Beef/Pork Chipotle Meatball Lettuce Boats

My mom and I were craving hamburgers for dinner last night, but since we've been trying to stick to a Paleo-style diet, we decided to experiment with meatballs! We used ground beef and ground pork and added chipotle chilés to add a smoky flavor. We accompanied these meatballs with a homemade chipotle mayo to top it off!

This is a wonderful meal for summer, it doesn't take a lot of work and if you make a huge batch like we did, you can freeze the remaining portions for later use.

Beef/Pork Chipotle Meatball Lettuce Boats

Yields: 42 large meatballs

Ingredients:

1lb extra lean ground beef
1lb medium ground pork

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can chipotle chilés in adobo sauce, chopped
2 large eggs
salt & pepper

Chipotle mayo:

2/3 C mayo (homemade recipe will be listed below)
3 chipotle chilés, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2-1 t smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil, set aside.

In a medium bowl; mix mayo, chilés, lemon juice and paprika. Whisk to incorporate well, taste as you go and adjust the paprika for preferred smoky/spicy flavor. Cover and let stand in refrigerator.

In a large bowl; add both ground meats, parsley, onion, garlic, chilés & sauce, eggs, salt & pepper. Use hands to mix well to ensure ingredients are well incorporated, but do not over knead the meat (it will give it a mealy texture, which you absolutely do not want).

Form meatballs by rolling tablespoon sized portions into balls. Place onto baking sheet, allow for 1/4-1/2" space between each. Bake 30-40 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.

Assemble your "meatball lettuce boats" by lining the meatballs up into leaves of Romaine lettuce. Top with your chipotle mayo and/or your favorite toppings, consume and bask in the glory of delicious meatballs!

*Homemade Mayo*

Ingredients: 2 eggs, 2 C olive or avocado oil (do not use EVOO), 2 T apple cider vinegar, 1 t Dijon mustard, salt & pepper.

Directions: Add eggs, vinegar, mustard, s&p to a blender. Blend 10-20 seconds, remove the plug and slowly pour in the oil and continue to blend until mixture is emulsified and smooth. Transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate for continual use.


Enjoy and Buon Appetito!