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This Whole30 Meatball Stroganoff is a delicious gluten free and dairy free version of the classic childhood favorite! It comes together in 30 minutes or less and is sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Stroganoff is one of my all-time favorite meals! Nothing screams comfort food like a big bowl of egg noodles topped with beef stroganoff. I thought it would be fun to create a better-for-you version using real food ingredients. The sauce in these Whole30 Meatballs Stroganoff is made from a combination of coconut milk and cashews. I am a huge fan of dairy free sauces made with blended cashews. They truly make the best creamy concoctions that actually taste like the real thing!
What you need to make this Whole30 Meatball Stroganoff:
I always get my ground beef from Butcher Box. I love the convenience of having high-quality meat delivered to my doorstep! For the cashews, I typically buy them in bulk at Costco or at Trader Joe’s. For the coconut milk, it’s important to use full-fat and to blend it or whisk well before measuring. It can separate in the can and the thick part migrates to the top! If you can’t have cashews, you can just use coconut milk. It won’t be quite as creamy, but it will still be delicious.
For the broth, you can use either beef broth or chicken broth. It can be tricky to find Whole30 compliant beef broth, but I really like Kettle & Fire Brand!
If you are doing a Whole30, you can omit the sherry in this recipe. However, it really adds some great flavor!
How to make this Whole30 Meatball Stroganoff:
Preheat your oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all of your meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix it well using your hands. Roll the meat mixture into 12 balls. Place them on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
While the meatballs are in the oven, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute them for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Add in the sherry and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the chicken broth and let it simmer on low while you make the cashew cream.
Combine the coconut milk (or you can use water if you aren’t a coconut person!), cashews, and lemon juice in a high-powered blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it’s very smooth and creamy. Pour the cashew cream into the pan. Turn the heat back to medium and whisk the sauce well to combine. It should thicken and any lumps should dissolve while it bubbles! When the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the pan with the sauce. Serve over desired pasta of choice!
Stovetop version:
Mix all of the meatball ingredients together and form into balls (you should have 10-12 per 1 lb of meat). Heat the oil in a pan and add the meatballs. Brown them on all sides. Remove the meatballs to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Add in the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute them for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Add in the sherry and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the chicken broth, stir, then adding the meatballs back into the pan. Let them them simmer on low while you make the cashew cream.
Stir the cashew cream into the pan. Turn the heat to medium and stir until no lumps remain. Serve and enjoy!
When you make this Whole30 Meatball Stroganoff, make sure to tag me on Instagram @maryswholelife! And if you’re looking for some other delicious meatball recipes, check out my Prosciutto Meatballs or Everything Avocado Meatballs!
Ok, let’s get cookin’!
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Whole30 Meatball Stroganoff
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms, white or cremini
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp sherry cooking wine, omit for Whole30
- 1.5 cups beef or chicken broth
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk, stirred/whisked before measuring because it separates in the can
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt, more to taste
- black pepper , to taste
- chopped parsley, for garnish - optional
Instructions
- Add cashews to a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak while you start cooking.
- Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well using your hands. Form into 2 inch balls. You should have 11-12 meatballs total. Add them to the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes until onions become translucent, mushrooms begin to soften, and garlic is fragrant. Pour in the sherry and stir, using a spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour in the broth, then simmer on low while you make the "sour cream".
- Drain the cashews and add to a blender along with the ½ cup coconut milk and lemon juice. Blend for 1 minute or until very thick and creamy. You can also sub ½ cup water for coconut milk if you strongly dislike any coconut taste.
- Stir the "sour cream" into the pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Whisk vigorously as it bubbles until you don't see anymore lumps and the sauce is smooth. When the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the pan. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Serve over mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or gluten free pasta and top with parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Stovetop Version
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together and form into balls (you should have 10-12 per 1 lb of meat). Heat the oil in a pan and add the meatballs. Brown them on all sides. Remove the meatballs to a plate using a slotted spoon.
- Add in the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute them for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Add in the sherry and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the chicken broth, stir, then adding the meatballs back into the pan. Let them them simmer on low while you make the cashew cream.
- Stir the cashew cream into the pan. Turn the heat to medium and stir until no lumps remain. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
Can I use nut pods instead of cashews? If so, how’s much?
You can but it won’t make it as thick and creamy. I would start with a 1/2 cup and go from there
So flavorful and creamy! Can’t wait for my lunch break at work tomorrow so I can enjoy it again. Served over cauliflower mash and it’s AMAZEBALLS ❤️
Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Delicious!!!!! Easy and so good! Will make again and again! Thankyou 🙂
THIS IS DELICIOUS. I am not a huge mushroom fan, but I knew that usually if I cut the mushrooms small enough they give a great flavor and I don’t have to worry about bigger chunks. There is so much flavor and it’s super creamy. Served it over cauliflower rice. Even my boyfriend, who is a skeptic sometimes when it comes to whole30/paleo food, is OBSESSED. He wouldn’t stop talking about it. I give it 11/10 for sure!
Thank you so much, Jocelyn! So glad you both liked it!!
So good! Made with Sabatino’s precooked meatballs from Costco and put over cauliflower rice. Loved it! So easy and rich full flavor.😋
Love this idea! I’m gonna try it 🙂
Would this taste good over spaghetti squash noodles? #januarywhole30
Looks great! Any suggestions on how to make the sauce without cashews? We have a peanut/tree allergy in the house and are looking for tasty whole 30 ideas without peanuts/ nuts.
You could just try omitting the cashews and blend the coconut milk and lemon juice. It won’t be as thick and creamy but will still taste delicious!
Really enjoyed this! Also great as leftovers the next day.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Meg!
Amazing! So delicious. I didn’t bother with making meatballs just ground up the beef. Tastes even better than the box version I used to eat. Thanks!!
I’m so glad you liked it and it worked with ground beef! Thanks Meg!
Looks lovely! Do you think this would be able to be cooked ahead of time and frozen?
I made these the other day and they were soooo good, Mary! Definitely hits the beef stroganoff flavor! I didn’t have sherry cooking wine but it still is good without it. My cashew mixture was not fully blended as there still a couple of cashew pieces. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop me from putting it in the broth mixture. Love this! Will add these on top of pasta next time!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! you definitely need to blend for a while to get a super creamy sauce!!
WOW! This has always been one of my favorite dishes growing up. This is an elevated version of the box stuff we used to make! HA! It was wonderful and I can’t wait to have left overs! thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks, Whitney! So much healthier than the box stuff, too! 🙂 glad you loved it!
So I’m so obsessed with this recipe I decided to post ANOTHER RAVING REVIEW! It’s so wonderful and with this whole quarantine, this is true comfort food. Made it for Easter. It’s unbelievable and thank you so much for creating this!!!!! Xoxo
So excited that you love it, Whitney! Thank you!