Un-Swedish Meatballs and Fettuccine - To Try

I had a craving for some creamy pasta. After rolling the idea around in my head for a bit, I headed to the kitchen and started my food symphony ;) This so hit the spot! It is a splurge for sure. So, if you wanna watch your carbs, sub the pasta with some cauliflower rice! This recipe is good for 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb homemade meatballs (100% grass fed beef, freshly ground)
Ghee (for sautéing)
Olive Oil (for sautéing)
½ Onion, diced
½ tsp garlic powder
Sea salt (to taste)
¼ tsp nutmeg
Flat-leaf Parsley (fresh or dry) for garnish
2 cups broth
1-2 tsp coconut aminos
8 oz Organic Cream Cheese, cut in pieces and room temperature
1-2 Cups Small Broccoli Florets, lightly steamed
Miracle Noodles Fettuccine

Directions:

1. Heat large skillet with ghee and olive oil (I am generous with the fats, I probably used a couple tablespoons of each) over med-high heat. Sauté meatballs, seasoned with a bit of salt. Once the meatballs are done, nicely browned, spoon out of pan into a bowl and set aside.

2. Using the same pan, Sauté the onion with salt. Once onions have softened, add the garlic powder and stir around.

3. Then add your broth and simmer about 15 minutes. Stir in coconut aminos.

4. Stir in the cream cheese. Continue to stir until the cream cheese is fully incorporated/melted into the sauce. Taste for seasoning. I added more salt, garlic and cayenne here (I prefer red pepper over black, but if you like black pepper....go for it!) and this is where I add in the nutmeg.

5. Stir in the lightly steamed broccoli florets and the meatballs. Simmer on med-low.

6. While your meatballs are simmering, prepare your pasta to package directions. Once pasta is prepared, stir into sauce (adding some of the pasta water if you need to thin the sauce). Garnish with parsley and serve hot.


Meatballs 

I make these ahead of time, whenever I can get the beef on sale. I store them raw, in the freezer. I use a melon baller to portion my meatballs and a scale to weigh to 1/4-/1/3 ounce and roll by hand. I can get a lot of meatballs that way, around 160).

2 lbs grass-fed ground beef
2 pastured raised, organic eggs
1 cup Almond Flour [find sub for low oxalate]
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, just use your (clean) hands to work it all together.

2. Use a melon baller to portion meatballs, roll with your hands and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. (I weigh my meatballs so I get 3-4 meatballs/ounce. Also, you can make them whatever size makes you happy).

3. Once you have made all your meatballs, place the cookie sheet in the freezer. When the meatballs are frozen, place in a zip lock bag or airtight container and store in the freezer. Now you have meatballs whenever you want them.

To cook them, from frozen, just sauté in a pan with the fat of your choice. I use a 50/50 combo of ghee and olive oil. It'll probably take about 15 minutes, if you have made small balls.

Also, I season them while sautéing to achieve whatever flavor I want. “Plain”, just salt and the pepper of your choice. You can do “Asian” with ginger and garlic and some coco aminos , maybe use some sesame oil and green onions for garnish. You can do “Italian” with Italian seasonings and parsley for garnish. You can make a “sweet” sauce with golden monk fruit, french butter or ghee, coco aminos. The possibilities are all in your imagination!

 By: Melinda Zavala