In my pre candida days, I had the regrettable experience of ordering the swedish meatballs at Ikea. I hadn’t ordered these in years and had a fond memory of this comfort food. To my horror, these rubbery salty balls didn’t even resemble meatballs but some sort of commercial by product. I was inspired to recreate this old classic with quality ingredients and gluten free to boot.  I had to think of a way to substitute bread crumbs for a gluten free product. Brown rice flour works nicely and holds the meat together.

Although I do try to avoid pork, every so often I get a craving and have to satisfy my need. I go to my favorite butcher, Windsor meats, and they sell a local, organic  pork and beef that has loads of flavor. Mixing pork and beef always creates a more flavorful meatball..ask the italians!

To make dinner for 4, I like to use 2 lbs of meat and there are even left overs!

Here is the recipe for gluten free swedish meatballs:

1 lb ground organic pork

1 lb ground organic beef

1 egg

3 tbls brown rice flour( you can add more if it seems too wet)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground pepper

3 minced garlic cloves

2 tbls cornstarch or 4 tsp arrowroot flour

1 tsp thyme

1/4 cup of half and half cream

4 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all above ingredients to get a wet meaty mixture. Form into 1 inch balls and put on a cookie sheet. Put in the oven on the  middle oven rack and cook each side about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. If you’re worried they’re not quite cooked, don’t worry, they be heated in the beef sauce.

In the meantime get your peeled potatoes boiling..these take about 20 minutes.

Mince 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic and fry in the pan for about 10 minutes until golden. Add 4 cups of beef stock to the pan. I like to use kitchen basics as it is gluten free and quite flavorful. For this recipe I used corn starch to thicken the sauce but if you’re on a strict candida diet, I would recommend arrowroot flour which also works. Just take a bit of the stock out of the pan in a measuring cup and add flour until well mixed. Add it back to the sauce and whisk in until all the lumps are broken down. This sauce takes at least 20 minutes for the sauce to thicken.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and let simmer about 15 to 20 minutes. Near the end, I like to add about 2 large tablespoons of my homemade tayeberry jam. Canned cranberry sauce also works nicely. Of course, don’t add the jam if you’re on a candida diet. If you’re feeling indulgent and not dairy intolerant, a dollop of half and half cream tastes great in the sauce. Leave your meat balls to simmer. In meantime, drain your potatoes and mash and season how you like. Get the steamed broccoli ready and your dinner is complete. My husband says this is great comfort food and I have to agree. Enjoy!