Return to comfort food with these sweet and juicy pork meatballs. 
Mother Nature seems as though she has been having an identity crisis all winter long.
A few weeks ago, it was so mild out that we were grilling and even firing up the smoker, a process that Bill can’t tackle in the freezing temperatures.
And just as soon as I washed the winter gear and hung it in the back of the closet, Miss Mother Nature decided to dump a ton of snow on us. Thanks a lot, lady.
Which meant it was back to some comfort food cooking in our house.
Snowed in and craving something warm and savory, I pulled together some miscellaneous ingredients in my refrigerator and pantry.
The result…a sweet and tasty, crispy coated, tender meatball.
I usually turn to ground chicken, turkey or beef for my recipes, but I had purchased this pack of ground pork just to mix things up. 
I didn’t actually have a plan for what to make with it but what I discovered in my kitchen would complement one another perfectly.
I had some leftover sage leaves that would pair nicely with the rich ground pork. I love love love the earthiness of sage in recipes. I usually save these leaves for adding to brown butter and pouring over a crispy gnocchi or pairing with other herbs and wine for a fantastic and easy chicken dinner. But here, I thought it would be perfect mixed in with the pork.
Despite this snow, I feel like we are on the verge of spring so, I added some brightness with fresh lemon zest to compliment the sage and pork in this mixture.
I also used a gluten free breadcrumb that I find so impressive in taste.
As soon as my balls were formed, I started to brown them in batches in my hot oil.
After transferring the browned and crispy meatballs to a plate, I added fresh chopped shallots to the skillet and cooked them for a few minutes.
I deglazed my pan with some white wine…and sipped a glass too. I also added sweet apple cider to the pan, a delicious combo with pork.
I let this liquid come to a boil and then transferred my meatballs back to the skillet, covered it, and let them continue to cook on the inside for about 20 minutes.
While they finished, I prepared some brown rice and sautéed brussel sprouts as a side dish.
I guess this dinner involved a little game of musical meatballs because I once again transferred them to a plate and whisked in the heavy cream. As the cream was whisked, all the delicious fond was mixed in as well.
Music back on…meatballs back in! I gave them a good toss in the skillet so they were coated and slathered in the sauce and then they were ready to serve!
I placed the meatballs on a bed of brown rice and gave it a good heaping spoonful of that sweet apple cider wine glaze! Oh, and some parsley garnish too, of course! 
They smelled amazing and tasted even better! 
What is your favorite meatball recipe?
Cider Braised Pork Meatballs with Lemon and Sage
Return to comfort food with these sweet and juicy pork meatballs.
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 2 tbsp fresh sage (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup Gluten free plain breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 2/3 cup apple cider
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- parsley for garnish
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl and form large meatballs (I got 11 in this batch)
- Heat olive oil in a skillet at medium-high heat.
- Brown meatballs on all sides and then transfer to a plate. Brown in batches, if necessary, so you don’t overcrowd the pan. They do not have to be cooked through.
- Add the shallot to the skillet and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add white wine, apple cider, and cider vinegar to the skillet.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn heat to low, add meatballs back to the skillet and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer the meatballs back to the plate and vigorously whisk in heavy cream, scraping all the bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Transfer the meatballs back to the sauce and toss them to coat on all sides.
- Serve meatballs over a bed of brown rice, spoon additional sauce over top and garnish with fresh parsley.
Serve over brown rice with a side of sautéed brussel sprouts for a complete meal.
I am instantly hungry!! I need to save this recipe for dinner to make ASAP!
Oh my goodness these meatballs look (and sound) heavenly!! I love that you paired them with brussels- they are some of my favorite veggies to whip up in a jiffy.
I appreciate the compliments, Rebecca!! Brussels are the best!!!
I’ve never made meatballs but will try these
This sounds so sophisticated – but totally inexpensive, which is even better!
Yes! That’s the best part!!
This looks so tasty! I will have to try this, thanks for sharing!
It’s FINALLY starting to cool down here, as autumn is slowly taking hold, and these sound absolutely amazing. I’ve never been a meatball fan, but these have my mouth watering already! I was planning to make them this weekend, but I might run to the store and make them tomorrow night for my husband’s birthday, instead. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m actually very picky about my meatballs too and have not been a huge fan. I like them meaty and not feeling like they are full of filling. I could eat these on any cold night! Hope you and your husband enjoy them!
Do you do anything to get some flavor in your brown rice, or do you keep it plain? I’m about to head to the grocery store to get the things I don’t have so I can make this tonight.
For this dish, I leave the rice plain because the sauce and the pork is rich enough. But there are other times I add some simple browned butter to the rice or stir in some sautéed garlic and parmesan. I’m happy with plain rice though as long as the rest of the dish is full of flavor. Hope you enjoy the dish!! Thanks so much for your comment!!!
Uh I am not a big fan of brussel sprouts, but maybe your recipe will change this. I am really hoping it will if I am honest, I know how healthy they are. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will definitely try it this weekend! 😀
Yumm, this looks great! I love brussels too.
You’re not missing out on flavor there!
Thanks! I love the combination of flavors here!
Adding this dish to our meal planning for the month. Plus I have everything already on hand to make the entire meal.
How perfect! Enjoy!
Goodness me this has to be my dream meal! I love winter food. Pinned this for later. Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow! Excellent! Thanks for pinning and sharing the love!