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Grain Free Meatballs + Sauce

May 14, 2013 by predominantlypaleo 52 Comments

 

One of my favorite go-to meals in the ‘old’ days was throwing frozen meatballs into a crockpot with grape jelly and chili sauce. Tasty. Easy. And filled with so much crap i don’t even know where to begin. So my task this week was recreating that delicious (awful) meal while making it more paleo friendly and a lot more nutritionally sound.

Little known secret, this is also a copycat of the recipe found on the back of the chili sauce bottle around the holidays – my friend Blair made these meatballs back when we lived in Little Rock and I quickly fell in love.  This was the last official thing I ate before giving birth to my first baby so I always make them for friends who are hoping to induce labor.  So far my track record has not been great in actual induction, but at least my “ready-to-pop” friends have been well fed.

When I went grain free I really had a craving for these meatballs and had to figure out a better way. This version is still a family favorite and now with my Instant Pot, they can be on the table in under an hour, start to finish!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound organic ground beef (grass fed)
  • 5 tablespoons 100% fruit-sweetened grape jelly
  • 1/2 cup organic chili sauce 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour
  1. preheat oven to 350
  2. combine beef, pepper, garlic salt, egg, and tapioca starch in a bowl
  3. make golf ball sized meatballs with mixture and place on baking sheet
  4. bake for 20-30 minutes or until browned
  5. transfer meatballs to crockpot and add chili sauce, grape jelly, chili powder and paprika
  6. cook on low for 2-4 hours, checking periodically. do not overcook or meatballs and sauce will burn
  7. serve with your favorite greens or over rice if you eat grain
  8. NOTE: If using your Instant Pot, there is no need to bake the meatballs in advance. Assemble and form the meatballs, put the jelly, chili sauce, paprika and chili powder in the bottom of your Instant Pot, then cook on LOW PRESSURE (manual setting) for 30 minutes. They were well-formed, tender, and cooked to perfection!!!
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Filed Under: dairy free, gluten free, main course, paleo, refined sugar free, soy free

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    June 7, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    That looks SO good, Yennifer! I love the instructional, pics, too! ~CC

    Reply
  2. Laura says

    March 14, 2015 at 5:28 pm

    I am making this recipe today…can you please tell me when the paprika goes into the dish?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      March 14, 2015 at 5:33 pm

      I am making this recipe today…can you please tell me when the paprika goes into the dish?
      Also the Chili powder….I hope it doent go into the meat balls as mine are already in the oven 🙁

      Reply
    • Laura says

      March 14, 2015 at 5:34 pm

      I am making this recipe today…can you please tell me when the paprika goes into the dish?
      Also the Chili powder….I hope it doesnt go into the meat balls as mine are already in the oven 🙁

      Reply
      • predominantlypaleo says

        March 14, 2015 at 5:44 pm

        You can mix them into the sauce!!! They were added seasonings, I forgot to update the recipe directions themselves. Thanks for catching that!

        Reply
  3. Nayskers says

    December 27, 2015 at 4:20 am

    Where do you get your grape jelly?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      December 27, 2015 at 9:05 pm

      I find mine at my commissary on base. You can also make your own if you can’t find an all fruit sweetened one!

      Reply
  4. Laura says

    February 23, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    I’m making these for dinner today! They look and sound so good! Have you ever made the meatballs in advance and refrigerated until ready to cook? My concern is the Arrowroot…if it will cause anything funky to happen if not cooked right away. Also, I have a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker, which is similar to the Instapot. It requires using 1/2 C. liquid minimum. I’m not sure what the requirements of the Instapot are, but I’m hopeful that the chili sauce and jelly qualify as liquid?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      February 25, 2016 at 3:29 pm

      Hi there! That should be enough liquid – the Instant Pot is supposed to have a little liquid too but always performs even if it is minimal. Arrowroot should not cause any issues. It is shelf stable. Hope you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  5. Laura says

    March 2, 2016 at 12:10 am

    What jelly can I use as a sub for grape. I can’t find one that is organic and 100% fruit

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      March 3, 2016 at 12:44 am

      Any flavor you think you might enjoy. I prefer grape – you can also make your own very easily with pectin or gelatin and organic grape juice!

      Reply
  6. Monica says

    March 2, 2016 at 9:08 pm

    Would another kind of fruit jam work instead of grape do you think?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      March 3, 2016 at 12:43 am

      Sure it’s up to your palate which one might be good!

      Reply
    • Janeen says

      January 21, 2017 at 2:20 am

      I think apricot would be good..:-)

      Reply
  7. Ticamom says

    March 15, 2016 at 5:45 pm

    Any suggestions to stretch out the sauce? I’m using an instant pot. Maybe just add water? Even when double the recipe it’s just not quite as much as we’d like (bc it’s so good!) 🙂

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      March 17, 2016 at 8:20 pm

      You can double the sauce! Just add more of both ingredients. I love it too!

      Reply
  8. Malia says

    August 24, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    I made this today and they are great. The only issue I have is they burned in the IntantPot. Just the bottoms.

    I used organic fruit sweetened Strawberry jam. Turned out great!

    The only thing I would change is maybe some coconut oil in the bottom of the cooker.

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      August 25, 2016 at 1:33 pm

      Bummer hope they work out better next time!

      Reply
  9. Lindsey says

    November 10, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    This recipe looks great!

    If cooking in the instant pot is there no need to add water to the bottom of the pot? I thought all recipes had to have some water added to the instant pot.

    What if I froze the meatballs uncooked, could I then make them in the instnatpot from frozen?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      November 14, 2016 at 6:59 pm

      NO need for water, the sauce is enough! You can use frozen meatballs yes!

      Reply
  10. Amy says

    November 28, 2016 at 11:34 pm

    Do you do Natural release or quick release of steam after 30 minutes?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      November 28, 2016 at 11:36 pm

      Quick release!

      Reply
      • Amy says

        November 28, 2016 at 11:48 pm

        Thanks. That was quick… I have 12 minutes left for cooking so I’m glad you answered!!!

        Reply
  11. Monica says

    December 7, 2016 at 12:29 am

    Hi, I’m making this now, my first dish in my new instant pot!!!
    Can you tell how long the cooking times are if I use 3 lbs of meat (sauce tripled as well)?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      December 19, 2016 at 12:35 am

      So sorry I didn’t see this in time, hope it worked out well!

      Reply
      • Gabbi Barnett says

        July 20, 2017 at 8:26 pm

        I’m making these tonight with 3lbs of meat as well. Do I need to adjust the cooking time or is 30 minutes enough?

        Reply
        • predominantlypaleo says

          July 20, 2017 at 8:28 pm

          Yes it should be!

          Reply
  12. Julir says

    January 5, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    If using pre-made meatballs, what could instructions be for IP? Thanks!

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      January 5, 2017 at 10:30 pm

      Are they cooked already? Or just preformed? Frozen and cooked?

      Reply
  13. Jessica Leigh says

    January 12, 2017 at 5:55 am

    What type of chili sauce do you use in this recipe? Sweet or Hot?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      January 12, 2017 at 9:46 pm

      Savory chili sauce. It’s not really hot or sweet – it’s the one that is sort of like tangy ketchup.

      Reply
  14. Cheryl says

    February 6, 2017 at 3:28 am

    I made these today but with pepper jelly. OMG SOOOO GOOD!

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      February 8, 2017 at 5:46 pm

      Wow great idea!

      Reply
  15. June says

    March 7, 2017 at 2:11 am

    Hi wondering if you have tried making these ahead and freezing, then throw them in the IP before eating? I am new to the instant pot, any suggestions on how this would work?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      March 7, 2017 at 11:22 pm

      I haven’t tried making them that way but I think it should work!

      Reply
  16. BRIITA NOYES says

    August 2, 2017 at 2:53 am

    I want to say thank you for this recipe! Originally I made as written, but my family has differing opinions about sauce, so every week I bake a huge batch of the meatballs, skip the sauce step, and throw them in the fridge so everyone can heat them up and dip them in any sauce they please. Tonight I used ground turkey instead of beef and fried them as patties in a little butter, and they were the best turkey burgers I have ever had. Yum! The tapioca starch and egg work magic.

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      August 2, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      Oh awesome! I’m so glad you figured out how to cater these to accommodate everyone in your fam!

      Reply
  17. Kelly says

    November 1, 2017 at 11:52 pm

    I tried your recipe and its amazing! The only problem was that the meatballs burned on the bottom, just as another person wrote in the comments. After reading that comment, I used some coconut oil on the bottom of the pot but that didn’t really help. Any suggestions fot next time? Thanks!

    Reply
  18. Kathy says

    November 30, 2017 at 4:48 am

    I love this recipe! I’ve made it twice already! But I was trying to get more chili sauce for the next time & can’t find the sauce on Amazon anymore. Do you have a suggestion for another chili sauce to try?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      November 30, 2017 at 2:59 pm

      Oh bummer, I wonder why it’s not available. The Organicville brand can be found at Whole Foods and maybe a few other online stores too.

      Reply
  19. Jennifer Talbert says

    December 1, 2017 at 11:03 pm

    This looks great and thank you! When using in the Instant Pot, should the meatballs be in the sauce or on the trivet?

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      December 5, 2017 at 2:41 pm

      They are directly in the sauce!

      Reply
  20. Amy Rockett says

    December 20, 2017 at 7:45 pm

    My IP will be occupied with another dish and I don’t have a slow cooker (My slow cooker is my IP!). Do you have a suggestion for how/long to finish these on the stovetop after they’ve been baked in the oven? I’m planning to form and bake the meatballs the night before my event then finish them on the day of.

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      December 29, 2017 at 1:04 am

      If they were to simmer for an hour or so it should work!

      Reply
  21. Maria says

    March 1, 2018 at 9:36 pm

    This is a fantastic recipe! For the Instant Pot version I added all the dry ingredients to the meat and made 12 balls out of the mix. For the sauce I didn’t have your exact ingredients so I winged it a little: Polaner All Fruit Concord Grape (5T), A Taste of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (6T) and Sriracha (2T). The sriracha gave it a really nice kick!
    I do have one question though: I have made meatballs before and never cooked them for 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. Could that be a typo? I programmed it for 5 minutes on High and they were perfect. The temp was !65 when I opened the lid. The sauce was a little thin so after taking them out I did Sauté for 3 minutes and it was thick and glossy.
    Thanks for a great GF meatball recipe!

    Reply
    • predominantlypaleo says

      March 2, 2018 at 2:14 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

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About

Jennifer is a wife and mother of 3 in pursuit of better health for her family.
After being gluten free for 4 years, and having a multitude of chronic health issues, she realized there was still too much processed “food” in her pantry and change was needed. Jennifer began feeding her family more meals from WHOLE foods and less from boxes. Her recipes are predominantly paleo, meaning they are free of grain, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar, but make allowances for a few treats and sweets. She believes food can be medicine when used appropriately and that a few changes now can equate to huge benefits later. Healthy food does not need to be flavorless and void of personality, which she aims to accomplish through her many recipes.

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