Bread in Meatballs? page

[AnneArchy]

I ordered meatballs today and asked the guy if the meatballs contained any bread crumbs and he said no. But they tasted kinda soft and fluffy so maybe there was another type of bread in there? Or you think when he said no bread crumbs that meant there wasn't any type of bread.

Even if I did mess up do meatballs that contain some kind of bread still end up being pretty low in carbs?

[BarbeyGirl]

Most meatballs do contain bread (in the form of crumbs) as a binder -- but a lot of people (including your waiter, I'm guessing) don't know that. I wouldn't worry too terribly much about the carbs (it's only one meal!), but obviously the gluten exposure isn't good. Nothing you can do about it now, though -- just have a low-carb dinner and keep on keeping on.

[duckmama]

I haven't seen a CW recipe for meatballs or meatloaf yet that didn't include some kind of breadcrumbs (or even oatmeal) as a binder. If you didn't eat any pasta with it, it's probably not the worst meal you could eat even though there probably would have been some bread in it. My old CW recipe for meatballs had about a 1/2 cup in the entire recipe (about 6 servings), so it divides out to be a fairly small amount per meatball. Now that I cook primal, I use ground pork rinds and/or almond meal as a binder in my recipes.

[barryman9000]

Here's my recipe for Primal Meatballs:

1Lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 handful of almond meal
mix ins: spices, vegetables, S&P, etc. My favorites are chopped spinach and steamed carrots, with some garlic and onion powder. I put a little coconut oil on the cookie sheet. Good stuff

[Annlee]

For a binder in my last meatloaf, I ran some baby carrots and some red cabbage through the food processor to the texture of cracker crumbs. Worked just fine!

[ephemeral10jf]

I made meatballs about a month ago using ground beef and eggs with some diced pepper, onion, and garlic all mixed in. Form them into balls and fry them on the skillet. They were fantastic and didn't break apart or do anything else undesirable.

[dragonmamma]

I've come to the conclusion that bread isn't necessary as a binder, but it became popular as a cheap way to extend the meat.

[lolov]

I've come to the conclusion that bread isn't necessary as a binder, but it became popular as a cheap way to extend the meat.

This. Plus a bajillion.

My grandfather (napolitano) used to tell the story of when he'd visit his mother in law for Sunday Dinner. He said she was so cheap she made "breadcrumb balls extended with meat" LOLOLOLOL

(It was funnier to hear him tell it in his Italian accent... hands waving... Thanks for the great memory of my Nonno!)

[kimmie]

Yay! I ordered meatballs off a gluten free menu last night. I assume they might have used some sort of grain binder though. I'd like to duplicate at home with no fillers so I'm glad to hear you guys think they aren't necessary.