Let’s be honest here: spaghetti pretty much goes against every aspect of the paleo / AIP diets. It’s basically a heaping pile of gluten smothered in cooked nightshade vegetables and sometimes cheese. Still, if I had to choose a “last meal”, I would probably say spaghetti and meatballs (or PB&J). There’s just something so comforting to me about that meal. It’s probably because as a kid, my family would eat that meal at least once a week and I’d eat it even more than that.
Looking back now though, it’s funny (or maybe a little sad) to think about how much physical pain this meal actually caused me, yet we had no idea why.
I remember every time I’d eat spaghetti as a kid or even as an adult, I would have absolutely excruciating stomach pains and indigestion that would quite literally be crippling to the point where I’d be couch-ridden and unable to walk for hours after the meal. To alleviate my symptoms, I would just chew on about 54 Tums and lay in the fetal position until the pain would subside enough for me to walk upstairs to my bedroom.
We eventually made a loose connection about the acidity in the tomato sauce and how it was probably upsetting my stomach, but the idea that I might have a gluten allergy/sensitivity never once crossed our minds. Of course looking back, it’s all crystal clear. I wish that I could go back in time and explain to my man-child self and family what was going on so we could halt all that digestive damage in its tracks, but asi es la vida. And at least we’re here now aren’t we? Healing and wheeling and dealing (obviously missed my calling to be a rap god), so I figure it’s better late than never.
At any rate, despite my interesting history with spaghetti, I still miss it. So, as with most “limitations” in my life, I always just work to defy them completely, because I refuse to be held back from anything that I love, even though it may be a difficult problem to solve and challenging to come up with an alternate solution.
Thus, I was determined to find “safe” spaghetti and meatballs that I could actually eat, free of nightshades, dairy, gluten, grain, added sugar, egg, etc. And I did. Because while I may not be a rap god, I do tend to drop it down low and get my groove thang on in the kitchen.
So here we go, onto our AIP & paleo-friendly spaghetti and meatball recipe!
Flavor Profile: The beets give this sauce the redness and hint of sweetness that I used to enjoy in a marinara sauce, the bacon helps add a little smokiness and robust flavor to the sauce, the vinegar gives it that “tangy”ness that cooked tomatoes would give off, and the rest of the herbs and ingredients layer the flavors and make this sauce a total home run.
- • 2 tablespoons bacon fat
- • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- • 2 cups carrots, diced
- • 2 cups beets, diced
- • 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- • 5 garlic cloves, minced
- • 3 pieces of bacon, chopped
- • 2½ teaspoons sea salt
- • ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- • ¾ cup organic unsweetened cranberry juice
- • 1 cup chicken bone broth
- • 2 bay leaves
- • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- • 1½ teaspoon dried oregano
- • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
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Melt the coconut oil and bacon fat together in a pan. Sauté the onions and garlic for about 3 minutes, then add the bacon and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
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Add the carrots, beets, and celery and cook until the vegetables have softened slightly, about 5-6 minutes.
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Pour in the cranberry juice and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Carefully pour the sauce into a blender and blend on low for 15 seconds, then increase the speed to high and continue to blend until you have a smooth sauce.
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Return the sauce to the pan. Add the bay leaves, basil, oregano, thyme, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. At this point, you can add the meatballs or ground beef in and let them cook together in the sauce for a few minutes while the flavors come together.
Adapted from Against All Grain's Tomatoless Sauce
