They’re the combination you never knew you needed!
These calorie-friendly Italian Meatball Tacos are a delicious twist on traditional Italian meatballs.
This meatball recipe is a great way to satisfy your Italian cravings without the heaviness of a pasta dish.
The meatballs made with extra lean beef mince keep calories down whilst still delivering flavour, whilst the ricotta adds just the right amount of creaminess.
Top this off with peppery rocket and a sprinkling of parmesan – chilli if you like it spicy – and wrap it all up in a soft tortilla for a flavour sensation!
We’re sure it’ll be the best take on a meatball recipe you’ve ever seen… and tasted!
Table of Contents
Ingredients For Your Italian Meatball Tacos Recipe
120g 95% Fat-Free Beef Mince
5g Minced Garlic
2g Italian Herb Mix
150g Passata Sauce
2 Mini Flour Tortilla
30g Light Ricotta Cheese
20g Rocket
3g Fresh Parsley
15g Shaved Parmesan
2g Chilli Flakes
Meatball Recipe | Making Your Italian Meatball Tacos
- Combine mince, garlic, salt & pepper in a bowl. Roll into meatballs.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs on each side until golden. Add the passata and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Warm tortillas as per packet instructions. Top each tortilla with ricotta, rocket, meatballs, parmesan, chopped parsley and chilli flakes (optional).
Italian Meatball Tacos: Nutritional Information
This dish contains just 444 calories for an impressive 39 grams of protein!
It also contains 16 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fibre.
The carbohydrate content is terrific for not only fueling but replenishing muscle carbohydrate stores.
You use carbohydrates for energy in your workouts – and so you need to refuel your tank!
And then there’s the protein in this Meatball recipe, which is very exciting.
This Meatball Recipe is Packed With Protein
39 grams of protein is a large amount, which goes a long way for those who want to build muscle and/or lose fat as fast as possible.
If you’re looking to grow muscle, and/or lose weight, evidence suggests we need to consume ~2.2 grams of protein per kg of weight per day.
So if you weigh 80 kilos, that’s 176 grams of protein per day. You can see why these 39 grams of protein go a long way to helping you achieve this!
The Meatball Recipe That Helps Fight Fat
With their high protein content, these Italian Meatball Tacos are a great ally for you in the war against body fat.
This is because protein, compared to fat and carbohydrates, keeps you full the most.
Protein is also low in calories, containing just four calories to the gram in comparison to fat’s nine.
The Meatball Recipe That Helps You Burn More Calories
Here’s what a lot of people don’t know about protein: it has the highest thermogenic rate of any macroutrient.
That’s the amount of calories you burn simply by eating it.
For example, if you eat 100 calories from protein, 30% of those calories are used by your body for energy to breakdown and digest the protein.
So you’re really only consuming 70 calories.
This is compared to fat’s thermogenic rate of just 0-3%, and fat’s 5-10%.
This is why a high protein diet, and specifically this dish, is a great idea when optimal body shape is the goal.
So there’s a terrific meatball recipe to satisfy Italian food cravings for minimal calories -– making it the perfect ally as you charge towards your health and fitness goals!
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