Meatballs in Chunky Tomato Sauce Over Turnip-Parsnip Mash

This recipe is a perfect use for grass-fed ground beef. I used beef from another steer that once lived the steer yard at our family farm. (If you want even more nutrition, this recipe is great for sneaking in a little bit of ground organ meats – that is what I have been doing with my paleo chili – liver is good for growing babies!) It is also a good way to sneak in some ‘stealth vegetables,’ as I like to call them. With the carrots mixed in to the meatballs, along with the tomato sauce, you are getting a couple of servings on each plate.

And then there is the parsnip and turnip mash that I served as an accompaniment and sauce-soaker-upper. It was amazing, rich, flavorful, and delicious . . . so much better than mashed potatoes. Not only is it better for you, but the taste is so much more complex and interesting. This was one of my favorite dinners in months, and Nick had to agree with me. So, on to the recipe.

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
½ lb pork sausage
½ cup finely shredded carrots
¼ cup coconut flour
2 eggs
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp sage
½ tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cups crushed tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp sage
½ tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients, mix until well incorporated, and shape into balls. (Hands work best.) Place in a 9×13 pan. Mix together all of the sauce ingredients, then pour over your meatballs. Cover and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.

In the mean time, get to work on that turnip and parsnip mash. I peeled and chopped as many turnips and parsnips as I thought we could eat (making sure that the pieces were uniform in size so that they cooked evenly), then placed them in a saucepan and covered them with beef bone broth. I boiled them until tender, drained off the liquid, added salt, pepper, and a huge slab of grass-fed butter, and then blended with a hand blender until they were smooth. They made for the perfect veggie side dish and sauce catcher. Who needs pasta, anyway?

I am sharing this recipe at Foodie Friday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday Party, Tuesday’s Tasty Tidbits, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, This Chick Cooks, Tasty Tuesdays, Domestically Divine, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Healthy Today Wednesday, What’s On The Menu Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Friday Favorites, Foodie Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Friday Potluck, Food Friday, Feed Me, Tweet Me, Follow Me Home Friday, Simply Delish Saturday, Seasonal Sunday, Hunk of Meat Monday, and the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.