Low-FODMAP Chicken Meatballs In Tomato Sauce

An Easy Chicken Meatballs Recipe that's perfect for any weeknight and a light alternative to traditional spaghetti and meatballs. It's also Low-FODMAP, paleo and Whole30 approved.

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• About Easy Chicken Meatballs Recipe with Tomatoes and Carrot Noodles
• Ingredients Needed:
• Making Chicken Meatballs Recipe with Tomatoes and Carrot Noodles
• FAQs + Top Tips
• More Recipes You Might Like
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Though frustrating with its baffling weather patterns and changing moods, March is a beloved month. It's frequently been a month of change for me. Perhaps it has to do with the time change or the patches of green becoming more visible by the day that create a shift. Either way, March is a month of hope and renewal. 

While winter is still lingering about and a surprise snow storm could be just around the corner, I'm in the mindset of wanting to be outside. I'm anxious to get my hands dirty and prepare the vegetable garden, plant carrots, tomatoes, and as many others as I can squeeze in the beds. After a long, dark winter, I'm ready for more sun, lighter clothing and lighter food. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about the soups and stews and do make them all year long, but spring and summer beckon for lighter food and lots and lots of vegetables. 

A dish I made quite a bit last summer is this chicken meatballs with tomatoes and carrots. Since my tomatoes ripened quicker than I could pick them, we had a surplus that needed to be used. And what better way to use tomatoes than in a fresh sauce with plenty of olive oil, fresh garlic and oregano, right??

I opted for chicken meatballs instead of beef as they simply work better with this tomato sauce. My recommendation is to work the chicken meatballs gently since they're a bit more delicate than their beef cousins. While chicken itself can be quite bland, cumin, coriander and ginger infuse these chicken meatballs with loads of flavor. A favorite in my house that doesn't disappoint.

About Easy Chicken Meatballs Recipe with Tomatoes and Carrot Noodles

• It's paleo, low carb, gluten, and dairy-free
• Low-FODMAP
• Keto-friendly
• Ready in under an hour
• A springtime alternative to spaghetti and meatballs
• Healthy, delicious, and light

Ingredients Needed:

For Chicken Meatballs

• 1 lb organic ground chicken
• 3 tablespoon almond flour or freshly ground almonds
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder substitute
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
• 2-3 tablespoon avocado or olive oil

For Carrot Noodles:

• 2-3 large carrots spiralized
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sprinkle of salt

For Tomato Sauce: 

• 1-pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup bone broth (or chicken broth)
• ½ teaspoon garlic substitute or 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon onion substitute or 1 shallot
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish
• optional: 2 teaspoon maple syrup
• optional: ½ an avocado, sliced

Making Chicken Meatballs Recipe with Tomatoes and Carrot Noodles

Step 1. Combine all ingredients for chicken meatballs, form 1″ balls and set aside. Preheat large, heavy pan on medium heat. Add avocado or olive oil and chicken meatballs and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes until brown. Set aside. 

Step 2. Use a peeler to create long thin strips of carrot. Set aside.

Step 3. In the same frying pan used for chicken meatballs, add wine or ¼ cup broth, garlic or garlic substitute, and shallot or onion substitute and stir on medium heat stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 4. Add remaining broth and deglaze the pan, scraping any brown bits off the bottom. Lower the heat, add salt, pepper, and maple syrup, and simmer for 5 minutes. Return meatballs to the pan and cook an additional 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Step 5. Preheat a medium skillet, add oil and carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes, until soft.

Step 6. To plate, add carrot spirals, top with meatballs and sauce, and sprinkle with additional cilantro. If you wish, add a few cubes of avocado, which adds a layer of creaminess. 

FAQs + Top Tips

Can You Use Ground Turkey Instead Of Ground Chicken?

Most certainly. I tested this recipe with turkey and it was perfect. So if you can't find ground chicken, ground turkey is a good alternative.

Can You Substitute Coconut Flour For Almond Flour?

In this case yes. Since coconut flour binds more than almond flour, stick with 2 tablespoon only. And don't worry, you won't taste the coconut in the meatballs.

How Do You Make Carrot Noodles?

If you have a spiralizer, you can certainly use it. I actually prefer creating long strips of carrots using a peeler. All you have to do is peel your carrot and discard the outer layer. Then continue peeling all around the carrot until you have a thin tube and carrot strips. I find the carrot strips cook fast and have a nice noodle-like texture.

Are Carrots Considered Keto?

If you're only eating about 1 carrot spiralized or in strips, you will be fine carbohydrate wise, so just be mindful of that.

Why Do You Need A Sweetener For Tomato Based Sauce?

Any time you cook with tomatoes, you'll want some sweetness to balance out the acidity of the tomato. If you are following a keto diet, you can use keto-approved sweeteners, otherwise, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or even regular sugar will do.

Keeping The Recipe Low-FODMAP

All ingredients aside from onion and garlic are low-fodmap and those have been replaced with onion and garlic substitutes.

More Recipes You Might Like

• Carrot Noodles With Almond Sesame Sauce
• Moroccan Tapenade Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Herbs
• Paleo Peanut Noodles
• Rutabaga Noodles with Tahini Sauce and Cashew Crumble