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These gluten-free meatballs are soft, juicy and packed with flavor. They’re incredibly versatile, super easy to make, and perfect to meal prep too! Toss them in an Asian-inspired sauce, serve them as an appetizer, or team them up with a classic tomato sauce like I did.
On weekends, I love meal prepping and planning for the week ahead. I feel like it really takes the brainwork away from having to put meals together during the week, and these meatballs are almost always on my list.
They’re so savory, tangy and delicious, and I love the fact that they’re dairy-free too.
All I need is under 30 minutes of prep time to put the meatballs and the sauce together. Cook up some gluten-free pasta and I’ve got an entire meal! Isn’t that great?
This Gluten-Free Meatballs Recipe Is…
- Super easy: Making these meatballs is incredibly easy, making it perfect if you’re not a seasoned cook and are just looking to try a simple and flavorful recipe.
- Flavorful: The meatballs are lightly seasoned and have a juicy, meaty texture. When teamed up with the tomato sauce, they’re next level delicious.
- Versatile: There’s lots of ways to serve up these meatballs. With pasta, as an appetizer, or even in a sandwich.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- Ground beef: Start with good quality ground beef for this recipe. Ideally, choose grass-fed ground beef.
- Gluten-free bread: Most meatball recipes call for the use of egg, but here, we’ll be using gluten-free bread as a binding agent.
- Olives: These add a salty, briny flavor along with some moisture to the meatballs.
- Pistachios: Pistachios, when crushed, lend a nice bit of texture to the meatballs.
- Garlic: Chopped, fresh garlic works best for that incredible flavor. Use garlic powder if you don’t have fresh garlic.
- Parsley: For that bit of freshness.
- Lemon juice: Just a little bit, for that tangy and citrusy flavor.
For the sauce
- Fresh tomatoes: Fresh plum tomatoes are the best choice here! If you’re using the canned variety, make sure you choose gluten-free.
- Tomato paste: For just a bit of that intense, tomato flavor.
- Garlic: For its umami deliciousness.
- Thyme: I like adding a sprinkle of dried thyme to lend the sauce a touch of Italian flavor.
- Seasonings: And of course, some salt and pepper to taste.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
How to Make Gluten-Free Meatballs
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make the meatballs and the sauce. Also prep the baking sheet by lining it with foil and then greasing it with cooking spray.
- Step 1: Grind time. Add all the ingredients for the meatballs except the ground beef to a food processor and process until you get a fine mixture.
- Step 2: Make the meatball mixture. Transfer it to a large bowl along with the ground meat and use your hands to combine everything well.
- Step 3: Portion and shape. Portion the mixture out and shape into rounds using your palms. Arrange on a lined baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between each meatball.
- Step 4: Broil. Broil the meatballs in the oven for 5-7 minutes on high, then turn the meatballs over and pop them back in. Cook them again for 5 minutes or until they have started to brown.
- Step 5: Cook tomatoes. In a pot, add all the ingredients for the tomato sauce, and cook over medium low heat.
- Step 6: Adjust and get right. Let the sauce simmer, and add water if needed, to adjust its consistency.
- Step 7: Add meatballs to sauce. Carefully place the meatballs into the pot with the sauce, one by one, making sure you don’t overcrowd the pot.
- Step 8: Cover and cook. Cover the pot and cook the meatballs for an hour on low heat, garnish and serve.
Seasoned Tip
How to Keep Your Meatballs From Rolling!
After you’ve shaped the meatballs into rounds, press down on each ball slightly so that they don’t roll.
Variations
- Meat swap: Swap the ground beef in the recipe for another meat of your choice if you want to bring a bit of variation to the recipe. Ground turkey is a good choice if you want to make gluten-free turkey meatballs.
- Bread swap: To make this gluten-free meatballs recipe without breadcrumbs, use rice or almond flour instead.
- Extra flavor: Add some gluten-free chicken or vegetable broth, or a splash of gluten-free Worcestershire sauce to the sauce to bring some extra flavor into the dish.
Storage Tips
- Storing: Store your leftover gluten-free meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 2 months.. Store the sauce and the meatballs separately for best results.
- Reheating: You can reheat the meatballs in the microwave or the oven. If you’ve added them to the sauce, just transfer everything to a pan and reheat it over the stovetop on medium heat. Remember to let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator before you reheat them.
- Freezing Uncooked Meatballs: If you want to freeze raw meatballs, transfer them to a baking sheet and freeze them until they’re solid. Then, move them to a freezer bag, label the bag, and then pop them in again.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve these gluten and dairy-free meatballs is to team them up with some gluten-free pasta (ideally spaghetti).
If you love a good meatball sub, stuff some of those meatballs and sauce into gluten-free Italian bread.
If you want to use them for a party you’re hosting, pair them with some gluten-free Hawaiian rolls to make some easy sliders and serve with my baked brie appetizer!
Tips & Tricks
- Use a scoop: To get the perfect sized meatballs every single time, use a cookie scoop to portion out the meatball mixture and then shape them.
- Choose right: I wouldn’t recommend using lean meat for this recipe. The fat in the meat is what helps the meatballs stay nice and juicy after being cooked, and without it, the meatballs will end up tough and dry.
How will I know the meatballs are done cooking?
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meatballs. If it reads 165 degrees, the meatballs are ready to be served.
Why are my meatballs falling apart?
If your meatball mixture doesn’t have enough breadcrumbs, they can be more crumbly and thus fall apart.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
- Crock Pot White Chicken Chili (Gluten-Free)
- Skillet Chicken Thighs
- Gluten-Free Meatballs
- Zucchini Corn Salad
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Best Gluten-Free Meatballs
Making gluten-free dairy-free meatballs has never been easier! This quick recipe yields the perfect juicy meatballs and the most delicious tangy tomato sauce that you can put to use in so many different ways.
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 1 cup gluten-free bread pieces toasted
- ⅔ cup fresh parsley not packed flat leaf (I used curly here, but flat leaf is best).
- 10 pistachios roasted, shelled
- 2 garlic cloves peeled roughly chopped
- 2-3 green olives large pitted
- 1 splash lemon juice
- kosher salt to taste hefty pinch
- ground pepper to taste hefty pinch
- 1 pound fresh ground beef
For Sauce
- 28 ounces peeled plum tomatoes Red Gold canned is gluten-free or you can use fresh.
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste heaping tablespoons, Red Gold brand is gluten-free.
- 1 bundle fresh thyme
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If pulling ground beef from fridge, let meat sit on counter for about 30 mins.
Make the Sauce
- Bring a stockpot with all SAUCE ingredients to a medium low heat, covered. Stir periodically and let simmer, smashing tomatoes and breaking apart. (Their juices pop, so watch out!)
- If sauce evaporates too much, add a bit more water. Make meatballs while sauce simmers, covered.
Prep the Meatballs
- In a small food processor, add all MEATBALL ingredients, but NOT the ground beef. Chop until finely ground.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef and bread crumb mixture. With clean hands, press and fold and mix all ingredients together. Be sure ingredients are mixed thoroughly. It is best to use hands for this.
- With your hands, form circular shapes with meat by rolling in the palms of hands. You should come up with about 14 meatballs, each about 2 inches in diameter.
Cook the Meatballs
- Set oven to broil on High. Line a sided baking sheet with foil, then lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Line meatballs near the center of sheet, close together, but not touching each other. Press down slightly on each ball so that when you turn them, they don't roll. Sprinkle tops with a bit of kosher salt and pepper.
- Broil in oven on High for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until tops have darkened and look slightly crusted. Carefully turn meatballs over with thongs, and broil on other side for about 5 more minutes.
- Once finished, remove sheet with meatballs from oven.
Meatballs and Sauce
- Carefully place meatballs into stockpot with sauce, one by one. Spread them out. Meatball tops should not be submerged in sauce. Spoon portions of sauce over all meatballs, so they are coated.
- Cover stockpot with lid, and let cook for about an hour on medium low. If simmering too much, you can keep on low. Meatballs can keep hot for a couple hours on stovetop on low.
- Serve meatballs in a bowl with sauce, or with gluten-free spaghetti.
Notes
- Use a scoop: To get the perfect sized meatballs every single time, use a cookie scoop to portion out the meatball mixture and then shape them.
- Choose right: I wouldn’t recommend using lean meat for this recipe. The fat in the meat is what helps the meatballs stay nice and juicy after being cooked, and without it, the meatballs will end up tough and dry.
- Use quality beef: Using a quality ground beef that’s grass fed makes all the difference in this recipe. It also makes forming the meatballs much cleaner.
