Paleo Swedish Meatballs and Gravy
These Paleo Swedish Meatballs and Gravy are the ultimate comfort food made healthy using freezer and pantry staples! They are made with a combination of ground pork and spices in a creamy dairy free sauce. Delicious served over gluten free pasta or veggie noodles!
*Thank you to the National Pork Board for sponsoring this post!
During these crazy times we’re living in right now, I’ve had to get creative using what we have in our freezer and pantry. A few days ago, I thawed out some ground pork and realized I had everything else I needed in my pantry to make these Paleo Swedish Meatballs with Gravy. I can’t get over how much these taste like the IKEA Swedish meatballs! The only difference is that they are completely gluten free, dairy free, and Whole30 friendly. They are also nut free!
Why pork?
I love keeping different cuts of pork in my freezer because it is so versatile when it comes to prep methods and seasoning opportunities. Pork also often goes well with what’s already in our pantry! It is also very budget-friendly, which is helpful when you want to stretch your food dollar.
My kids love anything made with pork, so that is another reason why I always keep it on hand. We’ve been spending a lot of time cooking together since they have been home from school, and they love helping with meatball making! They loved these meatballs and gravy over gluten free noodles. This is definitely a family friendly meal which can easily be doubled to feed a larger group or if you want to have leftovers!
Here is everything I used to make these meatballs!
What Ingredients do I need to make these Paleo Swedish Meatballs and Gravy?
This is an easy meal that can be made in 30 minutes or less using what you have on hand. Here is what you need:
- Ground pork
- Egg yolk
- Almond flour
- Onion (can sub onion powder)
- Garlic Powder
- Nutmeg & Allspice
- Chicken or beef broth
- Tapioca flour (you can get this at most grocery stores in the baking aisle – I use Bob’s Red Mill brand)
- Coconut Milk or Cream
- Lemon
- Parsley (if desired)
For serving, I used gluten free tagliatelle pasta. You can serve these over pasta, rice, or veggie noodles, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes for Whole30/Paleo!
Other Pork Recipes:
Looking for some ideas for what to make with the pork that you have in your freezer? Check out this list from the National Pork Board:
Easy & Simple Cooking Videos:
And here are a bunch of the Paleo & Whole30 pork recipes from my site:
- Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice
- Asian Pork Meatball Bowls
- Sausage & Fennel Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach
- Instant Pot Jambalaya Soup
- Blueberry Breakfast Sausage
- Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Whole30 Zuppa Toscana
- Skillet Pesto Meatball & Gnocchi Bake
- Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin with Squash and Grapes
- Instant Pot Cider Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Soup
If you make these Paleo Swedish Meatballs and Gravy (or any of my recipes), please tag me on Instagram @maryswholelife so I can see your creations!
Stay safe and healthy,
Mary
Paleo Swedish Meatballs and Gravy
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- ⅓ cup finely diced onion
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Gravy
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour, can sub arrowroot powder
- 2 cups broth , chicken or beef will work
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 cup coconut cream (or the thick part of a can of full fat coconut milk)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp sea salt
- fresh chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together and form into 12 balls. Place them on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the tapioca flour and use a whisk to stir it until it forms a smooth paste and and begins to bubble. Add in the broth and coconut aminos and whisk well. Let it simmer while you make the "sour cream".
- Combine the coconut cream (or coconut milk) and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well. Add the mixture to the pan along with the nutmeg and salt, and whisk to combine. Continue to stir over medium heat until the mixture forms a nice gravy. When the meatballs are done, remove them from the baking sheet (leaving the fat behind) and add them to the pan with the gravy. Let it simmer until you are ready to serve.
- Serve over gluten free pasta, rice, veggie noodles, or mashed potatoes and top with parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
26 Comments on “Paleo Swedish Meatballs and Gravy”
Can I substitute the tapioca flour with another gluten free flour?
My husband and I loved this! It definitely tasted like IKEA but better and not as heavy. We will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Thanks Courtney! So glad you enjoyed it!
How many servings? Trying to figure out your calorie breakdown.
Yet another awesome recipe from Mary!! Meatballs are full of flavor! Combined with the gravy this recipe brings comfort food to such a healthy, tasty level.
Yum! This was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
So excited for this recipe! Pinned to my faves as well! Yummmmm!!
These are so, so yummy! Toddler approved too! So thankful for your family friendly recipes to add some variety to our menus.
Almond flour in the ingredients list but not mentioned in recipe.
Hi Mary
I made this recipe and we all loved it. I’m making it now so it is ready fir when we come back from swimming. Should I make the sauce and reheat just before we eat or make it all and put in oven to reheat!!
Thanks
We love anything Mary cooks😍
Renée
Thanks Renee! You can make it all and put it in the oven to reheat! 🙂
This was a hit with the family. It was wonderful! I’m really looking forward to eating the leftover sauce with more noodles. (Because I can’t have eggs and garlic irritates my stomach I left those out, but it was still very tasty!)
Thanks so much for sharing. I’m saving this recipe. 🙂
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make! I used coconut cream from Trader Joe’s and it didn’t taste like coconut at all. I only wish I had doubled the recipe to have more leftovers throughout the week! It was perfect with Mary’s whole30 mashed potatoes. This is definitely one of our favorite recipes from Mary!
Just made this and it was a hit! Even my daughter who is a picky eater had seconds. Definitely adding to our rotation!
Yay! Thanks Amanda!
I just made this and it turned out fine but the gravy just tastes too much like coconut. It kind of ruined the entire dish. Won’t make this version again.
Sorry you didn’t love it, Chris! I think it also depends on what type of coconut milk you use. I would be interested to know which brand you tried.
Do you think it would be OK to use cashew cream instead of the coconut cream? I don’t have any coconut cream/milk on hand.
It should be fine – it may thicken it up a bit more, but will still be delish!
Great….can’t way to try it! I already gave it 5 stars because I know it will be good!
It is really rare for our family of 4 to all love a meal. Both my daughters said this recipe is a keeper! The meatballs were delicious and easy to make. I will have to double it next time. The sauce was a little watery so I may try arrowroot next time, and wondering if I could sub cashews like your soup?
Oh my goodness, this recipe is such a blessing. It’s so much better than I could have possibly imagined. It tasted like Swedish meatballs and beef stroganoff combined, both of which my hubby and I haven’t had in years. The “sour cream aspect of the recipe really kicked it up a notch. Fantastic!
Made this recipe last night, it’s absolutely delicious! My family enjoyed every bite! Thank you Mary!
Thank you Mimi! Glad you loved it!
Mary, you did it again! I love these comfort food you are revamping to making it healthy! I made this for dinner tonight and we love it. My husband got seconds! He even asked what was in the gravy sauce. It’s that good! I added it on top of my spaghetti noodles and it was delicious. Thank you, thank you!
Hi Kristie! Thank you so much, I am so glad you hear you all enjoyed it!