In case you didn’t already know, ‘Boerewors’ is a beloved South African sausage that boasts a very unique flavour (coriander seeds and a hint of allspice). I actually have a Boerewors recipe on this site if you are up for the challenge of making your own sausages, but if you aren’t (and long for the flavour … hello fellow South Africans living abroad!) or simply curious to know what all the fuss is about, I have made an easy version for you to sample – in the form of MEATBALLS! And, to keep things slightly authentic, the tomato sauce I have served them in very loosely mimics a ‘smoor’ – the traditional lightly-spiced tomato sauce that often accompanies our beloved ‘Boerie Rolls’. I recommend you serve this dish with Creamy Cauliflower Rice – I have included the macro-breakdown for the inclusion of that as well below the recipe. Geniet!
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Carbs 6.1g | Fat 29g | Protein 27g
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Fats of Life® is a blog that I run as a hobby, but did you know that I am also the author of two cookbooks? My first book Keto Kitchen (published by Kyle Books in 2020) is available worldwide (and has remained one of the best-selling low carb cookbooks in the UK). My second book Lazy Keto Kitchen (coming mid-year, 2021) is currently available to pre-order.
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'Boerewors' Meatballs (Keto)
Per serving
Equipment
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 250 g (8.8 oz) ground beef mince 20% fat
- 250 g (8.8 oz) ground pork mince 12% fat
- 2 TB whole coriander seeds
- 1 TB ground (milled) chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper, generous 6-7 cracks
- 15 g (0.5 oz) lard
For the spiced tomato sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tin chopped / crushed tomatoes, (400g / 14.1oz)
- 1 tsp medium curry powder
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp Swerve® sweetener, confectioners
To finish and serve
- sea salt flakes
- chopped parsley, to garnish
- Creamy Cauliflower Rice, Fats of Life recipe (optional)
Instructions
- Assuming you are serving this over Creamy Cauliflower Rice like we did, prepare that and set aside to keep warm. Proceed with the recipe...
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan oven). This is 180°C for conventional ovens (or 350°F / gas mark 4).
- Combine the pork and beef mince in a large bowl. Add the whole coriander seeds to a mortar and use the pestle to grind well. This can take some time, but its best done this way and we want that lovely texture. Add the ground chia, ground coriander (yes, we also need the very finely ground store-bought ground coriander to enhance the flavour further) and ground allspice. Season the mince mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine very well to ensure it is evenly seasoned with the spices and seasoning. (If you are up for it, use clean, preferably cold hands to get stuck in.) Use a dessert spoon to form small, compact meatballs (approx. 20-25g / 0.7-0.9oz each). Set them aside on a plate.
- To cook the meatballs, melt the lard in a large non-stick pan or wok and fry the meatballs in two batches until browned on the outside. Work gently with them, using a spoon to turn them over. Once browned, set them aside on a tray lined with parchment paper. Once all the meatballs are beautifully caramelised on the outside, transfer the tray to the oven to gently finish cooking through. (Use a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs so all the fat remains in the pan).
- While the meatballs are gently cooking through in the oven, start with the spicy tomato sauce. Add the chopped garlic to the pan. There should be plenty of fat left in the pan. Reduce the heat completely to ensure the garlic does not burn. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape and loosen any bits of meat that may have stuck to the bottom (this is flavour!)
- Once the garlic has softened, tip in the chopped tomatoes, curry powder and ground paprika. Continue to cook until the tomato sauce loses most of it's moisture. Add the sweetener and stir well to combine. Continue to cook until the mixture reduces to a thick consistency. A good test is to run a spatula running along the bottom of the pan: the sauce should remain parted, as pictured.This won't take too long, approx. 10-12 minutes. If you started the sauce straight after putting the meatballs in the oven, 10-12 minutes would be sufficient time for the meatballs to have finished cooking through.
- However, if the steps to make the sauce took you longer to cook, you may want to turn the oven down to very low heat to avoid overcooking the meatballs and drying them out. You may want to test one: cut it open, it shouldn't be pink. NOTE: If you made your meatballs bigger than the size I suggested, they will require longer in the oven to cook.
- To serve, remove the meatballs from the oven and pour in all the fat that runs off from the tray into the tomato sauce. Mix well to emulsify. This step is optional, but why waste fat?
- Serve the meatballs with the sauce (in whichever way you fancy). Don't forget to season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley to add a fresh element. (Funnyman loved it with a drizzle of Portuguese piri-piri olive oil.)
- Enjoy over the Creamy Cauliflower Rice like we did. I have included the macros with the Creamy Cauliflower Rice further down this page.
For those on INSTAGRAM, tag me @mkilianpalmer so we can all see your lovely creations! Keep scrolling: you can PIN this recipe for later, see detailed macros and browse other recipes in this category.
You can also drop me a comment if you have any questions about this recipe. I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Monya xxx
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Nutritional Information per serving (without Creamy Cauliflower Rice)
Calories 395Kcal / 1653kJ
Fat 29g
Carbohydrates 6.1g
Protein 27g
Allergens
None present
Nutritional Information per serving (with Creamy Cauliflower Rice)
Calories 531Kcal / 2221kJ
Fat 40g
Carbohydrates 10g
Protein 33g
Allergens
Milk
Eggs (may be found in some brands of cream cheese - check label)
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Disclaimer: The nutritional analysis, macro and allergen breakdown of the recipes on this site have been manually and carefully calculated using the cloud-based software NUTRITICS®. NUTRITICS® is fully approved by the relevant Trading Standards organizations and is EU and FDA-compliant. The macro calculations are provided as a courtesy to you based on the author's weighing of ingredients when creating the dishes. If Erythritol (a sugar polyol) has been used in any of the recipes, it has already been manually excluded from the final carbohydrate count. The author is a chef - not a medical professional - and this website has been designed to provide you with recipe ideas to suit the low carb lifestyle you have discussed with your GP.
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Drop me a line if you have any questions or comments about this recipe. I will do my best to reply as soon as possible! Monya xxx