Easy Recipe: Thanksgiving Stuffing Meatballs – from Practical Paleo

If you’ve ever wished you could eat something that tastes like Thanksgiving any  time of the year without cooking a whole feast, here’s your chance! These tiny  pork meatballs pack all the flavor of the season and are perfect with the Simple  Cranberry Sauce for dipping.

thanksgiving stuffing meatballs 

grain-free • gluten-free • dairy-free • sugar-free • nightshade-free

from Practical Paleo (page 334)

*the sausage spice blend recipe has been corrected since the original printing of Practical Paleo 

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 25-30 minutes

YIELD: 24-1oz meatballs

NUTRITION INFO: here.

ingredients:

2 lb ground pork
2 tablespoons Italian Sausage Spice Blend (recipe here – and on page 233)
2 teaspoons butter, bacon fat, or coconut oil
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup carrot, grated or shredded
1/4 cup chestnuts, finely chopped (use walnuts or pecans if chestnuts are not available)

preparation:

Preheat oven to 425F.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the pork and Italian Sausage Spice Blend until the spices are well incorporated evenly throughout the meat.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, bacon fat, or coconut oil. Place the onions, celery, and carrots in the pan, and sauté until the onions and celery appear translucent. Add the chestnuts, and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
Set the onion, celery, carrot, and chestnut mixture aside to cool until you can touch it comfortably. Then, combine the mixture with the meat, and form the pork into 24 meatballs.
Place the meatballs in an oven-safe dish or on a baking sheet, and bake approximately 25-30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Yes, you can enjoy this recipe while on the 21-Day Sugar Detox (without the Simple Cranberry Sauce).

simple cranberry sauce

grain-free • gluten-free • dairy-free • sugar-free • nut-free • nightshade-free

from Practical Paleo (page 388)

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

YIELD: 2 cups

NUTRITION INFO: here.

ingredients:

15-16 ounces fresh cranberries
Organic honey or maple syrup to taste (about 1-4 tablespoons)
Juice + zest of one orange

preparation:

In a medium-sized sauce pot, simmer the cranberries with the water/juice until all berries have “popped” open, and the texture is gelatinous. Add the honey or maple syrup to taste.
Remove the mixture from the heat, and allow it to come to room temperature before refrigerating for later use.

change it up: 

To make a chunky cranberry sauce, add 1 cup mandarin orange segments, drained; 1 cup pineapple (fresh is ideal; check canned for additives, and get one without added sugar); 1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped (soaked/ dehydrated raw nuts are ideal).

For more holiday recipe ideas, check out this post!

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