Whole30 Meatballs

Whole30 meatballs made of turkey, sweet potato and almond flour. Plus, a recipe for a killer homemade Whole30 barbecue sauce on top!

I've heard it said that the success of any Whole30 is largely dependent upon a great meatball recipe.

Ok, I'm the only person that actually says that. However, I can completely vouch for this claim--just when you can't stand the sight of another hardboiled egg but need a similar orb of protein, the meatball is there for you. It's even there for you at breakfast, if you want to mix it into my Cauliflower Fried Rice.

Specifically, these turkey sweet potato meatballs made with almond flour. They're so tender that they cross into the comforting meatballs category.

You know what I mean by comfort meatballs, right? There are fried meatballs for perching atop pasta and marinara sauce, and then there are soft, tender meatballs meant for piling over mashed potatoes with gravy. If you still can't visualize the difference between Italian meatballs and comfort meatballs, think IKEA. Are you with me now? 

The Pioneer Woman introduced me to the comforting meatball variety. Her recipe has white bread and milk, which makes the meatballs so soft that they barely hold together. This is exactly how you want them. For a Whole30 meatballs swap, I used mashed sweet potatoes. They provide the moisture and fluff that milk offers.

Similarly to Ree's recipe, these Whole30 meatballs are very delicate and are best scooped, not rolled. I use a cookie dough scoop to get these from the bowl to the baking sheet quickly. Make sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.

Whole30 barbecue sauce from scratch:

Since we're making soft and comforting Whole30 meatballs, the next level of comfort for me is a great barbecue sauce.

Making Whole30 barbecue sauce is shockingly easier than I imagined. And, I want to say that I made this Whole30 barbecue sauce before I was too far into Whole30, so my tastebuds still 'remembered' what the real sauce tasted like.

The basis for a great homemade barbecue sauce is: smoked paprika, tang from tomatoes and vinegar, and a little sweetness. I also think a hefty dose of black pepper drives the flavor home, too. If you didn't know, I'm from Texas and am very particular about barbecue sauces, so you can trust me on this!

To make the Whole30 barbecue sauce, just pile everything together into a small saucepan, turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender right in the pan to make everything super smooth. Taste and add crushed red pepper flakes if you like a spicy barbecue sauce.

If you've never used an immersion blender, you will love how convenient it is! No more transferring sauces to a blender to puree! Just place the stick blender right into the pan, puree, and you're done. It's a game changer in the kitchen, especially when you embark upon a journey to make most of your food from scratch.

Whole30 meatballs method:

After we wrap up this Whole30 challenge, I will still make these perfect meatballs, though I will most likely use store-bought barbecue sauce instead of making my own. The barbecue sauce works in a pinch, and I could see myself doubling the recipe to pile into sweet potatoes with shredded chicken for another easy Whole30 dinner.

I like to serve these meatballs with the roasted potatoes and pepper from my Whole30 salmon cakes recipe. I also have envisions of serving these meatballs next week over some mashed potatoes that are somehow dairy-free, though I'm not entirely sure how this will come together. I'm envisioning an olive oil and bone broth type of mash. I will keep you updated!

Whole30 week 1 recap:

I hope you guys are doing great on Whole30! If not, please find me on instagram so we can commiserate together. This week, I had to make 2 small batches of French macarons that I couldn't eat, and it was pure torture. It's okay, though, they're no longer in my house and I'm recovering.

I also just wanted to drop a note here that while my husband and I are doing Whole30, we're not subjecting our 3-year old to it. As a result, we have plenty of tempting food around the house. So far, Camille hasn't asked why we're not eating bread with her or glugging heavy cream into our tea like normal. I need to prepare something to say to her, because I'm adamant about my daughter never learning about 'diet culture.' Even more so, I'm committed to raising her in an environment where I never refer to my body in a negative way. Positive body image is directly inherited from mother to child, in my opinion.

Ok, guys, here's a recap of this week's recipes:

Sweet and Salty Sweet Potato Toast with Bacon and Dates

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Whole30 Salmon Cakes