Since adapting to the Ketogenic Diet, have you ever visited your favourite Swedish furniture store and walked past the cafe? Ever got a whiff of those amazing smelling Meatballs which are more famous that it’s flat-pack furniture? Ever walked passed into onto the House ware section with a look of disappointment and sense of disarray because we can’t have them? Well do not fear!

The rain in Northern England was Biblical over the weekend so my girlfriend suggested a trip to Ikea to pick up a few things for the house, which I reluctantly agreed to. So after strolling through this wooden hell-hole, I’m male – we all think that, I worked up quite an appetite and we serendipitously stumbled across the cafe around 3/4s of the way – to my delight.

I always remember having the meatballs with those creamy mashed potatoes and creamy gravy when my parents used to take me around there – and I nearly cracked. My girlfriend ordered them as she is abstaining from Keto for a couple of days as she prepares to go on holiday. As the server was dishing her plate up I was so tempted to mirror her order but after a quick Google in the queue to reinstate my first thought that they were too carb-heavy I sat down and resentfully tucked into a Salmon salad, cussing at every mouthful.

To say not having those meatballs ruined my day would be an understatement. Obviously I know that you have to make sacrifices whilst abiding to this diet but naturally, I’m greedy and when I can’t have something it really winds me up. So with the fire in my belly I planned my Keto Meatballs all the way home.

Being The Casual Keto Chef, the recipe had to be easy, and dare I say Casual, but still absolutely phenomenal and after tinkering with the recipe over Saturday night and Sunday I believe I’ve got them spot on! If you follow my blog you’d know that I like to keep it simple but tasty and I think this recipe optimises that!

Also I cannot recommend investing in a Casual Meatball Maker. They make this process so much easier and just improve your cooking experience! I wrote a full in-depth review of this product which can be found here – https://casualketoclub.home.blog/2019/07/29/casual-meatball-maker/

We had these on Saturday and Sunday with baked Cauliflower Mash (the recipe for you can find here : https://casualketoclub.home.blog/2019/07/25/the-best-baked-bangers-cauliflower-mash-recipe/ ) and honestly it was delicious – the gravy and mash together is just perfect! If you cannot find Zucchini then you can use Grated Butternut Squash as well J

So enjoy this easy, casual Keto Dinner (or it can even be eaten as a Keto lunch or snack!) by following the recipe below! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed and remember to follow me on social media!

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Nutrition

Amount Per Serving (6 Meatballs)

Calories 544         

Fat 24g                

Saturated Fat 21g         

Sodium 348mg      

Carbohydrates 1g        

Fibre 2g              

Protein 28g     

Ingredients

-500g/1lb of Minced Pork

-500g/1lb of Minced Beef

-1 Medium Zucchini (You can also use Squash for this)

-1 egg

-2 Fat Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

-30g/2 Tablespoons of Butter

-1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

-250ml/1 Cup of Chicken Stock

-15g/1 Tablespoon of Wholegrain Mustard

-284ml/1 Cup of Heavy/Double Cream

-Salt

-Pepper

Method

1. Grate the Zucchini into a large bowl and add the chopped garlic, minced pork and beef, olive oil, egg and salt & pepper to taste.

2. Mix with your Hands until just combined – do not over work the mixture or you’ll end up with tough meatballs.

3. Melt the butter into a large heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet

4. Use your Casual Meatball Maker to make 18 Meatballs – or if you don’t have one yet then roll them with your hands and make 18 equally sized balls.

5. Cook the meatballs for 3-4 minutes on each side until lightly browned and then add the cream and mustard and summer for 5-10 minutes

6. When the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened – I find around 8 minutes – add the Chicken Stock and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes – in this time I made my Cauliflower mash

7. Serve with Mash and pour the gravy from the pan over the top and enjoy!

Tips

The Casual Meatball Maker makes life so much more easier and can be found here: https://thecasualketochef.bigcartel.com/product/the-casual-meatball-maker

Thank you and best of luck in making these Meatballs! The Casual Keto Chef.