Thanksgiving Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce (Paleo)

By mdancause

Ingredients

• MEATBALLS:
• 2 lb ground pork
• 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)
• tablespoons Italian Sausage Spice Blend:
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, ground
• 1 tablespoon ground sage
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• (or 1 teaspoon black pepper)
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley (optional)
• Use 2 tablespoons of spice blend per pound of meat to make sausage.
• CRANBERRY SAUCE:
• 15-16 ounces fresh cranberries
• Organic honey or maple syrup to taste (about 1-4 tablespoons)
• Juice + zest of one orange

Details

Adapted from balancedbites.com

Preparation

Step 1

MEATBALLS:
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.

CRANBERRY SAUCE:
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.