Honey Chipotle Meatballs (Paleo, Gluten Free)

These Honey Chipotle Meatballs are slightly sweet and slightly spicy and packed full of great flavor! This easy meatball recipe makes a fun appetizer. Or you can serve them over a baked sweet potato or zucchini noodles for a complete meal.

Honey Chipotle Meatballs - these are a huge winner! #paleo #glutenfree via Primally Inspired

This recipe comes courtesy of the brand new, not yet released and absolutely beautiful, Paleo Cupboard Cookbook. Thank you to the author, Amy for sharing this wonderful recipe and for creating such a beautiful resource for my readers. This gorgeous cookbook is jam packed with over 140 Paleo recipes and 8 weeks worth of meal plans! You can pre-order the cookbook on Amazon HERE. It’s a good one!

I made these Honey Chipotle Meatballs last night and they were a big hit with everyone! We like a lot of flavor and spice so I took Amy’s suggestion and doubled the chipotle chili powder and dry mustard. And you know I’m all about easy so I just popped the meatballs right in the oven for 25 minutes and didn’t bother browning them in the skillet first. They turned out fabulous! I hope you get a chance to try them soon! Enjoy the recipe below 🙂

Easy Paleo Recipes & Holistic Living

Honey Chipotle Meatballs Recipe

Honey Chipotle Meatballs (Paleo, Gluten Free)

Author:

The Paleo Cupboard Cookbook

Serves: 16-20 meatballs

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These meatballs make a great appetizer, or you can serve them over zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice for a main dish. You can adjust the amount of chipotle powder and dry mustard in the sauce to suit your taste: use less if you are sensitive to heat, or add more if you like things a little spicier!

Ingredients

For the meatballs

¾ pound ground beef
¾ pound ground pork
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ghee, lard, or tallow

For the sauce

½ cup chicken stock
⅓ cup tomato paste
¼ cup raw honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder or chili powder (I use THIS)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon dry yellow mustard
3 green onions, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make the meatballs: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the ground beef and pork, onion, garlic, egg, salt, and pepper with your hands until just combined. Form the mixture into meatballs 1½ inches in diameter.
Melt the ghee in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 5 minutes, turning frequently, until browned on all sides. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce: Place all of the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk to combine. Bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Taste and add additional chipotle powder or dry mustard if desired.
Once the meatballs are done cooking, use a slotted spoon to transfer them tothe pan with the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with chopped green onion, if desired, and serve.

Notes

Try this! If you’re serving these meatballs as an appetizer, sprigs of fresh rosemary make a great substitute for toothpicks and add a bit of extra flavor.