon…
Sophie
March 27, 2012 at 5:28 pmUm, just seen the answer to my question, lol. Cheers!
megan keatley
March 28, 2012 at 2:57 pm😉
Jenny
April 1, 2012 at 9:27 pmMade these tonight, with half ground pork, they were freakin amazing! Will be making again and again. Thank you!!!!
Maggie
April 9, 2012 at 6:16 pmThese are great. My (non-paleo) husband has even requested them multiple times. Kudos to you and THANKS for all your great stuff!!! 🙂
megan keatley
April 11, 2012 at 1:19 pmyou are very welcome maggie!
Rick
April 17, 2012 at 12:08 pmHi,
From the picture it looked so ridiculously tasty I had to have’m too. So I followed the recipe to the letter but the end result was rather bland tasting so obviously I must be doing something very wrong. Can someone clue me in on this?
megan keatley
April 17, 2012 at 12:21 pmi don’t usually discuss salt quantities, as it’s such a personal preference…but i’m guessing that may be the issue. it’s incredibly important in helping bring out/enhance the flavors in the meatballs.
Bridget
April 30, 2012 at 3:32 pmThese look so good, I can’t wait to make them! I had a question about spice level. I love spicy food but the children can’t handle too much. Any thoughts? I can split the batch in two but will the recipe as written be too spicy for 6 year old’s?
Thanks!
Bridget M.
May 6, 2012 at 8:02 pmThese meatballs are AMAZING! Vi gobbled them up (pretty good, considering her not-yet 5yo palate) and J. says he wants them in heavy rotation in our meal prep schedule. Thanks, Megan & Brandon!! Hope to connect with you guys IRL soonest!
xoxo Bridget
megan keatley
May 10, 2012 at 9:14 amyay!!! i had to double check who wrote this after i read IRL. what a great surprise!
Kate
May 31, 2012 at 11:46 amThese were delish! I made these with some left over ground beef that I had in the fridge last week. I didn’t have any almond flour on-hand so I made them without flour. They stayed together really well and were extremely moist (yummm…).
Served alongside the Paleo Pad Thai dish on this site and the two recipes blended perfectly together. Thanks! You guys make great food.
megan keatley
May 31, 2012 at 12:01 pmawesome. thanks so much kate!
AdronsCatherine
June 6, 2012 at 11:16 pmHoly wow! I had my 14 year old foodie daughter whip this up for dinner tonight. She opted to turn it into a loaf instead of balls, and it turned out amazingly yummy!!! We had some Thai basil that she used in it instead of the regular. This is totally going into our regular rotation! Thank you!!!
megan keatley
June 12, 2012 at 2:47 pmhow awesome! thanks so much adronscatherine
Alycia
July 22, 2012 at 7:50 pmDoes the recipe call for adding lime juice as well as the zest?
megan keatley
July 22, 2012 at 9:34 pmjust the zest
Jan
August 12, 2012 at 6:02 pmI added the lime juice, and they were still delish!
Lisa H.
August 18, 2012 at 8:30 pmBest. Meatballs. EVER. These are so good! We’re thinking of baking up quadruple batches and freezing them so as to have some on hand at all times. So, so tasty.
Rhi
November 9, 2012 at 11:06 pmcould I use tobasco sauce?
Health-Bent
November 9, 2012 at 11:49 pmWould be fine ‘n dandy.
Liz N.
November 14, 2012 at 9:28 pmThese were outstanding! I can’t wait for leftovers! I would definitely recommend serving with a Sriracha mayo dipping sauce. I think this is another entertaining-worthy recipe. The advice to stick to using 80/20 ground beef is true. Any leaner and it will taste dry. I love going through the recipe archives because there are so many great ones I haven’t tried yet! I just can’t wait for the cookbook to come out. Will it be available for pre-order soon?!
megan keatley
November 15, 2012 at 12:52 pmaw, thank you so much liz.
we’ve turned in the manuscript. gotten great feedback, but still waiting on final info a/b release date and everything. a bit frustrating, as i’m just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs.
Liz N.
November 15, 2012 at 12:55 pmWe’ll be waiting in anticipation, along with you and Brandon. I’ll need to figure out a way to have you guys sign our book when we get it. Do I feel a book tour coming to Colorado?! 😉
Ashley
December 4, 2012 at 8:41 pmI don’t normally comment on blog posts…ever, but I couldn’t let this one slide. I made these tonight with grass-fed beef from Whole Foods and OMG they were SO GOOD! I could taste every flavor perfectly and they all complimented each other so divinely. I look forward to making many more of your recipes and digging into the Paleo lifestyle!
No more excuses. I will make good choices. | Mark's Daily Apple Health and Fitness Forum page
January 9, 2013 at 5:10 pm[…] few balance poses, but overall I am pleased with my performance. Went home to the boy who had made these, which he is obsessed with. (I will convert him to primal….its already starting…) I skipped […]
Ashley
February 1, 2013 at 12:15 pmWhen you say roasted red peppers are you referring to red bell peppers? If not is there a particular place to get that or is there a substitute?
Health-Bent
February 2, 2013 at 12:35 amYep, red bell peppers are the ones.
Danielle
February 4, 2013 at 2:14 pmPaired great with the pad thai!
Hanna
February 27, 2013 at 5:52 pmHey there – making these tonight. Quick question – the lime, is it just the zest or the juice too!
Thanks!
Brent
April 21, 2013 at 10:55 amJust made these last night and they were awesome!.
megan keatley
April 25, 2013 at 3:35 pmyay, thanks brent!
Jess
May 8, 2013 at 1:06 pmSo excited!! I just happen to have some fresh Thai basil on hand:). I know that I will love them… Hopping my 4, 3 and almost 1 year olds will too :)’
Jess
May 9, 2013 at 11:21 pmUpdate: FREAKIN’ FABULOUS!
My 4yo “momma, you can make these anytime…even when I’m growed up!”
3yo cleaned her plate and 10mo old ate 3 meatballs
TOTAL WINNER, THANK YOU!
Kay
October 18, 2013 at 1:27 pmCould you tell me how much salt approx? I know its usually to taste but I can’t really taste it until its cooked 😀
Vanda
October 22, 2013 at 11:48 pmThe biggest compliment I can give you is that my 6 year old ASKED for “1000” of these. My daughter is SO PICKY, so thank you so much for this recipe! I loved it too and will definitely be making these regularly. I made them with Mel’s Sunshine Sauce on the advice of a previous poster. Delicious!!
Susannah
January 25, 2014 at 4:56 pmAbout how many meatballs does this make? Trying to plan them for a party for 10 and wondering about whether I should double the batch (probably, so I have leftovers!)
Susannah
January 26, 2014 at 3:34 pmAnswered my own question by making the batch – without doubling it made about 55 meatballs – plenty as an appetizer for 10. Smells awesome – hope they taste as good as they smell!