spicy mexican meatballs

prep time: 10 minutes (not including time to make the dressing) cook time: 35 minutes • yield: 8 servings

1 tablespoon coconut oil

¼ cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 pounds 80% lean ground beef or 1 pound each ground beef and ground pork (see note)

1 cup finely chopped mushrooms

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 large egg

Lettuce leaves, for serving

Creamy Mexican Dressing ( see here ), for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeño and season them with the salt; cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Put the ground beef, chopped mushrooms, cumin, and egg in a mixing bowl. When the onion mixture is no longer hot to the touch, add it to the bowl with the meat and work everything together with your hands.

4. Shape the meat mixture into 2-inch balls and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

5. Place the meatballs on lettuce leaves and drizzle with the dressing. Serve with lime wedges.

6. The meatballs are best served fresh, but extras can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to a month.

note: Because ground pork contains more fat than ground beef, using a 50/50 combination of ground pork and ground beef results in a more keto recipe than using all ground beef.