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–+ servings

Beef Meatballs With Cauliflower and Turnips for Full GAPS

Cinnamon-seasoned beef meatballs simmer in homemade beef meat stock with cauliflower, turnips, carrots and a little tomato paste. Egg-free and nut-free; serves four.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Soup
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground beef plain
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon pure
  • fine sea salt to taste; use pinches in meatballs and onion step
  • black pepper to taste; use pinches in meatballs and onion step
  • 1 medium head cauliflower cut into florets
  • 1 tablespoon homemade ghee or the same amount of coconut oil
  • 1 cup white onion diced
  • 4 cups homemade beef meat stock finished stock
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste plain tomatoes, with salt as the only possible addition
  • 3 medium turnips peeled and quartered
  • 2 medium carrots sliced lengthwise into strips
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped, for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Roomy stainless steel stockpot For the stock, meatballs and vegetables.
  • 1 Separate pot and colander For partly cooking and draining the cauliflower.
  • 1 Mixing bowl and plate For seasoning and shaping the meatballs.
  • Knife, board, measuring cups and spoons, ladle
  • 1 Food thermometer Check the center of a meatball.

Method
 

  1. Put the ground beef in a bowl with the cinnamon and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix well and roll into one-inch meatballs. Set them on a plate.
  2. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Boil in a separate pot of water for five to seven minutes, until partly cooked, then drain and set aside. Do not add the boiling water to the main stockpot.
  3. Melt the ghee or coconut oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for three to four minutes, stirring, until translucent. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  4. Add the beef meat stock and tomato paste. Stir until the paste disperses evenly and bring to a simmer for two minutes.
  5. Lower the meatballs into the simmering broth and cook for five minutes. Keep a gentle simmer, not a hard rolling boil.
  6. Add the peeled, quartered turnips and carrot strips. Cook uncovered until tender, about seven minutes. Test the thickest part of a turnip quarter.
  7. Add the drained cauliflower florets and simmer until tender, about five minutes. Check that the meatballs are cooked through to 160°F in their centers.
  8. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle the meatballs, vegetables and broth into bowls and top with the chopped cilantro.

Notes

Timing: Ten minutes preparation and thirty minutes cooking, using already-made meat stock. Making the stock is additional.
Size and texture: Keep meatballs one inch across, turnips peeled and quartered, carrots cut lengthwise into strips, and cauliflower partly boiled before its final simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender and meatballs done through.
Fat choice: Use one tablespoon homemade ghee or one tablespoon coconut oil. Coconut oil makes this version free of milk ingredients. Both choices use the same onion step.
GAPS: Full GAPS; egg-free and nut-free. The cinnamon and short simmer are not an early Intro stew preparation. Not No-Plant GAPS.
Doubling: At 2x use the doubled ingredient amounts and a pot with enough space. Keep meatballs one inch across and use the same tenderness/doneness checks, allowing extra heating time if needed.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in covered containers with their broth. Reheat gently in a saucepan until hot throughout, stirring carefully around the cauliflower.

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