I’m not gonna lie. I do love a good chimichurri, and I love cilantro. So when I first saw this idea online, I knew I had all the ingredients and needed to try it! Good news; it turned out to be as amazing as I thought! Garlic, lemon, cilantro, and olive oil, all over meatballs was a perfect dinner for the family.
This particular meatball recipe (which you really can use any of your favorite ones) doesn’t have the added bread or milk, so it’s keto, whole 30, etc. I served my boyfriend’s over zucchini noodles, and mine and the 5 year old’s over whole wheat pasta and broccoli.
If you do nothing else from this page, make sure you make this sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground pork (other meats work too.)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Garlic salt (or salt with some onion powder)
- 1 tsp parsley, dried (Or Italian seasoning)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
Directions:
Make chimichurri: To a food processor, add the cilantro, lemon juice, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Process on high speed until smooth. Set aside.
Mix together ground pork with remaining salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley.
Form into meatballs. (I like to use a cookie scoop for size help.)
Place the meatballs into the pot.
Pour in 3/4 of the cilantro sauce and the broth.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot, press the Manual/Pressure Cook button, and set the time for 10 minutes.
When the timer goes off, use manual release to release the steam. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the pot to a plate and set aside.
Press the Saute button and bring the cilantro sauce to a simmer to try to reduce. Cook down for 10 minutes. (if short on time, skip this step and will just be more liquid.)
Once the sauce is reduced, add the meatballs back and stir to coat with the sauce.
Use the rest of the cilantro sauce to top meatballs and optional base (i.e. potatoes, rice, pasta, or just bread to dip!)
Roast 'n Relish 