BHA & BHT Free Apple & Sage Beef Meatballs
Avoiding synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT means reading every label carefully ā and packaged meatballs or pre-seasoned ground beef blends are some of the sneakiest offenders on the shelf. This recipe sidesteps all of that by building bold, complex flavor entirely from scratch using whole, recognizable ingredients. Grated apple folded into the beef mixture adds a subtle natural sweetness and keeps the texture tender, while fresh sage, ginger, turmeric, and Ceylon cinnamon layer in warmth and depth that no preservative-laden shortcut could replicate. Cassava flour binds everything together cleanly, and coconut oil gives each meatball a gorgeous, deeply browned sear. The pan sauce ā made from unsweetened apple cider, bone broth, apple cider vinegar, and arrowroot starch ā comes together in minutes and glazes the meatballs in something genuinely crave-worthy. Every component is intentional and transparent, which is exactly what you want when you're cooking for a household that takes ingredient integrity seriously. These are the kind of meatballs that make you wonder why you ever reached for a frozen bag in the first place.
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Learn more āIngredients
4 servings
For the meatballs
- 1 Ā½ lb ground beef (85% lean)
- 1 medium apple (such as honeycrisp or fuji), peeled and finely grated
- 3 tbsp cassava flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- Ā½ tsp ground turmeric
- Ā½ tsp ceylon cinnamon
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
For searing
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
For the pan sauce
- Ā¾ cup apple cider (unsweetened)
- Ā¾ cup bone broth (homemade or aip-compliant brand)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Grate the apple on the fine side of a box grater, then squeeze the grated apple firmly in your hand or in a clean kitchen towel over the sink to remove as much liquid as possible ā this keeps the meatballs from becoming dense and wet.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, squeezed grated apple, cassava flour, garlic, chopped sage, ginger, turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, and salt. Mix with your hands until just combined and uniform ā do not overwork the meat.
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