Access to all articles, new health classes, discounts in our store, and more!
Bison Meatballs with Zesty Tomato Sauce
Background info: The American bison has served as a vital food source for many Indigenous cultures across the North American prairies and plains since at least the Late Pleistocene era (as long as 10,000 years ago). Though commonly called buffalo, it is only distantly related to the “true buffalo” of Africa and India.
Today, bison has returned to mainstream American cuisine, and has provided a strong foundation for regional Indigenous cuisines, largely thanks to the efforts of culinary influencers like Chef Sean Sherman of Owamni (winner of the prestigious Julia Child award). Bison offers similar nutrition to beef but scores higher on the sustainability scale, and it is less likely to be “grain-finished,” unlike most grass-fed beef on the market today.
—Price-Pottenger
● ● ●
Serves 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced or pulsed in a food processor
- 10 baby portobello mushrooms, diced or pulsed in a food processor
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or pulsed in a food processor
- 3 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 plum tomatoes, diced or pulsed in a food processor
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- Fresh chopped basil (optional)
- 1 pound ground bison
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup almond flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté onion in avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to brown, add mushrooms, garlic, spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil. Reduce heat to medium. Stir frequently.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine bison, egg, almond flour, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and form 1½-inch meatballs (approximately 14-16).
- Add meatballs to the sauce mixture and simmer until fully cooked, about 20-22 minutes. Stir gently a few times.
- Serve warm with your favorite steamed or roasted vegetables.
Aimee McNew, BS, MNT, is a nutritionist, writer, and researcher. She’s currently pursuing a PhD in Integrative and Functional Nutrition and is the author of The Everything Guide to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. She specializes in nutrition for women’s issues, particularly high-risk pregnancy, postpartum disorders, and thyroid health. She can be found online at aimeemcnew.com.
Check out other recipes from Aimee:
Winter Salad with Cranberries and Pears
Orange-Pomegranate Chia Pudding
Orange Glazed Salmon with Roasted Vegetables
Published in the Price-Pottenger Journal of Health & Healing
Winter 2020 – 2021 | Volume 44, Number 4
Copyright © 2020 Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Inc.®
All Rights Reserved Worldwide