BHA & BHT Free Cassava Flour Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Sweet, tangy, and deeply savory all at once, these meatballs deliver the kind of bold flavor that makes you forget you're cooking clean. The sauce gets its gorgeous body from sweet potato purée and unsweetened pineapple juice rather than any bottled condiment, which means you're completely in control of what goes into the dish — no synthetic preservatives, no mystery additives, just real ingredients doing all the work. Coconut aminos stand in for soy sauce throughout, adding that umami depth without the additives that sneak into conventional alternatives. Fresh ginger and garlic in the meatball mixture itself give every bite a warm, aromatic kick, while the arrowroot slurry pulls the sauce together into a glossy, spoon-coating finish. Searing the meatballs before finishing them in the oven builds a proper crust and locks in the juices, so you get texture as well as flavor. The fresh pineapple chunks stirred in at the end stay bright and slightly caramelized rather than mushy, which makes the whole dish feel vibrant and restaurant-worthy. Scatter some scallions over the top and you've got a weeknight dinner that looks and tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 2 tbsp cassava flour
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
For the sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice (unsweetened)
- ⅓ cup sweet potato purée
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (about 1-inch pieces)
For serving
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, cassava flour, 2 tbsp coconut aminos, garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, salt, and turmeric. Mix with your hands until just combined — do not overwork the meat. Roll into balls about 1½ inches in diameter (roughly 20–22 meatballs) and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
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