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Low Carb Middle Eastern Meatballs – Delicious Low Carb Appetizer Or Meal!

May 13, 2015 by Denise 18 Comments

Long photo fo a white plate of meatballs and a bowl of meatballs with parsley and yogurt and text overlay.
Long photo fo a white plate of meatballs and a bowl of meatballs with parsley and yogurt and text overlay.

YThese low carb Middle Eastern meatballs taste like kibbeh using cauliflower instead of cracked wheat. A deliciously different appetizer or main dish. Each meatball has only 0.5g net carbs and is Paleo too!

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

Photo of a white plate of middle eastern meatballs with a green bowl in background.
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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. I being a snotty college kid 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!

Long photo of a white plate of meatballs with a  bowl of meatballs and yogurt and parsley.

These Low Carb Meatballs vs 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 can’t make it to save my life. 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 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.

Close-up of a bowl  of meatballs with a  bowl of meatballs.

 

 

Low Carb Middle Eastern Meatballs Recipe

Before you mix everything together, you need some riced cauliflower. You can either do it in the blender with water or you can take some raw cauliflower and slowly pulse it in a food processor until it looks like grains of rice and set aside.  Add your onion and spices to a food processor and pulse until the onion is finely chopped. Add your cauliflower and pulse a few times to mix and then add your meat and pulse a few more times. 

This is what it should look like.

Bowl of raw meatball mixture.

 

Take the meat out of the food processor and mix well with your hands. Then form them into meatballs. I got 30 good sized meatballs out of this batch.

White plate of raw meatballs.

 

Next you want to melt some butter in a pan over medium high heat. Brown them all around and then pop them in the oven for 10 minutes. Voila! Low Carb Middle Eastern (Almost Kibbeh) Meatballs!

Long photo of a closeup of meatballs on a white plate.

 

One last thought…these would taste good with a Greek yogurt or tzatziki sauce and while I ate these for dinner they would make a tasty appetizer too. I froze mine half of the batch and I pop a couple in the microwave when I’m in the mood.

 

A bowl of yogurt and a toothpick with a meatball on it.

 

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!

Close-up of a bowl of meatballs with a bowl of meatballs.
Print

Low Carb Middle Eastern Meatballs (Paleo Kibbeh)

These low carb Middle Eastern meatballs taste like kibbeh using cauliflower instead of cracked wheat. A deliciously different appetizer or main dish. Each meatball has only 0.5g net carbs and is Paleo too!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword meatballs
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 30
Calories 46 kcal
Author Denise Wright (MyLifeCookbook.com)

Ingredients

  • 1 lb grassfed beef
  • 1 cup onion (roughly 1 medium sized)
  • 1 cup riced cauliflower
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • â…› teaspoon allspice
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
  2. Rice your cauliflower and set aside.

  3. In your food processor add the onion and pulse until finely chopped.
  4. Add your spices and pulse to mix well. Next add in your meat and cauliflower and pulse a few times to combine.

  5. Take the mixture out of the food processor and mix with your hands and then form into meatballs.
  6. Melt the butter in a cast iron (or regular pan) over a medium high heat.

  7. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides.
  8. Place the browned meatballs on a cookie tray and bake for 10 minutes to make sure the meat is cooked through.

 

 

Long photo fo a white plate of meatballs and a bowl of meatballs with parsley and yogurt and text overlay.

More Low Carb

  • Air Fryer Chicken Kebabs
  • Keto Lemon Pound Cake
  • Ninja Creami Strawberry Ice Cream
  • Cauliflower Rice with Mushrooms and Peas

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Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. You should always do your own calculations if you are concerned about the accuracy of this or any recipe. I use the Lose It app for all of my nutritional information because I have for years.

Comments

  1. Silvana

    June 03, 2020 at 9:30 pm

    Hi there! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I have a question: on several other recipes using cauliflower rice they recommend removing excess water from it using a nut milk bag or something similar. I don’t see that step in here. If you were to make it using store bought riced cauliflower, would you recommend that step? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Denise

      June 04, 2020 at 3:40 pm

      Hi Silvana, yes if you buy store bought cauliflower rice (frozen for example) there might be some liquid and yes I would try to squeeze it out. You can just put it in a tea towel and wring it out or dab it with paper towels.
      I usually just buy fresh cauliflower and pulse it in the food processor until it looks like rice. There is no excess water this way.
      Regardless of what form of cauliflower rice you use you don’t want any water.
      Hope that made sense and that you like the recipe!

      Reply
  2. Dina Shaw Kennedy

    April 16, 2019 at 4:51 pm

    Hi Denise, that sounds very tasty. What caught my attention was the fact that you mentioned your Aunt Margo that lived in Florida who was Lebanese. My mom was Margo and she was Lebanese. she made those exact dishes and I was curious if we were talking about the same person. I am going to definitely try this dish, but would love to from you to see if it’s the same person.

    Reply
    • Denise

      April 17, 2019 at 6:49 am

      Hi Dina, I don’t think it’s the same person but it’s nice to know there is another wonderful woman like her in Florida. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Anrahyah

    November 16, 2017 at 7:41 pm

    I really enjoyed these, with one small suggestion. They were too salty with the 2 t. salt for the tastes of my family. I would try using 1 1/2 t. next time.
    They are also great with ground lamb!

    Reply
    • Denise

      November 17, 2017 at 8:34 am

      Hi, Thanks for taking the time to comment! That does sound like a lot of salt. I haven’t made these for a long time and this post definitely needs updated so I will try to do so soon.

      Reply
  4. [email protected]

    June 03, 2015 at 5:06 pm

    hi denise- these are a Friday Favorites feature over at http://notatrophywife.com. What I love about this recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients! My daughter is home from college this summer and I am looking for new recipes! This is on the list! Please join the party again! laura

    Reply
    • [email protected]

      June 04, 2015 at 6:34 am

      Thank you and I will!

      Reply
  5. Angela McKinney

    June 01, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    Those look delicious! Glad you shared at #HomeMattersParty

    Reply
  6. Joy @ Joy Love Food

    May 30, 2015 at 7:17 pm

    I’m not familiar with kibbeh, it sure sounds wonderful, and these meatballs with the cinnamon and allspice sound delicious! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again next Monday!

    Reply
    • [email protected]

      May 30, 2015 at 8:56 pm

      I will be there!

      Reply
  7. Christie

    May 14, 2015 at 6:37 am

    I love meatballs of any kind. But using cauliflower rice? Genuis! I’ll have to share this trick with Dad.

    Reply
    • [email protected]

      May 14, 2015 at 12:38 pm

      I hope you do and I hope he likes it!

      Reply
  8. Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life

    May 13, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    I love kibbe!! Well not the raw kind…but the cooked one, we all love here! Can’t wait to try your recipe, Denise!

    Reply
    • [email protected]

      May 14, 2015 at 12:40 pm

      Thanks Michelle! I don’t eat the raw either.

      Reply
  9. Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake

    May 13, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    These look awesome, I love those middle eastern flavours!

    Reply
    • [email protected]

      May 14, 2015 at 12:41 pm

      Thanks! I hope you like them!

      Reply
  10. RandiG at FrugElegance

    May 13, 2015 at 3:35 pm

    Looks delicious. We need to try this recipe.

    Reply

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