Whole30 Meatball Stroganoff
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’!
*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase using one of my links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Mary’s Whole Life!
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 1/2 cup coconut milk and lemon juice. Blend for 1 minute or until very thick and creamy. You can also sub 1/2 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!
50 Comments on “Whole30 Meatball Stroganoff”
Delicious!! I didn’t taste coconut at all. I used 80/20 ground beef and the meatballs were so juicy. I made them a little too big and had to bake them an extra 5-10 minutes. The sauce was perfect! Served over cauliflower mash. Adding this into my dinner rotation.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! It’ll definitely get added into our dinner rotation this fall/winter.
Make this recipe! So delicious and cozy during fall/winter.
Flavor was great! The meatballs were a bit dry. Next time I’ll use beef with more fat.
I had the same issue. I wasn’t sure which ratio of ground beef to use. 90/10 was too lean.
Mary, any suggestions on how to get a smooth sour cream? My cashews aren’t fully blending and leaving lots of tiny lumps in the sauce.
My second whole 30 recipe on my first W30 stint and I thought this was very hearty and delicious. The sauce wasn’t very thick and could’ve used more garlic and salt, but I probably should have let it simmer longer, but I was very full and satisfied. Followed previous reviews and cooked meatballs on stove top and served over cauli rice. The cauliflower rice is great bc it absorbs the juices. Thank you for the great dinner!
Amazing, easy recipe. Haven’t had this in so long, and it tasted just like the real thing!
Once I got lazy and rather than making meatballs I made this into a meat sauce and it was still SO GOOD so don’t let the fear of meatball getting stuck under your fingernails stop you from making this. There’s always a way around.
This was delicious! Do you happen to know the macros?