Low Carb Middle Eastern Meatballs

This low carb Middle Eastern meatballs recipe tastes like kibbeh but it uses cauliflower instead of cracked wheat so it is low carb and gluten free. A delicious appetizer or main dish with Middle Eastern flavors. Each meatball has only 0.5g net carbs and is Paleo too!

You might also like these low carb slow cooker Middle Eastern ribs.

Did you ever have kibbeh? The best way I can describe it is a Middle Eastern meatloaf. These low carb Middle Eastern meatballs are my interpretation of that delicious kibbeh I grew up with.

I remember going to Florida for a few days with my parents in the winter when I was in college. My aunt Margo would load a big shopping bag full of her Lebanese dishes like kibbeh, grape leaves,  spinach pies etc.

Being a snotty college kid I was embarrassed  to carry all this smelly food on the plane but as luck would have it I sat by someone who was very familiar with all the tasty treats my aunt pack for me.

And as soon as I got home I was very thankful to have such good food to eat for a few days! I thought I’d share this recipe for those on a low carb diet who also enjoy Middle Eastern or Lebanese food. And I have tons of meatball recipes.

The difference between these low carb meatballs and kibbeh.

Kibbeh usually has ground lamb or beef along with cracked wheat, onions, seasoning and sometimes pine nuts. It’s pretty time consuming and I have yet to make it like my aunt. However I was craving it and thought I can make kibbeh meatballs Paleo and low carb by substituting cauliflower for cracked wheat!

While they turned out very tasty to me, I would never serve these to my Lebanese relatives.  They wouldn’t understand why I was making them so differently.

So if you are familiar with kibbeh these are not going to taste just like the kibbeh. However they taste very similar to kibbeh and are low carb and gluten free which is what I was going for.

Low carb recipe ingredients I used.

Because I wanted to make these middle eastern meatballs low carb I couldn’t use bulgar wheat which is what is used in regular kibbeh. Instead I used cauliflower rice and the rest of the ingredients were ground beef, onion, cinnamon, allspice, salt, black pepper and butter.

For the cauliflower rice, you can use fresh cauliflower florets and pulse them in a food processor. Or you can use store bought cauliflower rice. If you use frozen, make sure to squeeze out any excess water. No need to cook it first but let it thaw.

How to make low carb Middle Eastern meatballs.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with nonstick cooking spray or grease with olive oil and set aside.
2. Add cauliflower florets to a food processor and pulse until it looks like grains of rice. Take it out of the food processor and set aside. Or you can use already riced cauliflower.
3. Add the onion to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Then add the spices and pulse to mix with the onions.
4. Next add the cauliflower rice and ground meat to the onion mixture and pulse a few times to mix everything together. Spoon mixture into a large bowl.
5. Using a cookie scoop, roll meat mixture into meatballs and place on prepared cookie sheet.
6. Heat up a large skillet to medium high heat. Add butter and when it’s melted place the meatballs into the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and brown the meatballs on all sides. Then place them back on the baking sheet and place into the preheat oven.
7. Bake for 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and then serve.

This is what it should look like. Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

How to eat these yummy meatballs.

I ate these Middle Eastern meatballs with plain Greek yogurt for dinner. You can add some chopped fresh parsley or mint.  They would also be great with tzatziki sauce. They would make a great low carb appetizer or snack with the sauce.

Or you can eat them as is as a main dish. I would serve them with a simple salad and vegetable to make it more of a low carb meal. Try them with this Mediterranean cauliflower rice or Brussels sprouts side dish.

Note you can easily freeze this dish. I froze half of the batch and I pop a couple in the microwave for a few minutes when I’m in the mood for kibbeh!

Well I hope you give these low carb Middle Eastern meatballs a try because they are deliciously different! And for another easy, low carb meatball recipe, try my friend Sarah’s from My Montana Kitchen.

The nutritional information for 1 meatball is: 47 cals / 3.2g fat / 0.6g carbs / 0.1g fiber / 4g protein = 0.5g net carbs

You might also like my friend Jasmine’s Keto Swedish Meatballs Recipe. They look fantastic!