Sometimes, all you want is a meatball. Tender, juicy, enveloped in a sweet tomato sauce. Sometimes with pasta, sometimes without. Gluten-free meatballs in a restaurant are basically impossible to come by, because your classic “real” Italian meatball, has milk soak bread to keep them tender.

My recipe for meatballs is totally gluten-free. The cool thing about them is that you can use any ground meat of your choosing – beef, veal, pork, turkey, chicken or even a combo. They include chopped onions, parsley and grated parmesan right in the meat, to add bold flavour.

Oven-baked or boiled right into the sauce, these meatballs are always a crowd pleasure.

Gluten-Free Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • Either: 1 pound each of ground pork, beef and veal OR
  • 1 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1 1/2 pound ground veal
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons chunky kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 1/2 cups finely diced yellow onion, from about 2 small yellow onions
  • 4 large garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • Olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Mix the meat together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt and a generous amount of black pepper, then add the cayenne and paprika.
  2. Stir in the chopped parsley, onion, garlic and Parmesan. Mix with your hands until very thoroughly distributed through the meat. Mix in the eggs.
  3. Shape and cook the meatballs immediately, or refrigerate the meat for up to 24 hours. You can also freeze the meat a sealed container for up to 3 months.
  4. Heat oven to 350 F. Form them into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until they are just barely cooked through and no longer pink inside. To keep them tender, do not overbake.
  5. Add the to a pot of hot tomato sauce (RECIPE TO COME) and simmer for another 15-20 minutes to get the full flavour of the tomato sauce.
  6. You can also cook meatballs directly in your pasta sauce. To do this, place raw formed meatballs into a pot of gently simmering tomato sauce, making sure they are fully covered. Cook over low heat for at least 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked through and no longer pink inside. This makes for a very tender meatball with no crispiness.
  7. Enjoy alone or with your favourite pasta!

Xo

Amanda