High-Protein Quinoa Ground Pork Meatballs Recipe (8 Ingredients, 25 Minutes) High Protein Recipes Pork Pasta Dinner Budget Recipes Gluten-free Grains

Want to add protein, fiber, essential amino acids, magnesium (to name a few!) to your meatballs? (Check out the health benefits of protein and the health benefits of fiber.) This pork meatball recipe packs a super-healthy punch with the addition of quinoa – and tastes amazing! This high-protein recipe is a delicious budget-friendly dinner any day of the week.

Here is your gluten-free shopping list for this pork meatball recipe: ground pork (read about the health benefits of pork), quinoa (check out all the health benefits of quinoa), eggs, Italian parsley, Parmesan cheese, ground nutmeg, olive oil and spaghetti or marinara sauce.

The ground pork is mixed with cooked quinoa, eggs, parsley and nutmeg, then shaped into meatballs. The meatballs are cooked in a skillet then simmered in spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce. Delicious and healthy!

Cooking Tip: Not a big pork person? Substitute ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken in this quinoa meatballs recipe.

Serve these quinoa and pork meatballs over pasta and with a fresh salad or vegetable, or use them in recipes like meatball casseroles or meatball sandwiches. Mmm!

Cuisine: Italian / American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup quinoa, cooked, drained and cooled
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 23 ounces (1 jar) spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce
• pasta, for serving (optional)

Here's how to make it:

1. Combine the cooked quinoa, pork, eggs, parsley, cheese and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Form into meatballs.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides and almost cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the meatballs and simmer gently until meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
4. Serve over hot, cooked pasta with additional Parmesan cheese, or as desired in recipes. 

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