Parmesan beef meatballs

The more I watch The Sopranos, the less I'm convinced they were bad guys.

They were victims of violent mood swings...

Caused by poor eating habits.

Don't believe me?

Watch the show again, and you'll notice:

• Meals based on pasta + bread

• Large (too large?) dinner portions

• Washed down with glassfuls of Coke

Deep down, they were hardworking Italian-Americans who just loved Coppola movies.

And without all those excessive carbs at dinner?

They'd suffer less blood sugar spikes at mealtimes.

Meaning:

• Clearer thinking (patience)

• Fewer spontaneous felonies

• Better parenting decisions

• More friends, less enemies

• Less violent outbursts of rage

Imagine all the fights Tony and Carmela could have avoided if they'd just cut down on the baked ziti...

And added more high-quality protein and vegetables to their meals.

Look, I get it.

We all love Italian food.

But if we want to enjoy it without having to loosen our belts by 2 notches after dinner...

We gotta make some adjustments to Italian dishes.

(Which is how I approached this week's SIMPL recipe)

A savory, high-protein stew of grass-fed beef meatballs and marinara paired some delightful charred broccoli scented with lemon.

It's meal prep designed to fuel your body throughout the day.

Crafted so you can avoid the bad decisions that result from post-meal energy crashes

(after eating carb-heavy meals.)

A new (lighter) meatball method

I wish I'd tried this new method of making meatballs sooner; it's clearly superior to my old method.

Ironically, this "new" method has been used for centuries.

It's only new to me. 🙄

This technique improves the flavor and texture of ground meat-based dishes such as meatloaf, meatballs, and fillings for ravioli and stuffed peppers.

Instead of dense, crumbly meatballs that become dry as their moisture bleeds out during cooking, this method creates meatballs with a smooth, cohesive texture that retain moisture.

The key is an ingredient called a panade.

A panade is a just a mixture of torn bread with the addition of a liquid - either milk or stock.

It provides a soft base for the seasoned ground meat, lightening its texture and making it more appealing overall.

Sounds pretty SIMPL, right?

How to use a panade

You can make a panade with nothing but a mixing bowl and your bare hands.

Start with a few slices of bread and cut off the crusts.

(It can be fresh or stale bread - either is fine.)

Tear it into small pieces, add the liquid, then give it 5 minutes to absorb the liquid in the bowl.

Once it's soft and crumbly, mix it by hand into the ground meat and seasonings mixture, making sure it's fully incorporated - about 2-3 minutes.

If I'm using it for meatballs, I'll roll golfball-sized meatballs with my hands and lay them on a sheet pan one at a time.

Once they're rolled, you can refrigerate them overnight (for best flavor) or pop them right into the oven immediately.

For this recipe, I chose to fry them in olive oil ⬇️

Parmesan beef meatballs with sweet pepper marinara and charred lemon broccoli

Before you start wondering, "where's the pasta" remember one thing:

These meatballs already have carbs, in the form of the bread used to make the panade.

That said, this meal's still a fairly low-carb recipe.

(Which could be a holiday blessing considering how many sugary desserts are floating around this time of year.)

For this dish, you’re going to "stew" meatballs in a quick marinara sauce that absorbs the rich flavor of the grass-fed beef as it cooks in the oven under a blanket of Italian cheeses.

Mix the ground meat with the panade, grated parmesan and mozzarella, grated onion, and salt and pepper.

After rolling it into meatballs, fry them in olive oil until brown and crispy on the outside.

In a pan, sweat some garlic, then add diced charred sweet peppers and tomato puree.

The browned meatballs are added to the pan with the sauce, sandwiched between two layers of shredded cheese.

Then the whole pan goes into the oven until the cheese is melted and the meatballs are fully cooked in the sauce.

Another sprinkle of cheese on top as it's portioned, and it's served alongside a mound of chopped, charred broccoli tossed with fresh lemon.

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Here’s the nutrition breakdown for 1 serving:

Join me LIVE Tuesday 12/17

Next week, join me on Zoom for another virtual cooking class, where I’ll break down the steps to cooking this dish in real-time.

Tuesday 12/17 at 3:00pm PT.

Learn to cook like a chef, support your fitness routine, and become nutritionally self-reliant.

Reserve your spot HERE

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