Another snowy day in the North Shore… I spent some of my snowy afternoon making homemade marinara sauce and these “bison balls”. Using grass-fed ground bison for your meatballs is a healthy swap that won’t make you sacrifice flavor. Bison is low in saturated fat, high in essential fatty acids, and rich in iron. Per 4 oz serving it contains only 3g saturated fat and has over 3mg of heme iron. Bison is widely available at most grocery stores and using it for meatballs in red sauce is a great way to ease into a new type of protein. 
Ingredients:
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup finely chopped kale
- ¼ cup bread crumbs or almond flour
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper
- 1 lb. ground bison (grass fed and antibiotic free if available)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine egg, parmesan, kale, bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, fennel, red pepper, and a dash of salt and pepper.
- With clean hands, add ground bison to the large bowl, and mix until well combined.
- Roll the mixture firmly into 2-inch meatballs (makes about 12).
- Warm oil in a large, heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat and add meatballs and cook until brown on all sides, turning carefully.
- Cook with marinara sauce or enjoy plain!
Servings: Makes about 12 meatballs
Time: 30 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Quick Tips:
- Put into homemade marinara sauce and serve over whole grain or chickpea pasta.
- Gluten free, or looking for more veggies? Try over zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, lentil pasta.
- Try putting directly into a crockpot with marinara sauce and cook for 4-6 hours.
- Freeze meatballs in an airtight container or freezer bag and save for later use!
- No bison? Use ground beef or turkey as an alternative.
Nutrition Facts: Per 3 meatballs. Calories 421, Total Fat 28g, Saturated Fat 8g, Sodium 403mg, Total Carbohydrate 5g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugar 1g, Protein 38g.