Low Carb Beef and Blue Cheese Meatballs with Red Wine Sauce
Try this Low Carb Beef and Blue Cheese Meatballs with Red Wine Sauce recipe
Try this Low Carb Beef and Blue Cheese Meatballs with Red Wine Sauce recipe
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil for frying
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 lb ground beef (85/15 preferred)
- 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 cup crumbled or chopped blue cheese (chilled)
- 2 cups red wine (zinfandel cabernet or merlot preferred)
- 1 tbsp butter (cold)
- 2 cups button mushrooms sliced
- Carbohydrate 1.21196385429602 g
- Cholesterol 5.08385416884683 mg
- Fat 2.9118729174985 g
- Fiber 0.411945832396231 g
- Protein 0.853982291710666 g
- Saturated Fat 1.29136828177285 g
- Serving Size 1 1 meatballs (4 servings) (57g)
- Sodium 122.075524832525 mg
- Sugar 0.800018021899793 g
- Trans Fat 0.196050729227027 g
- Calories 33 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients (except olive oil) in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly, but gently, so the blue cheese doesn't melt into the meat mix (this is also why you want the cheese cold when you mix it in). Form into 12 meatballs. Saute in olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat until the meatballs are golden brown on all sides and cooked to your liking in the center (I'm a rebel so I left mine a little rare.)
- After removing the meatballs from the pan, drain most of the fat off, leaving a small amount behind. Add the red wine and cooked until reduced to about ½ cup. Remove from the heat and cool for about 2 minutes. Then whisk in the cold butter until melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Melt the butter in a nonstick saute pan. Add the mushrooms and saute until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh thyme leaves before serving.
Red wine carries this dish, acting as both an aromatic deglazing liquid and the foundation for a glossy, acid-balanced pan sauce. Ground beef with an 85/15 fat ratio provides the necessary internal moisture so the meat does not dry out during the searing process. Combining high-fat beef with pungent blue cheese draws inspiration from classic steakhouse pairings where rich dairy cuts through heavy proteins. Almond flour replaces traditional breadcrumbs to keep the carbohydrate count low while absorbing released meat juices.
- Keep the blue cheese chilled until the exact moment of incorporation so distinct pockets of cheese remain intact within the meat mixture instead of smearing into a paste.
- Reduce two cups of full-bodied red wine down to exactly half a cup over medium heat to concentrate the natural sugars before whisking in cold butter.
- Whisk the cold butter into the off-heat reduction sauce rapidly to emulsify the fats and create a velvet finish without breaking the sauce.
- Sauté sliced button mushrooms separately in butter until deeply browned at 400 degrees Fahrenheit to maximize Maillard reaction flavors.
Adapting rich tavern-style comfort food for lower carbohydrate intake requires substituting traditional starches without sacrificing mouthfeel. Cold-butter mounting provides the necessary glossy viscosity that starches normally supply in pan sauces.
