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Boerewors Meatballs Keto
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'Boerewors' Meatballs

A great twist to meatballs marinara, these pork and beef mince meatballs borrow from the authentic flavour of South African 'boerewors' which are essentially sausages flavoured with coriander seeds and a hint of allspice. They are then served in a lightly spiced tomato sauce strongly influenced by South African 'smoor'.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine South African
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 395kcal
Author Monya Kilian Palmer

Equipment

Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 250 g ground beef mince 20% fat
  • 250 g 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 lard

For the spiced tomato sauce

To finish and serve

Metric - US Imperial

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.

Notes

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A new-and-improved version of this delicious recipe features in my cookbook QUICK KETO KITCHEN.
My name is Monya Kilian Palmer. If you loved this recipe, please follow and tag me @mkilianpalmer on Instagram so we can all see your lovely creations!
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The links above will take you to Amazon UK. For USA and other countries, see the global Amazon links here: Keto Kitchen ; Lazy Keto Kitchen ; Budget Keto Kitchen ; Quick Keto Kitchen.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.1g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 29g