Citric Acid Free Bison and Apple Meatballs
These meatballs are a genuinely exciting combination ā earthy bison, warm spices like ginger and Ceylon cinnamon, and grated apple folded right into the mix for a subtle natural sweetness that makes every bite feel a little unexpected. For anyone navigating a citric acid sensitivity, the challenge with meatballs is usually the sauces, seasonings, and binders hiding acidic additives in plain sight. Here, cassava flour stands in as the binder, and the pan sauce is built entirely from unsweetened apple cider, bone broth, and a touch of apple cider vinegar ā no citric acid-laced shortcuts anywhere in the recipe. Squeezing the grated apple dry before mixing is a smart technique that keeps the texture tight and satisfying rather than soft and dense. The sauce gets finished with arrowroot starch, which thickens it into something glossy and restaurant-worthy without any of the processed thickeners that can sneak in unwanted additives. Fresh rosemary and parsley round everything out, making this feel like a proper dinner rather than a restricted one. It's the kind of recipe that proves eating around a sensitivity doesn't mean eating boring food.
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Learn more āIngredients
4 servings
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 medium apple (such as honeycrisp or fuji), peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp cassava flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Ā½ tsp ground ginger
- Ā¼ tsp ground turmeric
- Ā¼ tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
For the pan sauce
- 1 cup apple cider (unsweetened, no additives)
- Ā½ cup bone broth (homemade or aip-compliant brand)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp cold water
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400Ā°F (205Ā°C). Grate the apple on the large holes of a box grater, then squeeze the grated apple firmly in your hands 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 bison, squeezed grated apple, cassava flour, garlic, parsley, thyme, ginger, turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, and salt. Mix with your hands until just combined and uniform ā do not overwork the mixture.
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