Upgrade Your Meatballs With A Simple Pantry Swap

If you’ve decided to make some meatballs but don’t have breadcrumbs on hand, consider using oats as a binder. Oats will soak up the juices as the meat cooks, locking in the flavor.

Oats have fewer calories and more fiber than breadcrumbs. They also provide complex carbohydrates, which digest at a more gradual rate, preventing blood sugar spikes.

Soak the oats in a mixture of egg and milk for five minutes (or an hour if they’re old-fashioned). Stir in the other ingredients, mix in your meat, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Bake or pan-fry your meatballs as you typically would when using breadcrumbs. Use the same quantity of dry oats as you would breadcrumbs: about ¼ cup per pound of meat.

You can always start with the lower amount and gauge how much liquid the oats will absorb while they're soaking, adding more if needed.