A Calculated Whisk

Creative paleo and gluten-free recipes

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You are here: Home / Archives for spaghetti squash

Instant Pot Meatballs

November 28, 2017 By Becky 29 Comments

Instant Pot Meatballs (Paleo, Whole30)

These Instant Pot meatballs are so easy and quick to make–no stove or oven required–and are the ideal paleo & Whole30 comfort food.

How was your Thanksgiving?? Mine was pretty good. I made an apple galette first thing in the morning and we left for Atlanta around 11 to go to a big family Thanksgiving at Ben’s cousin’s house. Amazingly enough, traffic from Chattanooga to the ATL was very light, and we made it in under two hours. I managed to eat only a relatively appropriate amount of dessert and even brought some galette back home, which made a perfect Black Friday breakfast.

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Filed Under: dinner, gluten free, Instant Pot, paleo, recipe, whole30 Tagged With: beef, dairy free, grain free, instant pot, italian, meatballs, pressure cooker, spaghetti squash, tomato, tomato sauce

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Meatball “Vermicelli” Bowls

February 23, 2015 By Becky 42 Comments

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Meatball "Vermicelli" Bowls | acalculatedwhisk.com

These caramelized pork meatball “vermicelli” bowls are made with paleo-friendly caramel and spaghetti squash instead of noodles.

My favorite thing to order at our local Vietnamese restaurant is bún chả, a bowl of vermicelli topped with pickled vegetables, peanuts, and grilled sliced pork or pork meatballs, served with a generous bowl of nước chấm (sweet fish sauce) on the side. This caramelized pork meatball “vermicelli” bowl is a paleo version that hits all the right notes without refined sugar, legumes, or actual vermicelli–the noodles are spaghetti squash instead!

I’m not always a fan of swapping spaghetti squash for regular noodles, but it really works in this dish. There are so many flavors and textures intermingling that the squash flies almost completely under the radar.

The star of this bowl is the caramelized pork meatballs, which are by far the best meatballs I’ve ever made. Last time I attempted Vietnamese pork it was delicious, but nowhere near as good as what I’ve had in restaurants. I wasn’t sure how to get that unique flavor–the one that’s at once almost too sweet and almost too savory, but actually just perfect. Then, while doing a little online research, I came across this recipe from Saveur, which involved a very surprising step.
 
Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Meatball "Vermicelli" Bowls | acalculatedwhisk.com
 
I never would have tried the technique advised in the recipe if it hadn’t come from such a trusted source, because it sounds totally ridiculous. Luckily enough for me and you, though, I did try it, and it was just the ticket. Buckle your seat belts, folks, because we are going to MAKE CARAMEL and put it in the meatballs.
 
Yup.
 
THAT is what I mean by “caramelized”.

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Filed Under: dinner, gluten free, paleo, recipe Tagged With: caramel, carrots, cashews, cilantro, cucumber, dairy free, grain free, meatballs, pork, spaghetti squash, Vietnamese

Hi, I’m Becky!

Welcome to A Calculated Whisk, where I share creative paleo and gluten-free recipes. Learn more about me here.

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