Description
Flavorful, tender and easy to make, these gluten-free meatballs are perfect for eating over pasta or with a slice of crusty bread. Keep this recipe for homemade Italian meatballs handy because you’ll be making them again and again! Totally dairy-free and low-carb too!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons grated dairy-free parmesan + more for sprinkling
- 5 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 egg
- 1 yellow onion, diced (approximately 1 cup diced)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (approximately 1 tablespoon minced)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley + more for garnishing
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- Gluten-free bread or gluten-free spaghetti, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Line: Preheat the oven to 360F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a bit of nonstick cooking spray if you prefer. Adjust oven rack to the middle position.
- Combine Ingredients: Place the ground beef, dairy-free parmesan, almond flour, egg, onions, garlic, parsley, salt, ground paprika and ground coriander in a large mixing bowl. Set aside some parsley for serving.
- Mix Well: Thoroughly mix the ingredients together to get a homogeneous minced meat for meatballs.
- Shape Meatball Mixture into Balls: With wet hands, form meatballs about 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter (you should get about 20 meatballs). Place the beef meatballs in one single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between each ball.
- Bake Until Ready: Place the tray in the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes.
- Cook with Marinara Sauce: Pour the marinara sauce into a large non-stick skillet, then add the meatballs there and heat everything together for about 15 minutes, until the meatballs are fully cooked on the inside.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish the meatballs with fresh parsley and grated dairy-free parmesan cheese. Serve with slices of toasted gluten-free bread or gluten-free pasta (such as spaghetti or fettuccine).
Notes
Ground Beef: I like using ground beef in this recipe (go for 80-85% fat), but you can do a mix of beef, venison and/or pork if you prefer.
Parmesan: I used dairy-free parmesan to keep this recipe dairy-free. However, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use regular parmesan instead.
Almond Flour: Most meatball recipes use breadcrumbs, but we’re using blanched almond flour to reduce the carb content for these breadcrumb free meatballs. If you don’t care about that, go ahead and use gluten-free breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs instead.
Egg: The egg is necessary as a binder to hold the ingredients together, so much sure you include it. I’ve never tried making this gluten-free meatball recipe without eggs, but if you are allergic to eggs, you may try using acquafaba or an egg-replacer instead.
Onion: I used yellow onions, but you can also use white onions or red onions if you prefer.
Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds great flavor to these gluten-free Italian meatballs, so make sure to add it in!
Parsley: Fresh parsley is used both as an ingredient as well as the garnish, and imparts a beautiful flavor to these delicious homemade meat balls.
Spices/Herbs: We’re using a mix of ground paprika, ground coriander and dried oregano for an even bigger boost of flavor. Feel free to mix up the spices and herbs according to your taste.
Marinara Sauce: Marinara sauce (a very common type of tomato pasta sauce) is basically made up of tomato puree, salt and pepper, and occasionally a few other spices and herbs (such as basil and garlic). You can either buy store-bought marinara sauce and make your own.
Storing: To store, place these homemade gluten-free meatballs in an airtight container or ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the pan or oven until warm and enjoy!
Freezing Uncooked Meatballs: To freeze the uncooked meatballs, prepare them according to the instructions until they are shaped into balls. Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet (make sure the meatballs do not touch each other) and then flash-freeze them for 1-2 hours in the freezer until they are frozen solid. Once the meatballs are frozen, place them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To use them, thaw the meatballs overnight in the refrigerator and cook them accordingly.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking + Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
