Oh, my! What an aroma! It’s like you’re stepping into a bustling Italian Deli, where the air is filled with an enticing medley of Olives, Cheese, Cured Meats, and simmering Tomato Sauce. These Oliveit Meatballs are a true delight that will transport your taste buds to the heart of Italy.

Even if you’re not particularly fond of Olives, these Meatballs may just surprise you. The Olives & Parmigiano play a crucial role in adding layers of Savory Umami Flavors, leaving a lasting impression.

The best part: They’re Keto Meatballs! No bread crumbs at all. Making these meatballs also Diabetic Friendly and Gluten Free. Instead of bread crumbs, we exchange with a clever substitution of baking soda, in order to retain the desired texture and moisture of the meatballs without compromising on taste.

Oliveit Meatballs Ingredients

Ground Beef & Pork (50/50), Green Olives stuffed with Pimento, Parmigiano Reggiano, Tomato Paste, Baking Soda, Seasoning (Basil, Oregano, Onion, Garlic, Fennel, Salt, Black Pepper, Chili Flakes), Red Wine Vinegar.

Ground Beef & Pork

Use 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of a Ground Beef & Pork blend (1/2 lb each). Don’t use 100% Ground Beef, the flavors are just not as good. Although going 100% ground pork is fine.

This recipe makes about 33, 1 Tbl portions, from 1 lb (454g) of ground meat.

Olives

Use Pimento stuffed Green Olives. A few Black Olives can be added too. Weigh out 55g worth of Olives and finely chop it. Then mince it to add to the bowl.

Parmigiano Reggiano

Use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano sold in the blocks. Finely grate the cheese and weigh.

Tomato Paste

Use a good quality double concentrate tomato paste. This brings a bit of acidity and color to the meatballs.

Baking Soda

Typically Bread Crumbs are added to bind the meat. I find that Baking Soda works much better at changing the PH level of the meat and causing a sausage like texture, without using a filler. Plus healthwise, it’s good for a Gluten Free, Diabetic and Keto Meatballs.

The Baking soda has to be added first and allowed time to affect the texture of the meat. This is why everything is mixed and then refrigerated for about 30 minutes. Then the Red Wine Vinegar is added, mixed again and shaped into meatballs.

This is optional, you can opt to use Bread crumbs, about 1/4 C worth or nothing at all. It all depends on the texture you want, or if a Diabetic, Keto or Gluten free foods are important. For me, I like the Baking Soda added and the effects it has not only on meatballs. But Kebabs, Meatloaves, Sausage Burgers, Breakfast Sausages, Sausages and in Velveting meats in general. 1/4 tsp is good for 1 lb of meat and you can even go less with 1/8 tsp of baking soda per 1 lb of meat for a very minimal effect.

Red Wine Vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar, adds the acidity back in. But only after the Baking Soda has exhausted itself and altered the texture of the meat. If you desire a more tangy meatball, you can certainly add more.

Oliveit Meatballs Seasoning

The Oliveit Meatballs seasoning consist of; Basil, Oregano, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Crushed Fennel Seeds, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Chili Flakes (or Aleppo). Use fresh Basil if you can, about 5 large Basil leaves finely chopped. Dried Basil can be used as well.

The Oregano can be exchanged with Parsley. Use Oregano to derive a earthy depth of flavor or Parsley to keep things light.

Dehydrated Onion & Garlic Flakes can be used as well instead of the powdered version, and in the same amounts. This lowers the Onion & Garlic Flavor, but packs it in at the same time because you have chunks of it scattered throughout the meatballs. It nice seeing the bits throughout the meatballs and gives a very appetizing look.

• 55g Green Olives stuffed with Pimento
• 21g Finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 5 Fresh Basil Leaves or 1 tsp dried Basil
• 1 tsp Oregano or Parsley
• 1 tsp Onion & Garlic Powder, each. Can use dehydrated Onion & Garlic Flakes
• 1 tsp Whole Fennel Seeds, crushed or grounded
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper & Red Chili Flakes (or Aleppo), or more of either for spicier meatballs

How to make Oliveit Meatballs

Start by weighing out the Olives, finely chop and/or mince the Olives. Then finely grate the Parmigiano Reggiano, weighing that out also. Throw both into a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients, reserving the Red Wine Vinegar for last. Mix well and refrigerate to let the baking soda work, for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes or so, then add the Red Wine Vinegar to mix well again. Portion out to the desired size meatballs.

How to Shape Meatballs

Use 1 Tbl levelled portions, and place them on a Baking tray and repeat. Roll each portion into a ball. Compact the meat as you roll. Place them back on the Baking Tray. Transfer the tray of Meatballs to the freezer once you have them all portioned out and shaped.

Frozen Meatballs

The Meatballs are frozen prior to cooking so that the outside can brown well, while the inside stays juicy. After the Meatballs are completely frozen, they can also be transferred to a Ziploc Bag to freeze and cook at a later time.

How to Cook Meatballs

There are many ways to cook meatballs, and it all depends on what you are after. You can bake them, Air fry them, cook in a Skillet, add the raw Meatballs to a simmering Tomato Sauce to cook through for about 30 minutes, or Broil them, and even coat in flour to fry them in oil. No matter how you cook them besides simmering in Tomato Sauce, turn the Meatballs over, so the flat side is facing up. This will help in getting more rounded Meatballs as the Meatballs heat up. Then it’s frequent tossing to ensure even browning.

Oven Broiled Meatballs

This method browns the Meatballs very nicely. Preheat the oven to broil with the rack in middle position. Take the Meatballs out of the freezer for a few minutes. Just long enough that they can be scraped or nudged off the baking sheet and flipped flat side up. This will help the Meatballs cook up more uniform and potentially prevent any sticking to the pan. Transfer to the oven and leave for about 5 minutes. Then frequently toss the tray around to evenly brown the Meatballs, and even more so towards the end of Broiling.

For 1 Tbl size Meatballs, it will take about 10–12 minutes. Times will vary depending on the size of your meatballs. The featured image of the Oliveit Meatballs was cooked this way.

Frying Meatballs

Place a deep skillet over medium heat and place the meatballs in. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and scrape the meatballs so they all come loose. Cover again and shake every minute or so, for 5 minutes. A total cook time of 8 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs. Uncover and finish cooking until cooked through and the meatballs develop a nice color, about another 3-5 minutes.

Simmered

If the Meatballs are being used in a Pasta Sauce. Then the meatballs can go straight from the freezer and into the sauce to simmer. They only need to simmer for about 30 minutes. Towards the end of simmering the Pasta sauce.

Recipes with Oliveit Meatballs