Paleo ‘Thanksgiving’ Meatballs

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This post title would perhaps have you asking two very serious questions.

1. Why is an Australian posting a Thanksgiving recipe when it’s not celebrated in his home country?

2. Why would an Australian be posting a recipe with the word ‘Thanksgiving’ in it AFTER Thanksgiving?

Healthy {delicious + juicy!} Oven Baked Meatloaf Muffins- Say goodbye to dry muffins- Perfect for batch cooking + freezing! {paleo + gluten free!}

 

Well, hear me out. After reading blog posts, tweets, Facebook comments and even the media about Thanksgiving- Some epic FOMO happened. It was even worse than when I mentioned it in Monday’s post. Some of you suggested I throw a Thanksgiving dinner which sounded like a good plan but alas- due to some logistics, lack of desire to slave with a bird and a minor issue called ‘work’- It wasn’t a possibility. 

Last year, I posted a recipe for ‘Thanksgiving Meatloaf Muffins’ which were pretty much all the best parts of the Thanksgiving meal combined into a muffin. Think stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes and even some cheeky cranberries. I had completely forgotten about that recipe until a couple of weeks ago when the blog world went Thanksgiving gaga. 

This year, I decided to have my own thanksgiving dinner which was pretty much making those same muffins- but with what I had on hand. 

meatloaf_muffins_

Last year- Ground Turkey.

This year- Ground lean beef. 

Last year- Mashed sweet potato.

This year– Mashed pumpkin. 

Last year- A stuffing mixture.

This year- Coconut flour to bind. 

Last year- Fresh cranberries.

This year- Dried cranberries. 

Last year- Make in muffin tins to make them puuuuuurty. 

This year- Fry them and cut the time by 40 minutes. They still are puuuuurty. 

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So maybe not the standard Thanksgiving fare. Oh well, let’s just say I ‘Aussie-fied‘ it.

Okay. I was lazy. I had no ground turkey. I wanted to partake. I think fresh cranberries make balls soggy. Wait, what? 

These meatballs taste delicious regardless of seasonal or not. The combination of spices and the sweet and salty flavours take it to the next level. These pair well with some roasted potatoes with dinner to made during food prep and eaten cold, hot or over an ice cream sundae (don’t hold me to that). The best thing is- You can have fun with your thanksgiving leftovers now! 

Not only that- The beauty of these meatballs is how easy it is to adapt- You can use any ground meat and any mashed starch. Not paleo? Use breadcrumbs or even stuffing! Don’t have cranberries? Chuck…..I don’t know blueberries in it. Green beans. Anything! 

Maybe try not to add pumpkin or pecan pie in it. That’s all. 

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Paleo Thanksgiving Meatballs

The best parts of Thanksgiving dinner meshed into a delicious meatball- Paleo, Gluten Free and perfectly customisable!
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Author: Arman @ thebigmansworld

Ingredients

  • 500 grams ground beef can sub for any ground meat
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin can sub for any mashed starch
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp sage
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional
  • 1-2 T coconut flour sifted*

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, mashed pumpkin and egg. Add the spices and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly add the sifted coconut flour until the mixture is firm yet still moist. Form into golf ball sized balls and set aside.
  • Coat a frying pan generously with olive oil/butter/coconut oil and once heat on medium heat. When hot, add the meatballs to the pan and cook on high for 3-4 minutes before flipping cooking for another 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Continue the process until all the meatballs are cooked.
  • Serve immediately or allow to cool completely before freezing or refrigerating.

Notes

All brands of coconut flour differ- You may need more or less to achieve the texture to form meatballs.
I used standard ground beef- If you use a leaner cut, it would require slightly less cooking times.
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!
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Linking up with these amazing parties- #recipeoftheweek, RealfoodWednesdays, Share your stuff Tuesdays, simple supper Tuesdays and Gluten Free Wednesdays, and what’s cookin’ Wednesdays,#glutenfreefridays, glutenfreetuesdays with some weekend pot luck lovin

Linking up my with the epic crew- Taylor, Krista, Melanie and Gloria for some Show Stopper Saturday action! Also linking up with the SIT Girl’s Saturday Sharefest, DIY With the SITS and Foodie Friday! 

Please excuse things being quiet around here for a couple of days- I mentioned an exciting opportunity in last Sunday’s post– Promise I’ll update you all soon! 

If you celebrated Thanksgiving, what was your favourite meal?

How do you use up leftovers? 

What is your favourite ground meat? 

The Big Man’s World ® Arman Liew owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes, pictures and content to be reproduced anywhere other than this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed this recipe and would like to publish it on your own website, please re-write it, in your own words and link back to my site and recipe page. Copying and/or pasting full recipes and pictures to social media or personal blogs is strictly prohibited. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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food Gluten Free Paleo recipe

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Comments

50 thoughts on “Paleo ‘Thanksgiving’ Meatballs”

  1. Yummy!! I love the flavour combination, and the herbs that you used. I have been suffering with you from feeling like being the only one who’s not having a thanksgiving feast! Poor us.
    What is regular ground beef that you use? (Fat ratio). Here it’s 18% fat. The reduced ones have weird additives in them though… I guess I would make these with my beloved hokkaido squash/pumpkin and oats as “bread crumbs”. They would be the perfect thing to take with me to uni and make everyone jealous who dares to watch me eat! 😀 have a nice weekend, dude!

    Reply

  3. My one change would be ground turkey, I mean HELLO thanksgiving. But I would never question any thanksgiving recipe, they are all welcome in my book—it’s my favorite holiday!

    Reply

  14. It’s so strange to me to see how much the world knows about my culture, when I’m in a different country learning about traditions I didn’t know existed. Thanks to American media!

    These look great- I’ve never added cranberries to a meatloaf/meatball, but sounds delicious 🙂

    Reply

  18. Uhhhh HELLO DELICIOUS. I actually really love the idea of doing a post-Thanksgiving meatball recipe to use up leftovers. That is, if my family had any leftovers… We cleaned house on a 20 lb bird between us and our extended family haha. Also, I hate when cranberries make my balls soggy ;). Terrible, just terrible. My poor balls.

    Reply

  19. If this is how Aussie’s do Thanksgiving, then I only have one question for you. Why in the heck do you guys not celebrate Turkey Day?? (Haha…just kidding. I know why.) Seriously, though, these meatballs look amazing. I’m pretty sure I need to go make them right now. Nevermind the obscene amount of leftovers in my fridge…I NEED MEATBALLS!

    Reply
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