My vegetarian friend Brandie is visiting us, so I’ve been experimenting with making traditional foods veg-friendly for her. After some trial runs, I’ve come up with a great “meat”ball recipe using Morningstar Farms’s soy-based meatless crumbles. They’re low carb, offering a total of 4 grams of carbs with 3 grams of fiber per 2/3 cup, and Brandie says they taste great. The measurements are a little odd because I had to adjust as I was going along. This recipe will make approximately 10 small meatballs, enough for one hungry person.

For the meatballs, you’ll need:

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. meatless crumbles, thawed
2 tbsp. almond flour
3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning blend
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 egg
salt and pepper

Combine everything in a bowl until cheese is thoroughly incorporated. Don’t worry if it looks a little different than a regular meatball mixture.

Using a teaspoon, drop meatballs onto greased baking sheet. Place in freezer for at least 15 minutes, until meatballs are firm.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until meatballs are brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.

The other recipe, which the rest of us ate (not being vegetarians), is based on my standard meatball recipe, but this time I stuffed them with some smoked provolone I had in the fridge. They are delicious this way!

For 1 lb. of ground beef, I used 4 slices of provolone, cut into strips and then into small squares. To stuff the meatballs, take about 1 tbsp. of meat mixture and roll into a ball. Holding the ball in your palm, press into the meat with your finger to make an indentation:

Add 2-3 squares of cheese:

Form the meat around the cheese:

Place on baking sheet and bake as usual. Here is what they look like:

We ate these meatballs with spaghetti squash (except Brandie, who preferred angel hair pasta) and steamed vegetables, tossed in Classico Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce (just 2 grams of carbs per serving!). Here is what Brandie’s version looks like:

And here is our meaty version:

I got rave reviews from everyone, so this one will definitely be going on the regular recipe roster. Plus, with the colorful vegetables, it’s a very pretty meal, and quite healthy.