Gluten Free Meatballs (dairy free too)

When I first put together my Tomato Free Sauce (recipe), I would make a batch of that and three pounds of gf meatballs. I’d make the first pound as Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs (recipe) and the other two would get added to the sauce.

I recently realized I never shared the standard gluten free meatball recipe, so here it is. You can bake them, fry them or simply simmer them in your sauce. Baking and frying will keep them held together better when you add them to the sauce and reduce the amount of time they need to simmer in the sauce. I prefer to bake them first as this cuts out the mess of frying.

Gluten Free Meatballs with Homemade Nomato Sauce
over Gluten Free Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
½ onion, chopped fine
Olive oil
¼ cup basil (1 tbsp dried)
¼ cup parsley (1 tbsp dried)
¼ gluten free bread crumbs (recipe)
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

1/4 vegan parmesan (or dairy)




How to prepare gluten free meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 350 if you are going to bake instead of fry.

Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent and just starting to brown (about 3 minutes).

In the mean time, finely chop the parsley and basil. (Quick note: the ¼ cup measurement assumes loosely packed prior to chopping. You’ll have much less afterwards.)

Add the bread crumbs, herbs, ground beef, salt, pepper, and onions and garlic (as soon as they are done) to a large mixing bowl (add vegan parmesan if using here as well). Mix thoroughly.

Form into 1” balls (about 1 tbsp worth) and set aside.

You can then fry the meatballs (in batches) until browned on all sides or for less mess, bake them in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  (See below if adding directly to your sauce.)

Bring your favorite pasta sauce to a boil and add the browned (either oven or frying pan) meatballs then reduce to a simmer.  Continue to cook them until cooked all the way through and no longer pink in the center (20-30 minutes).

If you are not baking or frying make sure your sauce is boiling before adding the meatballs and that they are all completely covered in the pot. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until done (about an hour), not stirring for the first ½ hour so they don’t fall apart. I would use a meat thermometer to confirm they have reached an internal temp of 165 degrees in this case as well.

[NOTE: If using my no tomato pasta sauce, I like to add the meatballs prior to adding the pureed beets and then I don’t add the beets until the meatballs are done. Once you add the beets, if you cook them for more than 5 minutes or so they’ll begin to discolor.]

Serve with your favorite gluten free pasta!


Check out my other Gluten Free Recipes!