Sheet Pan Spiced Pork Meatballs
This Sheet Pan Spiced Pork Meatball Recipe with Almond Sauce with Roasted Vegetables is an easy weeknight dinner that is ready in 30 minutes!
This medieval inspired recipe is turned modern and kid friendly. The pork meatball recipe features currants and a creamy almond milk based sauce and are served with roasted veggies for a perfectly family friendly dinner!
Whenever I want to introduce a new flavor or ingredient into my kids diet, there is one form that I always turn to.
I don’t know what it is about them, but my kiddos will eat just about any kind of meatball I give them. Maybe its the fun bite sized pieces. Maybe its the dipping sauce. Maybe its the texture of the ground meat, seasonings and breadcrumbs all mixed together.
Whatever it is, I know that at my house, if its in the form of a meatball, its gold. And these spiced pork meatballs – they didn’t last long at all! Don’t let the fact that this is inspired by a medieval recipe turn you off – these are delicious!
Historically Hungry – Old Recipes Made New
Every month my friend Amy from House of Nash Eats and I get together and recreate a historical recipe.
Sometimes we make it exactly with just a few minor adjustments to suit the times, and sometimes we recreate the recipe into something new!
This month is all about the Medieval ages! After a bit of research and thought, I decided on this fun pork meatball recipe – because everyone loves meatballs, right?!
Make sure you check out Amy’s recipe for easy homemade Rye bread (seriously, its amazing!)
What Did People in the Medieval Ages Eat?
I think we can all agree that no matter what the time was, the more money you have the better you eat. And this could definitely be said for the medieval ages!
The medieval ages are also known as the “Middle Ages” and are through to have lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. The poorer you were, the more bland and unvaried your diet was. Most people ate what they grew.
- Barely, Oats, and Rye were prominent grains.
- Vegetables and herbs were grown in small plots of land by most people.
- Meat was not readily available, unless you happened to own the land to raise your own or had the money to buy from a butcher.
Food for the working class was basically rougher and cheaper.
Food was definitely a marker of social status during this time. For richer people, wheat was a privilege. Game meat often graced the table from hunting parties, and chicken and pork was also really popular. Food was more spiced and more refined.
Basically, if you ever go back in time to the Medieval Ages, you better hope you end up with some money on hand!
Pork Meatball Recipe with Almond Sauce
Almonds were often used as thickeners in soups, stews, and sauces – particularly as almond milk. Also called Pumpes, these spiced pork meatballs were moistened with almond milk, parboiled boiled in wine and then fried. Once they were cooked, they were placed in a dish and a thin sauce made with stock and ground almonds or almond flour was added to the dish. The meatballs were finished off with a sprinkling of sugar and mace, and often decorated with edible flowers as well (like chives or thyme flowers).
I decided to simplify these a bit – because who has time for parboiling and then frying?! Also – I am not wasting wine by boiling meatballs in it when I could be drinking the wine and baking the meatballs. Right?!
With a few small tweaks, these pork meatballs became an easy weeknight meal complete with roasted veggies!
How to cook medieval pork meatballs
This recipe is very simple to make! Here is a brief overview of the recipe to give you an idea of how it works. For the full set of directions and measurements, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below!
First, make the meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and then spray with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground pork, egg, currants, sugar, and spices together. Be careful not to over-mix or your meatballs will be tough.
- Form into small balls, about an inch in diameter.
Then arrange the sheet pan and bake:
- Place the meatballs on one half of the sheet pan.
- In a second large mixing bowl, toss together the sliced carrots and quartered potatoes with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
- Arrange the veggies in a single layer on the second half of the sheet pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
While the sheet pan is baking, make the almond sauce:
- In a skillet over medium heat, warm the beef broth and almond milk.
- When the mixture is warm and simmering, whisk in the flour until smooth.
- Whisk for several minutes until the sauce begins to thicken and reduce.
- When desired consistency has been reached, whisk in the sugar and mace.
- Pour just enough sauce over the pork meatballs to thoroughly coat them and serve.
How your kids can cook this recipe
Inviting your kids into the kitchen with you is an excellent way to get them interested in trying new foods. And what better way to study the medieval ages than by cooking and eating some of the same foods!
- Kids aged 1-3 can help you measure and whisk the meatball dry ingredients and the sauce ingredients together and set the table.
- Kids aged 4-6 can help you do all the above, plus help you mix and shape the meatballs and stir the sauce!
- Kids aged 7-10+ can help you do all the above!
*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.
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Medieval Recipe – Pork Meatballs in Almond Sauce with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup currants
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon gingerbread spice mix
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Sheet Pan
- 3 cups carrots sliced into 3″ long pieces
- 8 oz baby red potatoes quartered
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Almond Sauce:
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cups almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon mace
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
For Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and then spray with cooking spray.
- Mix ground pork, egg, currants, sugar, and spice together. Be careful not to over-mix or your meatballs will be tough.
- Form into small balls, about an inch in diameter.
For the Sheet Pan:
- Place the meatballs on the one half of the sheet pan.
- In a large bowl, toss the sliced carrots and quartered potatoes wtih the oliv eoil, salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
- Arrange in a single layer on the second half of the sheet pan. If you need to use a second pan so you dont crowd, you can do that!
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
For the Almond Sauce:
- In a skillet over medium heat, warm the beef broth and almond milk.
- When the mixture is warm and simmering, whisk in the flour until smooth.
- Whisk for several minutes until the sauce begins to thicken and reduce.
- When desired consistency has been reached, whisk in the sugar and mace.
- Pour just enough sauce over the pumpes to thoroughly coat them and serve.
Yum! Never thought about doing a meatball sheet pan meal!!
Looks like the perfect weeknight meal!
Love that you made this and love doing this fun series with you! Now I need to go find currants! Are they just by the raisins? Why am I such a dummy that I’ve never used them?
They are by the raisins! And actually made by Sunfresh, too! Look for an orange box!
My kids LOVE meatballs, and I LOVE that sauce! Such a yummy dinner idea 🙂 Thank you for another great one, Jenni!
This recipe looks super yummy! Love sheet pan dinners!! They make dinner so easy!